lisamarc

Hi: It's been a while.. you've all been so helpful in the past. We have the itinerary, flights booked and now would like to plan the "must sees" while in Venice and Tuscany.
We have three kids, ages 14, 12 and 10. They love to sightsee but within reason... (ha) need to mix in reading and Gelato at the Piazza.. not to mention people watching. We will begin our trip (end of June) in Venice for 4 days.. what are the "must see/do's"?...

On to Tuscany... we will be staying about 12 miles outside of Florence where the kids will have an opportunity to see the workings of an olive grove, etc... we will be there for about 4 days... again, what are some interesting and unique "must see's/do's"?

I have done research but there is so much.. would love to get your thoughts, especially traveling with our 3 children. Grazie! LisaMarc

lonelyplanet

These are, in my opinion, the places you should not miss in Venice:

1. Cannaregio: The Jewish Ghetto, Madonna dell'Orto, and Strada Nova.

2. San Polo: Rialto Market, Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, and Campo San Polo.

3. Dorsoduro: Le Zattere, Collezione Peggy Guggenheim, and Ponte dell'Accademia.

4. San Marco: Piazza San Marco, Pallazzo Contarini del Bovolo, and Il Ponte dei Sospiri.

5. Castello: San Zanipolo, Campo Santa Maria Formosa, and Riva degli Schiavoni.

6. Il Canal Grande: Il Ponte di Rialto, and a ride on the vaporetto from Santa Lucia Train Station to San Marco.

7. Lagoon Isles: Murano, Burano and Torcello.

Look them all up in a bookguide or on the internet, and decide which ones seem appealing to you. These are, in my opinion, the most interesting places.

massagediva

lonelyplanet-What a great,organized response.I couldn't have done better!

lisamarc

Grazie! I will take out my books and research.. I had some of these on my list of potentials... thanks for including a variety of sights..not just museums and churches

With regard to the lagoon isles, I see there is murano... are there particular reasons for why you think these are "must see's" with the kids?

What a great list... once again Fodors hasn't let me down.. Thanks! LisaMarc

sandi_travelnut

you can also click on "destinations" at the top of the page which gives you great suggestions.

lonelyplanet

I forgot to mention "Campo Santa Margherita" in Dorsoduro. It's quite lovely. "Il Ponte dell'Accademia" would be part of the "Canal Grande" landmarks. If I had to choose among Murano, Burano and Torcello, I'd choose Burano.

Murano resembles Venice a lot but without the greatness of its palaces and churches. It's a simpler version of Venice.

There are only three landmarks on Torcello: two churches and a museum. There are also a couple of restaurants, but that's it. It's practically deserted. It's charming, but, if you don't have much time, I think you'd better leave it for another trip.

Burano, on the other hand, it's quite different. It's a tiny fishers' isle with colorful houses. It's quite lively and picturesque and the food is great. There are no exuberant palaces or churches which, in my opinion, is good for a change. It can be visited in half a day.

This, of course, is my personal opinion.

maitaitom

Here are a few more places that we really enjoyed in Venice:

Ca Rezzonico - Dorsoduro - museum in a palazzo

Scuola Grande di San Rocco - San Polo - great works by Tintoretto (free audio guide)

Galleria dell'Accademia - Dorsoduro - go when it opens in the morning, no lines...Works by many great artists including Bellini (the artist, not the drink).

Cantina del Mori - San Polo - Good, inexpensive place for ciccheti (closed Sunday). This is a great bacari where Casanova used to hang out before they made bad movies about him.

Have a sgroppino after dinner (adult drink).

In Siena, if the kids are too active, they can walk up the 500+ stairs of the Torre del Mangia to help them get rid of that excess energy.

Have fun!

lisamarc

Thank you all so much! We will have a marvelous trip. We are planning to go to Siena and will attend a concert (Italian tenor at a local church)... and have dinner... if anyone knows of a "must" restaurant in Siena... please do pass on.

And to "Maitaitom"... I, too, will join the kids climbing the 500 stairs of the Torre del Mangia as you suggest... need to burn off some of that wonderful cuisine (and drinks)I will be enjoying..ha!

Thanks again all for your wonderful suggestions! Can't wait. LisaMarc

italy06

ttt

LuvToRoam

The stairs and walks in Europe have allowed us to eat ANYTHING we want, whenever we want. No pounds put on when you are doing all that walking! And, it is the best way to see everything. We are off to Venice in September 2006. Can't Wait!! Hope you have a wonderful trip as well.

mikanni

Hi- I don't know if you have gone yet - but I always found getting my kids excited about places worked better than ME getting excited about places for them. There are a lot of books about Venice and Italy for kids. Particularly - have your kids read The Thief Lord? It is a mystery set in Venice for kids the ages of yours. There are others in the series that would be good. My favorite things about Venice with kids is just walking around discovering things.

dondo

Last May we had a superb long lunch at Osteria Le Logge on Via del Porrione, just off the Campo. We asked the Maitre'd to have the chef prepare a 7 course meal and to pick out the wines. I think we had 5 different wines and a Reserva Grappa. The meal was so good, we returned three days later and had another feast.

skiobx

Hey Lisamarc,

We are going to Tuscany this summer as well with our 2 teenage boys, so I was glad to read your posts and I found the responses very helpful. Could you please tell me where you're staying outside of Florence?....it sounds intersting Thanks in advance.

3mkids

Hi Lisamarc: We are also traveling in Italy with our three kids, two boys ages, 7 and 15, and our daughter, 11. We love Venice and are very excited about the Dogge's palace. After doing Murano last time, we are thinking about skipping it this time. But we think Burrano might be really nice for them. We are also going for 4 nights in Venice, and then heading to Tuscany. Where are you staying? We have stayed near Lucca before, and it was charming. This time we are staying near San Gimgiano (sorry I guess I should figure out how to spell it). Are you traveling elsewhere in Italy with your kids? The responses to your post have been most helpful.

lisamarc

To kiobox and 3mkids:

We are staying in the Chianti region at Villa il poggiale. Here is the link: http://www.villailpoggiale.it

From there we are going to take trips to Florience and Siena. So many things to see, so little time. Best, Lisamarc

jabez

I think the kids would love bike riding on the walls of Lucca.

ItalyLove

bookmarking

lisamarc

Hi Jabez:

Do you know where we can rent bikes in Lucca? Need to look at map and see how far from Villa il poggiale. Great idea and our kids would love that. Thanks, Lisamarc

annw

lisamarc have you stayed at that villa before? I checked the link and it looks great -- we were thinking of staying in Siena but this place looks good!

lisamarc

Annw:
No, this will be our first time but it looks great. The owners will also help to arrange trips to Florence and Siena. Good luck, lisamarc