Whatever you do, get skip the line tickets in Rome because things are already selling out quickly as it’s a jubilee year. Heaven forbid the pope not make it out of this illness, even more people will be flocking to pay respects.

Anonymous wrote:Parma was a great city to spend a couple days in. We did a cooking class at the university there it was a fun day.

Bologna and Parma were beautiful, felt very authentic compared to Florence or Venice

Has anyone visited Venice in the winter?

Anonymous wrote:Venice over Rome - I’m sure I’m in the minority but honest. My kids are huge history buffs and 11 and 13. Loved Amalfi for water activities, the islands like Ponza. Loved day trips from Rome over Rome. It’s a big city and cool but if you’ve seen a big city you’ve seen them all. I’m a city girl and still say this. With the exception of few cities like Paris. I’ve been to a lot of major cities. It’s def cool but just saying the coolest stuff is often outside the major cities. US is different but even here to an extent. You have a lot of shopping, food, museums. The ambiance is in the smaller cities.

this is completely ridiculous, i can't believe you came here and wrote this complete nonsense.

rome is a very unique city, more different from "other big cities" than paris is. your kids are not history buffs.

Venice. That's where you must go on a first trip to Italy. Rome is awesome and I get why you go but Venice. That's the place you MUST, doesn't really matter what ages. And it's not that it's to see a ton, it's to experience it. It's just a really neat place, the ambiance, glass making in Murano and how the layout of Venice. You just really don't get that anywhere else in the world. I've done water towns of China and it's still just really different.

We took our kids to Venice for a day 1/2 and it was still worth going. Sitting in St. Marks and just snacking and listening to the music there is something you just don't get to experience anywhere else. Yes, Florence is beautiful and Lake Como is beautiful but there's something about that experience of sitting and not doing much but people watching and being in the square that really stays with you as a memory.

My kids are not really into culture - they are science kids and 1 loves history and the other loves shopping but both of them LOVED Venice. I have to warn you it's crazy crowded the later you go in summer and even June is pretty bad but hey, it's Venice

Another vote for Venice over Florence. We did Venice-Bologna area (for Ferrari Museum, which was lots of fun)-Umbria-Rome in about 2 weeks and it was wonderful. Would have loved another couple of days but it wasn't too rushed. Kids were 12 and 15 at the time. Kids loved Venice, for what it's worth. I can't imagine skipping it personally.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s one more crazy idea —- Rome, then train to Sicily (yes a train goes over the strait!) and you can hit the beaches at Taormina and the Roman ruins there. You can stop in Naples on the way and go to the archeology museum and eat pizza.

I'm sorry but this is a terrible idea. A 12 hour ferry or train ride on a 10 day trip makes no sense.

Personally I wouldn't do it either, but it's actually a 7.5 hour train ride from Rome to Taormina if you catch the right one- do Google Maps transit from Rome to Taormina leaving at 8:45 AM.

Anonymous wrote:Here’s one more crazy idea —- Rome, then train to Sicily (yes a train goes over the strait!) and you can hit the beaches at Taormina and the Roman ruins there. You can stop in Naples on the way and go to the archeology museum and eat pizza.

I'm sorry but this is a terrible idea. A 12 hour ferry or train ride on a 10 day trip makes no sense.

We did Italy last summer with kids ages 11 and 13 and loved. My kids want to become Italian and live there forever

I have to say that Rome was not all that. We loved Venice and Amalfi esp Positano.

Venice for 2-3 days is enough for sure and only 4 hours by speed train from Rome, easy. If I did it again, I would actually skip Rome but if first time, I would only do 2-3 days there as well. I would look at other places you can go either as day trips from Rome or just other towns and travel via train throughout.

Amalfi is amazing. Boat rides is where it's at esp for older kids. It's hard because it's the opposite direction from Venice but what we did was Rome and Venice then 5 days down south before heading back up a day to depart from Rome.

I looked at hitting Orvieto and Ponza day trips from Rome - I couldn't make it work unfortunately with our schedule. Another option is to hit the islands of Italy which a lot of people don't realize is amazing. So Capri, Ponza, Ischia.

For us, Italy is about taking your breath away in it's beautiful sights. The water and the way their architecture is of small towns. It's about food. It's less about hitting 101 museums and actual seeing stuff as it is enjoying our environment. We did Pompeii and we did Colosseum but honestly, we loved it for the former experiences even more!!

Just popping in to recommend the west side south of Cinque terre—golfi poeti. Lovely beach towns and great hiking/walking and way less crowded. And you’d be near Pisa, and the Apuan Alps, and Florence.

I also love the Umbrian countryside around Terni up to montepulciano. We visit family in Orvieto and it’s just beautiful.

I would do Amalfi coast - go into Positano, go on a boat ride, do snorkeling, then listen to fabulous music in Ravello, and do hiking/wonderful food on the coast- and for culture go to Pompei (a 45 minute drive from Positano - book an early private tour an hour before it opens/before the mass groups - you can do this online). Fly in/out Naples (get a cheap EasyJet connection to other hub).

I would stick to one region rather than try to do it all. There are fabulous inexpensive beach clubs and the water is so gorgeous. Could also check out Florence.

Alternatively, yes, you could go up north to Milan and go to Lake Como -- but I think teenagers will find coast along Positano better.

Don't try to do it all - pick one region!!!

Good luck!!! so fun.

Here’s one more crazy idea —- Rome, then train to Sicily (yes a train goes over the strait!) and you can hit the beaches at Taormina and the Roman ruins there. You can stop in Naples on the way and go to the archeology museum and eat pizza.

Parma was a great city to spend a couple days in. We did a cooking class at the university there it was a fun day.

Here was out itinerary but you may want to branch out or do more more quickly:

Day 1–arrive in Rkme, lunch, rest, go to soccer game at studio Olympics

Day 2 — self guided walking tour including pantheon, Trevi contain, piazza navona

Day 3 — early morning skip the line Vatican tour, afternoon naps for everyone but me who shopped and walked around

Day 4 —. Day trip to Pompeii by train. Could have included dinner walk around in Naples but others were tired. Could also combine this with positano or Salerno if you hire a private driver

Day 5 — meant to do coliseum but screwed up ticket purchase so did a rick steves walking tour of palatine hill and Roman forum

Day 6 — took cab out to the catacombs and did tour. There is a group that rents bikes to ride appian way out there which would be fun if you have the time. Late afternoon went to castel sanangelo and walked along the river. The kids liked both of these locations more than o anticipated.

Day 7 — fly home

If your kids are wnergetic and like to be booked, I think you could fill in a lot more in the days. My kids wanted downtime each day plus leisurely consumption of gelato. I used their rest time to walk around the city and consume pastries without them.

Anonymous wrote:I think some of these towns being named would be boring for your kids. I’d stick with Rome and Venice for a 10 day trip (4 days in Rome, 3 in Venice), which amounts to 7 substantive days of sightseeing once you factor in travel (to/from and within Italy) and jet lag. You can do excursions from Rome and Venice, too. Your daughter might like a glass blowing class in Murano (near Venice).

My other suggestion would be Rome/Amalfi Coast, since it is beautiful and you could easily visit Pompeii that way and you are all history buffs - there is hiking and swimming for your active son and I’m sure you could find a cooking class or such for your daughter.

The other plus of these two routes is they are all on train, not much need to rent a car.

Why does everyone assume that "kids" are illiterate? Teenagers aren't interested in Michelangelo? the duomo? the Medici? Machiavelli? Go to Florence. If they aren't interested now, cool activities will expose them to something new... and hiking around the Tuscan hill country is great!