My husband, 22 month old and I have one week to get from Monaco to Rome. I am European-vacation-challenged and my husband is no help. Any suggestions?

Hi Julie,

In order for us to help you, you need to give a bit more detail! Are you starting you trip in Monaco (why?) What does your family enjoy? Art, history, scenery, wine? How are you traveling? Train or car?

Okay - I'll back up. My sister-in-law has rented a villa for us for an entire week in Positano June 18 - 24. We thought we would extend our trip by a week to do some sight seeing. So we thought we'd start in Monaco and make our way down the coast. So far we are planning on renting a car. Any suggestions are helpful as this will be a first time Italy trip for me and my husband is no help with planning. THANKS!

It's still hard to figure out what you want to do. Art museums in Florence? Relax on the Italian Riviera? Or maybe the Italian lakes? Spend time seeing the Roman ruins in Rome? Drive among the hilltowns of Tuscany?

Get a guidebook or two with lots of pictures and see if you can't narrow down your interests and what you want to do.

I also suggest you give more specifics about your preferences. You have many, many options between Monaco and Rome.
One idea would be to follow the coastline down to the Italian Riviera/Cinque Terre/Portofino/Santa Margherita areas, stay there a couple of nights. Then go to Florence and stay a couple of nights. Then to Rome.
By the way, do you really want to deal with driving a car, or could you use the excellent rail system?

Not very interested in Museums or Ruins. More interested in driving along the coast, shopping, and excellent food/wine. Vineyards?

OK Julie,

With what we have to go on here, I would recommend spending some time in Tuscany and Rome. You are already doing the coastal thing with the week in Positano.

So take some time to see parts of Tuscany, go wine tasting, and maybe a couple days in Rome for the highlights. Rome is so amazing that there is something for everyone. Even non museum/ruins people!

Train to Pisa, see the tower and duomo. Pick up a car and see San Gimignano in the late afternoon, maybe stay overnight 1 night. I have not checked to see how long the Monaco/Pisa train might be.

Stay 3 nights either in Chianti or southern Tuscany, the wine, food and scenery are great in both places (scenery slightly better in southern Tuscany).

Drop car in Orvieto, spend the day and maybe 1 night in Orvieto, on to Rome the next day.

2 nights Rome. Stroll, stroll, and stroll, shop. On your strolls, stop anywhere that interests you. Eat lots of gellato!

Buon viaggio!

Cinque Terre!

Do not rent the car in France to avoid a big drop charge in Italy. I would start in Genoa and spend time at Portovenere, Montalcino, and Porto san Stefano as you head south. Good luck !

double post, double reply !!

you do not mention the period you will be travelling. For coastal views I think everybody would suggest Cinque Terre. You do not need the car but change train in La Spezia and take a local train. The path is along the coast which links 5 different villages but you can also split walking and train between these 5 spots. Another excellent alternative ( my preferred) might be Isle of Elba, Tuscany, 1 hour ferry every 30 minutes from Piombino to Portoferraio, Livorno province, but then it is better to have a car for at least 3 days on the island but if you travel july/august just forget it !! Very crowded and double prices !!
You might discover different beaches and making the whole tour by driving! It is very spectacular, especially the western part. !!

Well, as Dayle points out, they're spending a week at Positano. So I agree, spend the bulk of your time in Tuscany and/or Umbria. You really need a car to see this area. For wine, there's Chianti, Montepulciano, and my favorite, Brunello di Montalcino.

You can shop in Rome.

With a 22-month old, I think I would opt for a car so that you can stop whenever you need to. I agree that the European train system is excellent, but toddlers have their own schedules. I have traveled a lot with children (Europe and US), and you need your own vehicle for all their "stuff" at that age. I am in the planning stage for the same trip (although from Avignon to Rome) and we will probably spend a day or two in the Cinque Terre region. With our two kids, I plan on staying at a small hotel or B & B, so they have some room to stretch. I note from your other post that you enjoy good food and wine. Do you realize that this will not always be possible with a toddler? We have often settled for a picnic outside.