missypie

We will be visiting Rome, Florence and Venice in less than two months. Our kids are 15, 13 and 10. When I read the guide books, I get so excited...the history is incredible, the churches, the museums. But then there are the kids...I know that they're only good for so many hours of museums or churches.

If you've taken teens/tweens, what did they enjoy the most in Rome, Florence and Venice (besides the gelato)?

SeaUrchin

My son enjoyed the colosseum and forum the most when he was in Rome at a your children's ages.

In Florence he enjoyed the Uffizi because one of his teachers was a scholar in art history and fired up his class with enthusiasm for art (as well as my son having artists in his own family).

He still hasn't been to Venice, what a shame.

Try and spark an interest in the history of the cities before you get there, might help.

jcasale

We just traveled to Rome with the 18 year old son of our friends. Granted he is an artist - but what he liked best was the Vatican Museum. He brought his dad's old SLR camera and black and white film and took lots of pictures that he will then go back to school and develop with the photography teacher. I can't wait to see them.

dina4

Hi missypie,

Yes, you'll have to pick and choose which musuems you do, and research ahead of time to see what you want to see ahead of time so you can be in and out without too much time getting lost, etc.
We took our then 11 and 14 year olds to the same 3 cities. They loved climbing the campaniles, walking around, and eating gelatos. One key thing that I think really made a difference was having a private guide in Florence and rome. It really brought everything alive for them and gave meaning to everything we saw.

Regarding museums, we did the Uffizi and David (just David, not the rest of the museum) in Florence. In Rome we did the Vatican museum's 2 (or 1.5?) hr. highlight tour. In Venice, we just explored. We did climb the campanile (easiest one--there's an elevator!) and took a very expensive (but worth every euro) gondola ride at dusk. The gondolier even let the kids have a try at steering the gonodola with the oars.

The other thing we did with the kids that was nice and rejuvinating was take a 3 day break in Tuscany. We had a villa with a pool, and we just relaxed. It was a nice break between all the sightseeing and walking in Florence and Rome.

You'll have a great trip!
Have fun planning!
Dina

Ralstonlan

We took our son to Italy for the first time when he was 9 years old. He loved Venice, especially the Secret Itineraries Tour at the Doges Palace. He loved the gondola ride. In Florence he enjoyed climbing to the top of the Duomo and the Campanile. Actually enjoyed climbing every tower in every city we visited. In Rome the private tour at the Vatican was a huge hit. Loved the colusseum. Although he is a seasoned traveler and a good sport, I did hear him mutter, "OH man, not another church" on our last trip to Italy. In his own words, kids can take a certain amount of hours of history and churches, but need a break. Listen to your kids when they tell you enough is enough and eat lots of gelato! I also suggest involving your kids in the planning. On our last trip I had my son research a church in every town we would be visiting. We made "his" church our first stop in each city and he got to play tour guide. It really got him interested in the history of each place. This upcoming trip to Italy he is doing a research paper on the Etruscans as we will be visiting primarily Umbria.

missypie

Ralstonlan, funny that you mentioned the towers. We took the kids to Paris a couple of years ago, and they enjoyed everything that could be climbed to the top of and looked out of.

ellenem

They might also enjoy the climb to the top of the dome at St Peter's in Rome

suffrock

We took our kids (10 & 8) to Rome, Venice & Tuscany last summer. They loved our tour of the Vatican Museum & Basilica (we had a great guide who really engaged them in the tour without talking down to them), walking around late into in the evenings (which we never do at home in Houston!), Roman Forum, gondola & vaporetto rides. We also did the secret itinerary tour and they enjoyed that. For something different, try the Peggy Guggenheim museum & sculpture garden. We took them to a million different churches--they definitely preferred the more ornate churches and the older, more rustic ones (like the San Giacomo in Venice).

julia_t

Venice is the safest city in Europe for children/teens. There are no roads, there is relatively little crime, and it is impossible to get seriously lost.

I took my 4 children to Venice for a week when they were 15 (less 1 week), 13 (less 2 weeks) and 11. One of the 11 year olds was unfortunately (but thankfully temporarily) in a wheelchair/on crutches. This naturally restricted his mobility considerably, and affected the rest of us as Venice is not particularly disabled-friendly. His siblings found the whole situation very frustrating - even more so than he did I think.

However, after a day or so to acclimatise themselves and get their bearings, I allowed the other 3 to go off on their own, together, or at least in no less than a pair.

Bear in mind that wherever you go in Venice, there is always a sign on a wall directing you to Ferrovia, San Marco, Rialto, Accademia, etc, so once you know where you are staying in relation to a major location, you should have no problems finding your way 'home'.

This worked really well for my kids, especially the almost-15 year old, and they relished their independence. They also bought me lovely surprise presents from little shops they came across!

Indeed after a few days the almost-15 year old went off on her own sometimes, and her delight when she came home to tell me of some wonderful church she had discovered by herself was beautiful. I'm so glad I gave her the opportunity to have that experience. She appreciates it too.

They did have cell-phones with them, and we always had a rendezvous point every 2 hours or so, and I only got one call early on in the week when the almost-13yo and the 11yo got in a muddle near Rialto - and the funny thing was they were just a corner from Fantasy Gelato, from which they knew their way like it was the back of their hands!

And yes, in Venice for the very best gelato it has to be Fantasy Gelato on Calle dei Fabbri!

I am planning on taking my now 13yo boys - to Rome in October (although I will not be letting them roam free in that city), so please do post back to let me (and others) know how your teens get on in Rome!

Good luck and have a great trip!

jdbird

Your kids might find holy relics interersting (or gross). Churches in Rome, Florence and Venice are filled with bones, hair and various other body parts encased in elaborate display cases. Many are found behind altars or in small chapels off to the right. Searching for relics can spark interest in visiting churches. Florence has a spectacular femur...Your kids could learn a lot of history without really trying.

sundowner

I think you have some good suggestions. I took my 9 & 21 year old to Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento. They were both so good and such a joy on that trip. They only complained when I stopped to look at paintings for awhile (they liked the statues, etc. Just not the paintings). And they said that I was taking too many pictures and they had to wait on me.

We only had one rule - gelato anytime they wanted. I think they always had 2 per day and I think there was one day that they had 3. But we walked everywhere and the dozens of miles per day got rid of that gelato!

The 9 yr old is now 11 and wants to go back to Pompeii and Rome. We had such a great time and I hope you do to!

KathrynT

I would agree with others about climbing to the top of any climbable dome or tower being on my kids "must do" list. They also frequently mention the Capuchin Monastery in Rome as being something they always tell their friends about and riding the gondola in Venice.

One thing we happened upon in museums was picking a theme and looking for related art works. My daughter noticed beautiful angel wings on a fresco in the Vatican museum and from then on compared every pair of wings she saw in paintings to that first pair. (The first pair won our vote for most beautiful and she wants to return to see them again.)

My son was fascinated with paintings of "The Slaughter of the Innocents" - so cultured, that one!
He was delighted whenever he saw that them (and there are many) and he tried to find the most gruesome. Warning: this isn't a theme for the very young or faint hearted...!

On that cheeful note, I hope this is helpful. Have a great trip!

RoadCrazy

I took my son to Italy when he was 12. He has never been interested in museums or art, so I kept that to a bare minimum. We did walk through the Vatican Museum (but just walk through -- in about an hour), and saw the David in Florence. His favorite thing to do was to walk around in the latter part of the evening enjoying the street performers in Florence and Rome, and he did really get a kick out of Venice altogether. Our gondolier let him go up and paddle the gondola at the end of the ride! Strangely enough, he enjoyed shopping in the glass shops of Venice, too, looking for glass souvenirs (at minuscule prices) to give his friends back home.

Except for Rome, I would also be quite free about letting the kids go around on their own if they stick together. Just make sure they know how to get back to the hotel!

jgg

We were in Rome, Venice and Florence last March when our kids were 9 and 12. Their favorites were eating gelato, drinking cappuccinos, and walking around late at night, particularly in Rome. My 9 yo son enjoyed lighting candles in all the churches for his grandparents, and my daughter loved the shopping.

When in the Uffizi we followed Rick Steve's guide to the Uffizi and my daughter really enjoyed the museum that way.

In Rome we went to the Museo Criminologico di Roma, Via Gonfalone 29. This museum traces the history of crime in Italy. Instruments of torture, weapons, etc. are on display. We were just about the only ones in the museum and we all really enjoyed it.

Another big hit with the kids were the catacombs just outside of Rome (about a 20 minute cab ride).

Here is a link to a list of things to do in Italy called "Chills and Thrills in the Eternal City", written by a poster here named Grinisa. We found it very helpful. http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/rome/chills_thrills.htm

missypie

Are there certain areas of each city in which street performers typically congregate?

JeanneB

Re: Venice

There's a documentary by A&E Network which shows how they built Venice on water...in a region that has no trees. It's really amazing! I think your children might find it interesting.
It goes into the history of the invasions from the north which drove the Italians into the marshes. And it covers the time when Venice ruled the world (good prep for the Secret Itineraries tour).

My library had it. You might look there.

jgg

Oh, yes, that was another thing my son loved - taking his picture with all of the "street statues". We found them in a lot of places, Piazza Navona, the Via Del Corso. I expect when you are going there will be even more.

mr_go

Allie Go has been to Italy 3 times now, and has enjoyed it each time.

In Venice, she went nuts for the pigeons in Piazza San Marco...and also enjoyed the gondola ride.

In Rome, she loved the Colloseum.

In the Lakes region, she liked the Isola Bella and island in Lake Orta.

On the Amalfi Coast, she really enjoyed the Salvatore & Gennaro boat trip (and lunch!).

In Naples, the Sottoraneo (sub-terranean) tour of the city was especially well received.

And on Capri, she loved the chairlift up to the west side of the island.

And everywhere...she <b>loved</b> the pizza &amp; pasta!!!

Pieroni

Rome is facinating for kids but only if you hire an English speaking guide - especially for the Forum, Colosseum etc. It was a bit pricey but well worth it.

ferran

I'm taking my kids to Rome and Venice in August and we only have 2 days in each spot. I want them to really enjoy their first trip to Europe. They are 18, 16 and 12.
Have any of you done a private tour in Venice and/or Rome. Is there someone you'd recommend? How much does it cost?