Italy in August with Teens

Old Dec 26th, 2015, 07:06 PM
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Italy in August with Teens

I am interested in going to Italy this summer with my 2 daughters who will be 14 & 12. Our main goal will be to visit family (2 hours south of Rome) but we also want to do some travel since last time we were in Italy was 10 years ago and they were too young to see anything.

Here is what I was thinking...
- Spend a total of about 2 weeks with the first part visiting a few places and then heading to our family to have some relaxation time before going home.
- From reading some posts I think it best to limit our transitions so was thinking Venice and Rome for cities to visit
- Thinking best to fly into Venice and stay a few days and then take train to Rome for another few days and then head south to visit my family for some relaxation before flying out of Rome

I would be very interested in any tips for planning and transportation.
- Would it be better to use a tour or plan on our own?
- Better to stay in apartment vs. hotel? Suggestions for convenient accommodations
- Best sites to see based on ages of my kids - thinking Colosseum, Vatican at minimum
- Should we try to stop anywhere in between Venice and Rome?
- Will we be able to see the Italian countryside while on the train?
- Maybe do day trip to Pompeii while at family house since it is 1.5 hr from Naples.

We do not speak Italian and will need to depend on public transportation during our sightseeing days.

I appreciate any ideas.
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Old Dec 27th, 2015, 01:53 AM
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<Would it be better to use a tour or plan on our own? >

Given your desire to see your family, then planning your own trip is much more practical

<Apartment vs hotel>

Some apartments don't rent for less than 4 nights. Also, how comfortable are you without a hotel desk/concierge to ask for help or advice? You also need to find apartments that have owners who are easily contactable and with good English. Not intending to put you off but you need to factor these things in.

<Best sites based on the age of my kids>

I would ask the kids to plan. Get them involved. What are they interested in? What do they want to see? Be guided by their interests. If your kids will be bored senseless by hours of art in the Vatican museums then don't make them suffer. Follow their lead and you will have happy kids.

<Should we stop anywhere between Venice and Rome>

Based on the high speed rail trip maybe Bologna which I love - with its covered walkways, great food and history. Florence is also an option - it depends on your interests. Google some images and seek some information on the train stops between Venice and Rome.

<Will we be able to see the Italian countryside while on the train>

The high speed rail in Italy can nudge speeds close to 200kph. The countryside is very fast moving. A more leisurely journey would be via the IC trains or even the regional - but that is a much, much slower journey and given your two week time - maybe not recommended.

<Day trip to Pompeii>

That depends where your family home is located and the transport options from there - given you need to rely on public transportation so more information about that will help.
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Old Dec 27th, 2015, 02:16 AM
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To help you plan with your teenagers - you know them best so factor in what they love - is it shopping? food? history? art? museums? hiking? outdoors? beaches? - and tailor your plans accordingly.

However as I said, get them involved. Guide books may look cumbersome and wordy but most of them these days have photos and tons of ideas. Lonely Planet now have a 'Make My Day' series which enables you to flip three sections of the guide book and create a tailored itinerary for your day.

http://www.bookdepository.com/Lonely.../9781743609286
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Old Dec 27th, 2015, 02:46 AM
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It would help to know just where your family is located south of Rome, in order to make suggestions about what to do with your other days. In August, many teen would very much want to go to the beach, and there are beach town in Italy that have quite a bit of history, so it's educational too! But maybe your teens don't enjoy the beach. Anyway, if the family home south of Rome is near public transporation, there might be interesting places you could easily visit without renting a car. But if your family is located in an area south of Rome that is complicated to reach, you might not want to add Venice to your travels (even with the high speed trains), but stay in the lower half of Italy and enjoy places there before heading to visit the rest of your family. However, if the teens are clamoring to go to Venice, certainly go.

I recommend an apartment for your family and many, many apartments in Rome and Venice are avaiable for less than 4 nights. I like to use Rome Loft for Rome, which has dozens of short-stay apartments you can book online, but many people have success using Airbnb or booking.com. (Sorry, can't advise for Venice). An apartment will be a lot more elbow room with your teens. If you can afford it, get an apartment with more than one bathroom. You will not experience much difficulty at all finding landlords who speak English and apartments you can book by credit card over the internet.

In August, Bologna is likely to be wretchedly hot and muggy, and in the latter part of August, many of its outdoor food markets will shut, and they are often the main attraction for people making a brief stop. You can read about Bologna to see if any of its indoor attractions would interest your group. Florence will be extremely crowded and likely to be hot, and while it has loads of popular, famous attractions, indoor and outdoor, you need to be very organized to make the most of a short stop when the city is jammed that much with other tourists.

If you decide to go to Pompeii in August, try to get there as early as possible in the morning to minimize exposure to the fierce sun as the day goes on. There is very little shade in Pompeii, just bare stone, so bring plenty of water, hats and sunscreen.
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Old Dec 27th, 2015, 04:42 AM
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You will not find a tour that fits your itinerary - they typically move almost every night and are geared for adults and not teens.

I would definitely plan yourself with the help of your daughters. Their first trip to London and Paris we involved our 11 and 14 DDs from the first and they not only picked out some sights that were must dos for them but also some restaurants - and loved the chance to practice their French.

I would get your daughters very involved in selecting sights - and learning a little about history of Roman empire and Italy - so they appreciate what they are seeing. Also, while English is very widely spoken in tourist areas (although not sure about where your family lives) both you and they should learn at least the basic polite phrases - as well as get a quality menu reader to help in restaurants.

Once you and your daughters have looked at some guide books you can decide what other place you might want to spend a few days besides Venice and Rome (Tuscan countryside? northern lakes?) before heading to Rome and then visit your family.

Agree that Pompeii can be hell in summer. We were there in May and had to leave, drooping before 1pm - since there is NO shade - so get there early and pick up a guide at the gate.
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Old Dec 27th, 2015, 04:48 AM
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Sorry - exactly where you go depends on what you really mean by "about 2 weeks" (how many nights) and how many days you want to spend with your family.

And hotel recos will depend on specific nightly budget and naturally what stops you decide on.

You can see a little of the countryside out of the train - but high speed trains don't give the best of views.
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Old Dec 27th, 2015, 05:25 AM
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We have always traveled with our two daughters and have never used a tour. Too limiting and I think that with kids, you want to have flexibility to change your itinerary more at will. Absolutely prefer apartments to hotels. Again, with kids, this makes so much more sense because you have room to spread out, downtime can be more relaxing, and you can go to the market to buy groceries for snacks and meals which is a cost cutter.

The heat may be oppressive and AC is often hard to find. We were in the northern lakes region last July and it was so hot that we were going out early morning and later afternoon, back to the apartment and resting midday. Factor this in to your planning; IF you can get a place with AC, I'd say go for it, even if it's a bit more expensive.

A good overall resource I've used is www.InItaly.com.
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Old Dec 27th, 2015, 07:45 AM
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personally I would try to avoid going to Rome twice, and suggest putting all your time there at the end of the trip, assuming you decide to fly out of there.

then with Venice at the beginning, and family before you get to Rome, that really only leaves you one more place, which I would suggest should be somewhere in the country with a pool - possibly an agriturismo - where your kids can explore the area on their bikes, you can do day trips to nearby places of interest, then come back and swim, sleep and eat.

http://www.agriturismo.it/en/?gclid=...FQw8GwodEtoPOw

if you decide to stay in a town, I would still propose getting somewhere with a pool and with AC as Barbara suggests - hot kids are miserable kids, IME.
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Old Dec 27th, 2015, 08:49 AM
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Without criticizing the advice to involve your kids in the planning, I would suggest that you first pay most attention to the logistics of your trip and also think about what your kids would really enjoy and how to give them a great introduction to travel in Italy. The time of year you are going could involve intense heat and crowds if you pick the guidebook destinations -- and you need to factor in the personalities of your kids, who might love it all anyway, or who might -- quite understandably -- feel like they are being dragged though an obstacle course with a lot discomfort and in no mood to appreciate an art or history site.

Of course if your kids look at guidebooks and get excited about seeing this or that place and if it is doable, that's great. But there is history all over the place in Italy, plus beautiful art, so if you get the impression your kids would rather be someplace with a pool around farm animals, trust me you can find someplace just like that with thousand-year old Etruscan necropolis down the road, a Roman aqueduct and baths nearby, a Renaissance cathedral down the train line, an a medieval fortress up the hill. Ditto many towns at the beach or on islands.

Another possible issue with giving kids guidebooks without first setting some geographic limits is that if they see a picture of something somewhere in a distant-from-Rome-and-family part of Italy that sets their hearts on fire, you might have to disappoint them right off the bat by telling them 'no.'

So first figure out some easy logistics, and give your kids guidebooks for some well defined areas, not the whole of Italy. If either or both of your kids have a great passion -- like horses, music, animation, fashion, theater -- consider in Italian destination where that is showcased. That is usually quite easy to do without going far at all.

But again, there is a big difference between the first half of August and the last half, so knowing which half it is and how active you want your group to be when it comes to sightseeing will get you more precise advice.
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Old Dec 27th, 2015, 09:00 AM
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We have traveled to Italy quite a few times with our kids at all ages.
We too have family to visit about 1.5 hours south of Rome which is the main objective. We too have gone for about 2 weeks each time.
For me, it works out best to think in terms of nights. How many nights to you plan to spend with family?
If you must flyout of Rome, for me it makes the most sense to spend the last few days there without having to stop in Rome twice.
For my family, it worked out great to mix some city time with time in the country at places called agriturismi. We made sure there was a pool.
August most likely will be HOT!
Sounds like we have family in nearly the same place. Maybe we're related
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Old Dec 27th, 2015, 12:37 PM
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<Another possible issue with giving kids guidebooks without first setting some geographic limits is that if they see a picture of something somewhere in a distant-from-Rome-and-family part of Italy that sets their hearts on fire, you might have to disappoint them right off the bat by telling them 'no.' >

I think it's insulting and condescending to the OP to assume they would hand over a guide book to the kids and say 'hey guys here's Italy - go for it'. I am sure they are wise enough to flag Rome, Venice and the family home first.
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Old Dec 27th, 2015, 01:00 PM
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"Once you and your daughters have looked at some guide books you can decide what other place you might want to spend a few days besides Venice and Rome (Tuscan countryside? northern lakes?) before heading to Rome and then visit your family"

Please. This is getting so tedious from you. Find something or somebody to obsess about other than me. You are just stinking up thread after thread, following me around on Fodor's to Italy discussions. It's not fair to people who start these threads.
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Old Dec 27th, 2015, 01:03 PM
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In case my post above wasn't clear, it is directed at blueeyedcod (and the quote is from nytraveler's post for blueeyedcod's enlightenment.)
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Old Feb 24th, 2016, 07:05 PM
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Thanks for all the suggestions so far. We have made some progress and purchased air fare to leave Aug 3 for 13 nights flying in and out of Rome since we got a great price on a non-stop flight. Looked into flying into other places but a lot more $ and no non-stop.

I'm thinking we will stay 4 nights in Rome and use the tail end of the trip to visit with family near Monte Cassino for about 5 nights. So that leaves 4 days to spend some where. While I'd love to see Venice I think it will be too much travel time and I have also heard it can be smelly in the heat of August. Now considering Tuscany with base in Florence or Sienna. Or possibly Amalfi but coast but I think getting there is a little harder as last time I believe we took train to Salerno and then hired car to Sorrento.

I know my girls (12 and 14) will like some history/art but definitely would like to work in some beach/pool/AC. They also like biking/hiking and kayaking but not sure how that would be in the August heat.

In Rome, thinking we will look at visiting coliseum and Sistine chapel/Vatican along with any other sites we find in walking around. My girls are also cat lovers and heard about the cat sanctuary - has anyone been there? is it worth a visit?

Definitely like the idea of apartments with AC (thinking Pantheon area) with option to do laundry so we can travel a little lighter.

We will need to travel by train or hired car as we are not planning on renting a car.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
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Old Feb 24th, 2016, 08:58 PM
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August is going to be blazing hot so if you plan to visit the Vatican Museums, go for an early entry tour. You're inside at 8.00am and out by 11.00 - just when the bulk of the crowds are swelling inside. There is no air conditioning in the Vatican Museums and it is unimaginably stuffy.

Ditto the Colosseum. Take an Underground tour as early as you can as you'll escape the heat of the day and see parts of the Colosseum only available to small tour groups.

You have four days so Venice is not out of the question. If you leave Rome at, say, 6.00am you'll be in Venice by 10.30am on the high speed rail. Not sure where the 'smelly' idea comes from as Venice is in a lagoon which is open to the sea, so sea breezes and salty air. When it's low tide some parts can be exposed and have an odour but that is tidal and will disappear when the tide rises.

Your visit will coincide with Ferragosto - in fact if I have calculated correctly, you will leave on that day (Aug 15). Read up on how this may affect your travel plans.

http://goitaly.about.com/od/festival...ferragosto.htm


(lol @ sandralist - bemoaning the fact that others dare write on an open forum. The only 'stinking' done here is by you - lovely turn of phrase by the way - reflects your insufferable rudeness)
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