ck777

Hi All,

My wife and I are thinking of taking a trip to Italy in the Fall or late Fall. We are quite flexible on time frames. Given that it may be high travel season we know that arrangements need to be made soon.

I've been to Itlay but this will be my wifes first time. We are thinking about a 11-14 day trip (probably 14 day) and going to 3 places. We've traveled with our son but not on a trip like this, so we know that it shouldn't be jammed packed.

There's a lot for us to still figure out but I would be interested in running our "rough" itinerary by some folks to see if it makes since logistically. I'll spend more time looking at the number of days for each place.

Venice
Florence
Cinque Terre

Not sure where we would fly out of, perhaps Rome??

My wife would love to do Rome but think it will be too much for this trip. We know that we won't be spending our days in museums, and also want to relax ourselves.

Thanks for any advice about the itinerary.

CDTraveler

I've been to all the places on your list as well as Rome. Personally I would drop Venice and Cinque Terre and add Rome considering you are traveling with a 3 yr old. Venice is lovely and romantic, not the most kid friendly. Rome on the other hand is far easier to deal with when traveling with a young child (speaking from experience).

Also with a question like yours, its helpful if you could specify what you want from the trip. You "relax" - that means different things to different people. What's your preference? Knowing that will enable folks to give you more useful advice.

ck777

Hi CD Traveler

Thanks for the response. We are trying to be realistic about how much we can do during a day with a 3 year old and saving the non museum time for relaxing, which would include spending time in the neighborhood we are staying in, playing at a park, and meandering around the neighborhood. For example, perhaps there is a morning which would include seeing a church/museum and the afternoon is spent exploring gardens (or Park) or even lounging around the place we rent. We will probably do airbnb type accommodation. We are pretty active on the weekends at home but are realistic to being somewhere new and jet lag!

We like the thought of being in the outdoors doing short hikes around Cinque Terre. Hiking is a big part of our life in the U.S. and our son is very used to it, so we thought it might be fun to do. Selfishly I haven't been there.

azepine00

i would skip all the main tourist attractions which are usually packed with crowds chasing sights which are of no interest to young kids and instead do a driving trip through quiet smaller towns perhaps with a few days at some nice resort to balance it.. most places will have some interesting architecture, churches, markets etc quite manageable with kids in tow....

CDTraveler

Wow. Just wow.

What a way to both dismiss the wonders that can be found in Italy and the learning capacity of kids. Children learn from what they are exposed to and even toddlers can enjoy museums of all types if the adults they are with take the time to explain what the child is seeing.

Art, history, science - those are important to me. As a parent I made a conscious decision to make them part of my child's life. Because he was exposed to such things from an early age, my kid has an deep knowledge of history, excels in science and truly enjoys art.

However, he (and I) hate passive travel where we simply watch the world go by from car window. YMMV.

muhakas

I took my five-year-old to Venice for her birthday, and she loved it. Walkable, gondolas, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, pigeons, gelato, bell towers, Burano, pigeons, gelato, fish market. St. Mark's square in the rain at night. did I say pigeons and gelato?

Venice--as long as he doesn't dash off and responds to voice control.

And watch out for the annoying and ever-present vendors with child-alluring tchotchkes for "only 5 euro." They came close to spoiling many outings.

PWMTrav

With a 3 year old, skip Cinque Terre. Lots of hiking. Stick to cities, where you can at least get by with strollers.

For a 2 week trip, I'd suggest 2 cities max. Rome and Florence would be my suggestions. In Florence, stay anywhere within the historic center. In Rome, try to stay near the Pantheon, since there isn't really a central location. Venice is better another time when your kid can walk more - strollers are a pain there since you are crossing the canal quite a bit.

We've brought my daughter to Italy every year since she was 18 months old. She's almost 5 now, so I hope what I'm telling you is helpful. Each kid is different, of course.

rickg523

I also like two places in two weeks.
The 5 villages in Cinque Terre are imo eviscerated. They are tourist attractions, no longer fishing villages. The UNESCO designation, while prestigious, has led to overexposure and serious crowding issues. Nearby Levanto has been recommended as a better, less impacted alternative.
So let me suggest the Lakes as your rural destination. A week in Varenna perhaps? Plenty to see and do on Lake Como. Castello di Vezio, the Orrido di Bellano, Villa Carlotta and Villa del Balbianello to name a few. And the lakes area (Como, Maggiore, and Garda) is among the world's most beautiful places.
I would also suggest Rome for your city stop. I love Florence and Venice. But Rome...it really is the Eternal City.

CDTraveler

If your child has a basic grasp of math (counting, adding) there's a strategy to handle those temptations that has worked very well for us.

Before each trip I made a chart of how many days we would be traveling and where we were going. I then explained to my kid that he had a "budget" for the trip: $X per day that he could spend how he wanted, either candy, ice cream, toys, books, whatever. I also explained that if he spent the whole budget on the first day, he would have zero spending money for the rest of the trip. IIRC the budget started at $3/day for a 10 day trip. Every time he wanted something I asked if he had the money in his budget for it - he very quickly caught on that I was serious about the limits and he began to be very cautious about his requests.

Usually he'd spend about 2/3 of the budget on a stuffed animal and the rest on a book or postcards. It was a system we both could live with.

ck777

Thanks all for the responses and my apologies for a delayed response. It's very helpful to consider timing and number of cities. We are going to expose him to churches and museums, albeit for short periods of time. My wife has dreamed of going to Italy for many years so would like to enjoy some of the big sites.

We will not take a stroller and willuse a backpack carrier. We do a lot of hiking at home, which he loves, and doesn't mind spending time in the carrier. That was the initial draw to Cinque Terre but seems a number of folks are turned off by the place.

There's a lot to digest, so I'm gong to spend more time reviewing the suggestions and checking out some maps and guide books.

Thanks again!

CDTraveler

My experience with a toddler in Rome is that a backpack is not welcome many places. There is a perception that those using a kid pack lack spatial awareness behind them and the pack will bang into other people or objects, or that the child will be able to grab things they shouldn't.

On the flip side, with the stroller often a stranger would lend a hand getting through a doorway or up a step.

I am sure others have had different experiences, but that was ours.

erik123

Strollers don't work very well in Rome for movement - with uneven sidewalks, steps, etc. But it is still helpful for naps (e.g. when having lunch/dinner) - so a lightweight is still worth having.

I'd look at taking a train (or car) from Rome to a seaside town - e.g Anzio is nice, but there are many other options (e.g. Amalfi). September would be great for that.

erik123

Strollers don't work very well in Rome for movement - with uneven sidewalks, steps, etc. But it is still helpful for naps (e.g. when having lunch/dinner) - so a lightweight is still worth having.

Rome is good because there are many sites that are outdoors and you can avoid museums (for the most part). Museums can be corded, hot and not at all fun with a 3 year old.

I'd look at taking a train (or car) from Rome to a seaside town - e.g Anzio is nice, but there are many other options (e.g. Amalfi). September would be great for that.

levilevi

Have an almost 2 year old now... but will file this away as a great idea when she's a little older!

ck777

That's really interesting and hadn't thought about that. I've read a lot on the TripAdvisor forums and the consensus seems strollers are PIA because of the uneven streets and crowds. Your experiences makes a lot of sense. I don't think our son will nap in a stroller.

Loved your "budget" discussion with your kids....great idea.