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Plan for trip next year...any advice?

misstravelbug

100+ Posts
Hi

our family is finally planning to visit Italy next year, in April, I know it's along way off but as we are booking the flights with FF miles I am sorting out our itinerary now.

We are flying from Australia with our two children (aged 10 and 8 by then).

Looking to fly into Rome for 7 nights

train/bus to Assisi for 4/5 nights

Val d'orcia 7 nights (with hire car)

Verona 4/5 nights (keep hire car for a few days to visit lake Garda, then rely on trains for a day trip to Venice etc.)

then to Paris for 7 nights.

It has taken a long while to narrow down our trip to these few places and we will still be travelling quicker than what I would like to.

The plans are still in their infancy and I could add another 20 years to this trip and still not see what I would like to. It will be the children's first trip to Europe, but they are well travelled in Asia Pacific, Asia and the USA. I can also speak very rusty Italian, so I hope to brush that up a bit before i go and while I am there.

We are totally set on Rome, val d'orcia and Paris. I would love to cut Paris and have another week in Italy but the children really want to go there and they have their list of historical sites to visit, I will be over on the French forum to tweak that one day in the future...

Assisi and Verona are the two places that I am wondering about. There is a lot to see and do within and surrounding these places. Other spots on my list were Lucca, Santa Maria Ligure and that area, Varenna and Ascoli Piceno, to name a few.

I would love any recommendations in general that you would be willing to share and also any suggestions on the itinerary or your preferences as it has been a very long time since I have been to Italy.

Thank you.
 
I'm traveling this June with 9 and 11 year old girls for 14 days in Italy. There will be a total of 5 of us on the trip - mother in law is coming along.

After a lot of research, we decided to book a few private family tours with Context Travel in Rome to maximize learning. (The girls have been taking Latin every year in school and are strongly interested in mythology and Ancient Rome.)

I'm not sure if Chianti is on your radar, but we are staying in Greve near a goat farm that does farm & cheese factory tours & offers cheese tasting. (Maybe something similar nearby where you are staying?) The girls are really excited for this activity! Both girls are really looking forward to a cooking class.

These are just a few ideas that our girls are excited about!
 
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Ferrara might be well worth considering. Wonderful small (and, I think, often overlooked) city! It has a big castle with a moat, and several small museums (including museums of natural history and archaeology). The historic center is flat and free of motorized traffic so great for bicycling (can rent bikes there), plus you can also walk/bike on top of the old city walls. Large park if your kids need some running around in the grass time! This blog has a couple entries about a family stay in Ferrara.

Your trip sounds fantastic!
 
I should also add - we are hitting Rome hard when we arrive, spending four low key sleepy days in the chianti hills with few planned activities beyond sitting in the sun (charming, rustic apartment with a fairly new infinity pool to ourselves will help), and then finishing the trip in Venice.

I'd love to go off the beaten path and head north, but this is a bucket list and once in a lifetime trip for my mother-in-law and she wants to hit the big places.
 
For Verona, if you'll have the car, then Il Massimago agriturismo might be worth a look. Wonderfully equipped, with great views and a lovely swimming pool. Breakfasts are a great spread as well. It's located about 30 mins drive east of Verona, and it's relatively easy to head into Verona, but also gives you the option to drive to a closer station for Venice. A really lovely place near a decent village (Mezzane di Sotto)

Downsides? The mosquitoes are especially voracious if in season. Also the 'games room' (billiard table & table tennis table) is somewhat open to the elements and hence not in good condition.

Italy to Paris - One option that is a little different, but has logistical advantages, is the direct train service from Venice to Paris, stopping at Verona! Advantages include skipping the painful sheep-herding of modern airports, that you'll be all too fed-up with from the journey over, the ability to move around freely and see the scenery, plus to pack a wonderful Italian picnic to graze on as you go. Finally, on arrival, you're in the city itself, so arrival to hotel check-in can be very short indeed vs. the frustrating waiting so common at the airports. Thello appears to be the train provider and it's an overnighter in that direction, leaving Verona at 9pm and arriving in Paris at 10am. Base tickets are pretty cheap, but common sense says to take a sleeper compartment.
 
TravelBug -- sounds like a great experience for you and your children. Our sons have been traveling to Italy with us since infancy (but are now in their mid-20's) -- which means that on one hand I'm very envious of the adventures you will have (and on the other hand, kind of happy that nowadays we just send them out to the discos when we are there and not see much of them in the evenings).

Just a couple of comments -- if you are into kid days, take a look at GardaLand. Our sons enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. My wife -- not so much (but she hated DisneyWorld too, so what can you do?).

We're pretty partial to Lucca since we have a home there, but it is a very kid-friendly city. The streets inside the walls are almost entirely car-free. You can ride bikes around the top of the walls (2 1/2 mile circuit); climb the Guinigi Tower; pay a visit to Saint Zita (Basilica San Frediano) inside her Snow White style glass resting place. Lucca gives you easy access for day trips to Florence and Pisa. You're not far from Portovenere or the Cinque Terre (and, in April, your kids might be amazed by the jellyfish eggs which cover the water and the beaches by the seeming millions). The hill towns of Bagni di Lucca and the Garfagnana are within a bus ride, if you are using public transportation. For a longer day trip, the appealing city of Volterra with its Etruscan tombs in modern use as wine cellars is about an hour and a half away.

The good news is that there are no bad choices to make when traveling in Italy -- wherever you go, you will find a lot to enjoy. Happy travels!
 
Thanks to you jan I will check them out!

Alpinista, I often pored over your posts on SlowTrav forums and you *maybe* one of the reasons Lucca was on our list. Travelling with children is so much fun, hey? They open doors that would have been kept closed and we have had some amazing experiences by going with what presented itself. Thank you for your advice. So many places to choose from! I need at least another three months!

Ian Sutton, the train ride sounds like fun. I will check it out, thank you. And also the accommodation you recommend, we have bookmarked a few apartments in Verona itself (over the years of drooling over Italy) but I am very open to any suggestions and happy to add more bookmarks to my list.

Gina, your trip sounds amazing. How lovely for 3 generations to travel together. Enjoy it! I would love to take my mum, but she is too ill after three strokes and would not get insurance or have the stamina to take a big trip. Beautiful memories to be made. x Where are you staying in Rome?
 
Ian Sutton, the train ride sounds like fun. I will check it out, thank you. And also the accommodation you recommend, we have bookmarked a few apartments in Verona itself (over the years of drooling over Italy) but I am very open to any suggestions and happy to add more bookmarks to my list.
Hi MTB
It is a great place, strongly recommended, but the location is something that has to appeal vs. being in the centre of Verona to lap the city up. Arguably if taking the train to Paris, it would really steer me to staying in Verona, such that I got the best out of that logistical simplicity. No dropping hire car off in an unfamiliar city, perhaps just taking a leisurely stroll to the station or very short taxi ride.

FWIW I didn't particularly take to Verona, but it was the last week of the opera season and the level of tourism was well beyond what I'm used to... which rather ironically would encourage me to stay in the city if I were to return, to allow me to explore further, where I'm assured there is a more normal feeling to the city, e.g. with gastronomie instead of swanky watch shops and so on. The danger when day-tripping, is you end up in the same part of town as everyone else, not exploring as widely and as confidently in an unfamiliar city.

regards
Ian
 
I think I would swap Assisi for Lucca. Or maybe do Assisi and Lucca and drop Verona. It is hard to choose!

April can still be cold in some parts of Italy. Follow the weather this year and see how it is.
 
Just a nostalgic note on my own part about traveling with children -- yesterday was our older son's 27th birthday. His brother is in this photo, but not quite ready for his actual debut (Normandy, 1993). I tip my hat to TravelBug and all who give the gift of travel to their children.
may2007ph.jpg
 
I just got back from a trip to Italy and London. A friend and I spent 6 nights in Rome. We rented a 2 bedroom apartment that we really liked, in case you are looking for a place there:
https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p566513vb

The location was just perfect, very close to Piaza Navona and the Pantheon, but on a small side street that didn't get much traffic. The owner was very friendly & easy to deal with.

I also wanted to mention that if you are traveling before Easter, your kids will enjoy seeing all the Easter chocolates in the stores.
 
our family is finally planning to visit Italy next year, in April, I know it's along way off but as we are booking the flights with FF miles I am sorting out our itinerary now.

Unless you are very interested in being in Rome during the Easter holiday season, I would avoid traveling for 2 weeks before Easter (April 1, 2018) and at least 1 week after. Rome is generally crowded, but Easter is even busier.
 
Assisi is a really good base; besides the stunning Basilica of S Francis, there are lots of other nice churches in the city. However, the railway station is some distance from the centro; we toured this area staying in nearby Perugia which is probably a better base for a few days. There is a super mini metro system that connects the city of Perugia with its main rail station, and from here you can also reach Assisi, the stunning Spoleto (Roman remains) and Fabriano (medieval town centre, printing museum and just across the Appenines and in Le Marche). Perugia also allows you to use trains or buses to get to Toscano; however, Umbria is better value and a little off the beaten track (Perugia is popular with north Americans, due to its university). Additionally, there are plenty of direct trains from Rome to Perugia.
 
Thank you.

SusanSeattle, the apartment looks beautiful and is exactly the area we want to stay in (after much debate and research). I love the Campo di Fiori or the Pantheon areas for our first family trip as we can walk easily to many places. Is there anywhere around that area you would recommend for restaurants/cafes?

Karen P, good point. We definitely want to skip as many crowds as we can, but I know it's Rome and always busy...As long as we are home by June as we have our own business and DH has to be back for our end of financial year crazy rush period. Dates will also depend on what flights are available with FF miles. We are happy to go anytime from April/May, but I will sacrifice Easter chocolates for better weather as we come from a tropical climate and I prefer nicer Spring days.

beefy boy, thank you for sharing details of your trip. Good to know that you enjoyed the area. I love Perugia and it has been a contender for a base here, but I have found some cute apartments that I really want to stay in. We are happy to catch a taxi from the station into town and will pick up our hire car from here. That said, I am yet to look in to the logistics of where to park etc, so the base could change if it is too difficult. Once I have dates I will confirm with the apartment owner if they have parking spaces. We are also considering Spoleto and Spello.

Alpinista, what a gorgeous photograph! In all honesty, we travel very selfishly as we love it and after having children we did not want to stop, so we accommodated and visited amazing places more slowly. Both children love to travel now and are "well trained" on long haul flights because from Australia it takes ages to get anywhere! Part of the fun for me now is to watch them blossom and assimilate into another culture. In fact so many of our favourite memories are from unplanned connections with locals.

Happy travels,

mtb x
 
Hi MTB,
There are lots of restaurants in the area. Three we enjoyed are Cul de Sac,
il Ritrovo del Gusto, and l'orso 80. All 3 had a mix of tourists and Italians and were very friendly. il Ritrivo is also a great place for coffee and hot chocolate (along with people watching.)

It sounds like you are going to have a wonderful trip!
 

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