Going to Italy
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Going to Italy
April 2007
We'll be visiting Rome, Venice and the Pompeii/Amalfi area
briefly at the end of June. Any suggestions for activities
that would appeal to a 13-year-old who doesn't have a high
tolerance for museums/galleries?
Lodging suggestions also welcome...
deb
First, set the mood. Rent movies about Italy before you go
that would interest yr teen--there are lists on the web.
Buy a good guide book, Rick Steve’s Italy 2007 has
itineraries that can be useful concise info at yr
fingertips—his hotel and restaurant suggestions have
proved to be good.
(Get The Smiles of Rome by Susan Cahill for yrself).
Second, be sure they have their own camera, particularly
if it’s one they like and is small and easily placed in a
pocket.
Third, look around for a really good map that is
easy to read, especially ones that are more 3-D or that
call out the sites for the cities you will visit (having
street names on the back is important) Finding your day’s
route or the gelato places on the map not only sparks
interest but is a useful skill to hone.
Rome.
(Before you go, watch Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn
and Gregory Peck)
Do the Forum with a good guide book: Interesting to walk
among the ruins and figure out what was there before. They
do sell guide books there that show the ruin and then a
plastic overlay of what it looked like in ancient times.
The Colosseum: rent an audio guide (available on site)
for your teen if they're interested.
Climb to the top of St. Peter’s Basilica dome (not for the
claustrophobic).
Villa d’Este at Tivoli -- pack a picnic lunch (catch the
bus at P. Mammolo subway stop)
Must see: Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and hang out at the
Campo di Fiori.
Walk in the evening from Piazza del Popolo or Campo de
Fiori to Spanish Steps, don’t forget to check out
Bernini’s Four Rivers fountain.
Get a list of great gelato (ice cream) places and mark
them on the map next to the main tourist sites and do lots
of gelato tastings. (For example the one on the slow
travel italy site, which also lists restaurants:
http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/restaurant_list/gelato_grinis
a.htm). Hotel Duca d’Alba (www/hotelducadalba.com)is
around 180 euros a night for a triple room and is well
located.
Pompeii
(read some background material on this before you go as it
will be more interesting once you get there, some fiction
and nonfiction books geared for teens are available) This
is a great place for kids/teens. They hand you a fairly
decent guide (that is available in English) when you pay
your entrance fee though you might have to remind them to
do so. Still, I’d get another guidebook that includes
descriptions of some of the sites/buildings. It was great
fun to try to find the sites and read a little bit of
history on each one. Don’t forget to see the “Beware the
Dog” mosaic.
Venice
This city was built for kids/teens—no traffic and lots of
souvenir and mask shops.
Take a boat tour down the Grand Canal—cheap on vaporetto
#1 and takes under an hour.
Go to the Lido, rent a small cabana w/ an umbrella (not
cheap but worth it) and swim.
Feed pigeons at St. Marks Square, go up to the museum in
the Basilica and from there outside on the balcony with
the 4 horses.
Do the Jewish Ghetto tour.
Visit Burano (lacemaking), visit Murano (glass factory and
watch the glass making—might need a reservation).
Give yr teen money to shop for a mask ($25-30) or
masquerade ($100 incl cape and traditional 3-cornered
hat). There are mask workshops though I’ve never tried one
(Mask workshops Ca' Macana - Dorsoduro 3172 - 30123 Tel
(+39) 041 2776142 - Fax (+39) 041 5203229
info[at]camacana.com)
Go to one of the traghetto crossings (gondola takes you
across the Grand Canal instead of crossing a bridge) for a
cheap gondola ride.
Mostly walk and walk and walk--can't go wrong.
dorfro
I took my 13 year old (girl) to Italy last summer and I think the
suggestions you've received so far are great. I second the advice that you check
out slowtrav.org - I planned my trip with this website. My daughter
expressed an interest in learning some Italian ahead of time so I found her a great tutor
for a few months. Although she turned out to have more interest in the sights than I'd
predicted, her attention span was short and her tolerance for seeing a lot in one day was
low. She really got into keeping a journal and I
think recording the trip heightened her interest. We rented apartments that
we found on slowtrav (rather than going to hotels) and let her stay home
alone for some of each day. This was a welcome respite for everyone involved.
There was a lot of bickering and complaining but within days of our
return she had completely idealized the experience and cant wait to go back.
anonymous
July 2005
We are thinking about a 2 week trip to Italy next year with our
son who will be just under 2 then. We would like to bike for part
of it. I've looked up some tours, but they are ridicously
expensive or don't take kids. Has anyone done this with a baby?
Would you recommend a tour or doing it on your own? Any books or
places to to recommend?
Mama wants La Dolce Vita
Well, I've bike toured in Tuscany before I had my son, who is now
2, and I ride around Oakland and Piedmont with him now in a
Burley. I don't think it would be easy to do a bike tour with a
2 year old. I certainly wouldn't spend the money to do an
organized trip. You will have to have much more flexibility. I'd recommend staying in one place for a couple days and doing
day trips in the area, rather than going from place to place each
day. Time your rides for naps, and plan on riding for a couple
of hours at most. Ride a lot with him in a trailer now (if you
plan on using a trailer). My son likes to have lots of snacks in
the pockets, and a few toys here and there. He will do up to two
hours on a good day, especially if he naps for most of it.
Italy is super-bike friendly, particularly in the countryside. It does not compare to riding in the US, however the cities can
be quite challenging.
I only am familiar with Tuscany, which has super-steep hills all
over. There are flatter roads, but they are busier and not as
scenic. No matter what, I'd stick to the countryside and try to
avoid cities. Use the train system as much as you can to
facilitate riding in the country and getting to/from different
places.
We did not use tour companies because of the cost. I think we
spent $3K for 3 weeks of touring on our own. That would have
paid for 1 week of a tour company. The major problem was
securing hotel reservations in advance, but that was also a
little fun. We had no major problems on the trip and it was one
of the best I've ever taken. It would be challenging with a
toddler, but I've seen other Euro couples and kids doing bike
tours a lot, so it is possible.
Phil
I would not go biking in Italy during the summer, not with a baby
anyway. Near the coast you would find a weather much like San
Diego and inland it is usually ''Central Valley hot''. Weather gets
more biker-friendly in September in northern/central Italy, but
if you want to bike around Sicily late October/November may be
your best bet.
Paolo
June 2005
Hello,
We're considering a trip to the Amalfi Coast (Italy) this summer with our 2 year old.
I would very much like recommendations for specific places to stay (and any sound
advice on logistics of getting there). We would like to stay in a house/villa/hotel in
town and also within walking distance of a beach. My husband would like to cook
while we're there -- so a house or small villa sounds ideal. Also, we need to find a
place where our kid can run around or play outside (no places with only a narrow
balcony, for example). We'd like to go either in July or August (yes, last minute
planning). Any and all suggestions about favorite places, great travel agents are
most welcome. Thank you.
We went to Amalfi for a week last October with our then 1.5
year old and stayed in an apartment with a kitchen, which was
handy. I found Amalfi itself to be a little too touristy for my
tastes and suggest you look around at some of the smaller towns
if you want to be able to find non-tourist restaurants, for
example. I preferred the small town right next to it, for
example, but I can't recall the name (and it's restaurants were
all for tourists as well). We got our apartment through Amalfi
Life (www.amalfilife.com) and they were fine to work with
though not cheap. There is a beach in Amalfi, but don't go
there if you're looking for a particularly beachy vacation;
it's mostly rocky cliffs. Feel free to contact me for further
info.
jen
We spent a week driving down the Amalfi Coast last year. It was
very romantic for a couple. It was also frightfully expensive!!
You can rent a car as we did and drive but I found the driving
scary and my boyfriend did all of the driving (I just pressed
the pretend brake pedal on my side!). Many of the towns are very
steep and so you would need a good stroller for the toddler.
Even that wouldn't work everywhere as sometimes you get from
level to level on long flights of stone steps. Personally, I
would recommend Sicily. It is very pretty and seemed more child
friendly to me. Especially the western part was quite a bit like
Napa and we staying in a lovely pensione in a tiny village,
Scopello, on the edge of a nature reserve. Just lovely.
kl
I'm sooooo jealous! The Amalfi coast was my all-time favorite
vacation. I still think about MOVING there I loved it soo soo
soo much!
I went there BEFORE kids, but the little town is very family-
friendly.
My advice is to stay in Atrani, one bend in the road over from
Amalfi. You can walk from Atrani to Amalfi. Everything you
need to know about Atrani is in this website:
http://www.amalficoastweb.com/atrani/english/virtual_tour.html
Follow the links in this website for lodging ..... it's all
owned by the same guy! Get a Family Hostel room, you can have
a kitchenette in your room. I found Italy, specifically the
coast, to be very affordable. I can go on and on and on and on
about it.....email me if you want to hear more about how much I
love it!
tiffany
August 2003
We will be traveling to Spain and Italy next june with our son
who will be 20 months. We are planning on visiting Marbella and
Seville in Spain and are then looking at heading to Italy. I've
done past traveling in Rome, Venice, Florence but have never
done southern Italy. The Amalfi coast looks beautiful on the
websites I've visited. I'm looking for any suggestions on
places to go in that area, places to stay (ideally a villa or
apt) so we can make our own food etc. We figure we'll need to
rent a car but would love to hear from others who've traveled to
that area and have found fun things to do etc. Any and all
suggestions would be appreciated. I have checked the website
and didn't see anything related. Thanks!
Stephanie
We drove a car along the Amalfi Coast, and LOVED it! To avoid
tourists in highly publicized costal towns such as Positano, and
for the most amazing views in the world, stay in Ravello, high
above the coast, but a gorgeous half hour walk (with baby on
backpack, might take you an hour). (You can also drive.) A
few hotels, possibly some residences to rent, restaurants,
lovely strolls, and a serene attitude await you in Ravello.
an Italy lover
December 2002
A few years ago (Spring 2001) there were some recommendations
posted for places to stay in Tuscany. They were billed as ''agri
tourismo'' - or rural/farms that had been converted to B&B type
places. I cannot find them in the archives, but as we are
preparing for a trip to Italy this summer, I would really like
to have any recommendations for such places (we will be three
adults a 3 year old and a baby). We would like to be fairly
close to Sienna.
Thanks!
Caroline
I can't recommend a specific agritourismo near Sienna, but when
we went to Tuscany, we used a book called ''Walking and Eating
in Tuscany and Umbria'' and it was the best guidebook we've ever
used. Lots of agritourismos recommended, with great walks and
GREAT food.
Debbie
In 1999 we had a wonderful vacation at an agriturismo site called
Il Poggio. This was pre-baby, but I would love to return to this
region with our daughter someday. This is a rural site;
condo-type building around a courtyard. We stayed in a spacious
one-bedroom unit with a kitchen. There is a fabulous restaurant
on-site. It's right outside a very small village, San Casciano
dei Bagni. It's in the Siena area. Contact info: Il Poggio Celle
sul Rigo 53040, S.Casciano dei Bagni (SI). Tel. 0578/53748,
0578/53741. Fax. 0578/53587. Also check out
http://www.sienagriturismo.net. Have a wonderful trip!
Kristin
Two years ago we stayed in an old farm which has been renovated in
a hotel. They serve breakfast and a light lunch near the pool.
The name is Hotel Pescille and it is located in San Gimignano
at approx. 20 km from Siena. The views from the hotel are
beautiful and you can see the towers of San Gimignano in the
distance. The hotel has a rustic atmosphere but it has all the
modern amenities.
Have a look at the web site http://www.pescille.it and click on
Hotel Pescille.
Alessandra
I would recommend Castello di Tornano
(http://www.castelloditornano.it) outside of the village of
Gaioli in Chianti. The rooms in the tower are expensive but the
weekly rates for the apartments were reasonable. Four years ago
our family of four rented a two bedroom apartment with a kitchen
for a week. We shopped every day in the village of Gaioli and
prepared simple meals. Very friendly owners, nice dog, family
friendly grounds and a refreshing pool which was built in part
of the original moat. This was a good base for exploring
Tuscany. It is located at the end of a dirt road way up on a
hill away from traffic. A very good place to slow down and
enjoy your family.
Nancy
Hotel in Florence
2001
We stayed here. It's quite nice and central (a few blocks from the Duomo). I
think it was more in the $150 a night range, though.
Name : Hotel Casci
Address : Via Cavour 13
50129 Firenze
Email : casci@italyhotel.com
Fax n. : 055-2396461
Phone n. : 055-211686
We researched and booked our Italy hotels through the Internet using these
two sites:
http://www2.italy-hotel.com/
http://www.travel-italy.com
It's really easy to make reservations this way, and you can also look at
pictures of the rooms, etc.
Dana
We were quite pleased with our stay at this hotel. It was listed in
several guide books as well as this online reference (great for hotels
throughout Italy): http://www.italyhotel.com
Hotel Cimabue - Via B. Lupi, 7, Firenze
Email: cimabue@italyhotel.com
WWW: http://www.italyhotel.com/firenze/cimabue/
Fax n.: 055-475601
Phone n.: 055-471989
Hotel Porto Rosso...simply wonderful, like going back in time. I have no idea
of the price. The rooms are small but it is the best! Poregan1
We liked our stay at the villa carlotta.which is near the Boboli gardens,
so not in the center of the
city but easy and pleasant walk to all the sites. It's a modernized 19th
century palazzo so sound
travels...but we had no problems. A 15-20min bus/taxi ride away from town
we stayed at pensione
bencista in Fiesole which we loved. Both are decribed in the book Access
Florence and Venice.
O.
We made a three-month trip to Italy with our 18-month old several years
ago, and are now
getting ready for a summer trip back with TWO little girls, 4 and 6. And it
has been and will be a wonderful experience, so don't have any doubts about
the wisdom of your plan! We
stayed in Fiesole, a short bus ride outside Florence. There are a number of
pensiones in the village, and in October, you should have no trouble
finding a reasonable and attractive place,even without reservations. If you
plan to stay a week or more, and would like to nail down an apartment or
villa ahead of time, try looking through www.vrbo.com, a site that lists
Villas for Rent By Owner; lots of nice places, at prices that can make the
trip affordable. Buon viaggio!
Steven
My husband and I were in Cinque Terre (which includes Vernazza) about 3
years ago, before
the birth of our daughter. I can't tell you enough how much we enjoyed that
area. In fact
we recently we're planning to head back there with our 2 year old, but
cancelled only because
we didn't want to make the transatlantic trip with a restless 2 year old.
Anyway, Cinque
Terre is fantastic. It's so beautiful, and the food! The food is out of
this world! We
stayed in an apartment in Vernazza that cost us about $60/night. Monterosso
(which is
the town furthest north in Cinque Terre) has more hotels and may be a
better place to
stay with a youngster as there's a nice beach--something the other four
towns lack. A
friend of mine recently returned from a trip to Italy and had nothing but
good things
to say about Sestri Levante (about 45 minutes by train north of
Monterosso). Santa
Margarita Ligure (just south of Portofino) is also very cute and has a nice
beach. I
can't say much about driving times, as we only traveled by train when we
were there.
The train is an excellent mode of transportation for the coastal towns in
Liguria as
car access can be difficult--I don't think you can even drive into Vernazza
(Vernazza
is very small). If you want, I can try to find the name of the person we
rented the
apartment from. Just email me if you want it or want to ask me any more
questions
about the area.
Ciao!--Karyn
Nov 2001
My husband and I have taken several medium-term trips to visit
Florence over the last 5 years (from 2 weeks to 2 months) and have had to deal with finding an appropriate
place to stay. This time we were especially concerned, since we were traveling with our 2-year old. We had
such a wonderful experience that I wanted to share it. The agency is called YAIF (Your Agency in
Florence); the person we dealt with is Luca. It is a small operation. Luca has a good number of VERY
reasonably-priced apartments, is very responsive on email, accepts credit cards (so all transactions can be
done on the web), and provided excellent service once we were in Florence (including a cell phone, free of
rental charge). The website, www.yaif.it, has lots of information and photos about the apartments that are
offered. If anyone would like more information about our experience, feel free to contact me. Miriam
August 2002
We are looking to rent an apartment, house or villa in or around
Montalcino, Italy in Southern Tuscany for 1 month next summer.
Approximately mid-June to mid-July. We will need 2-3 bedrooms, a
kitchen, air conditioning and a place safe for a 1-year old.
Other amenities would be nice, but those are our basic
requirements. Has anyone stayed at or heard of such a place? We
are just beginning our search. Please contact:
Lisa
I rented a villa last fall through the following website:
http://www.knowital.com/ You deal directly with the owners/managers of
the property rather than going through an agency. I was really
happy with our rental -- and the prices were great. We paid about
$1100 for a 4 bedroom/3 bathroom villa in Tuscany with a swimming
pool for 1 week in October (tail end of high season).
There are a number of rental agencies with good websites. But
you'll see that their prices are about double what I paid. Here a
few that I bookmarked:
http://www.theparkercompany.com/
http://www.roadtoitaly.com/villas_and_castles/villas_castles.htm
http://www.italian-villas.com/
Have a great time.
Hae Yuon
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