10 days in Italy with 5 and 10 year olds in July :)

I am sure you are well aware that it will be very hot in Italy in the end of July. I think Tuscany might be a little boring for your children. Venice on the other hand is a paradise, in my opinion, for kids. There are no cars to worry about and the opportunity to ride around in boats will be a lot of fun for them. PBS had a television series called "Travel With Kids". I haven't seen it on TV in the last year or so, but I have seen eposides on YouTube and they were available on iTunes. They have a number of episodes in Italy including Rome, Florence, and Venice. I highly recommend them even if you have to order them from their website. I think I learned as much from their video on Venice as I did from Rick Steves' videos. Sorry Rick, but you have some competition. Please try and view them. I think they will be a big help in making a decision on where to go in Italy with kids.

Good itinerary, I think. You'll need a car for Tuscany, pick it up on your way out of Rome but dump it in La Spezia then take the train to your Cinque Terre destination. Train back to Rome is easy. Wise to skip the Amalfi Coast. It's just too far the other way.

An agriturismo with a pool, animals, and perhaps a cooking class would be fun. You can tour the little hill towns but leave plenty of time for enjoying time at "home" in the agriturismo.

Thank you for your reply, Yosemite1! Very coincidentally, we discovered the Travel with Kids series just tonight and watched the one on Venice which, of course, made us want to take the girls to Venice! They have several more episodes that we have bookmarked to watch with them. Thanks for the tip!

@Laurel, thank you for the tip about the car! We love the idea of the agriturismo experience that you just described - now we just have to pick one! There seems to be so many interesting choices from which to choose. Not a bad problem to have. 😊 Do you have any opinions on where to stay to see/experience the most? Thanks again!

Hi Stephanie, We just returned from Italy with our 9 yr old son and 12 yr old daughter. We had an amazing trip, and the kids really enjoyed it! Our time in Rome was similar to your schedule, then we went to Venice for 2 days, Lake Como for 1. We had to fly in and out of Milan because we're living in the Middle East for awhile and got super cheap flights into that city (but don't go to Milan!). In Rome we did the 2 hr Vatican Museum guided tour, our 9 yr old lasted halfway through. That was the most difficult experience. (They have a family audioguide that would probably work better for you, it was too young for my 12 yr old. Just be aware that the crowds are brutal and time your visit as best you can) My kids both loved the Coliseum (we did the 3rd ring tour, although a family we met with a 6 yr old girl said they really enjoyed the family audioguide), and they also loved the Gladiator School experience. It was very memorable, my son really looked forward to it, but pretty pricey. In Rome we breezed through the Pantheon and St Peters Basilica, neither was a problem and the kids liked the Pantheon, the church they thought was ok. (If we had had time we would've done the dome climb).

We skipped Florence because it didn't seem interesting for kids, but I would have loved to do an agriturismo. Those look amazing! If you are interested, fast trains go between Rome and Venice in 3 hrs (you can get the Bimbi Gratis discount, I think it's kids free with adult tickets), and my kids loved Venice best. They loved the vaporettos, canals, bridges, our gondola ride and...eating chichetti. I know my kids are weird but they loved the Venetian tapas, that are mostly strange seafood like octopus and squid. We did Rick's audio guide of ST. Mark's Basilica, and saw a glass blowing demonstration. Also, several of our friends in the Middle East told us to go to Lido Beach, the island east of Venice that is the beach, so maybe that could be a good beach time for you guys? We didn't have time to go there.

One other thought, I know your younger one may not like it, but I made my kids watch Rick's videos on Rome and Venice. It helped prepare them for what they would see, and it was incredibly helpful. They were looking forward to certain places, and it helped them visually understand many things about Italy before we left. I pointed a bunch of things out in the videos and we discussed a lot.

Happy Travels!
Amanda

I agree that Venice and Tuscany are too much...with muppets :). It will be hot, hot hot! :) Okay here is my BOOK :)
In my opinion Cinque Terre with young children is too much walking and crazy crowded. Everything is up and down and hiking which is the point but not in heat and with tons of crowds and little ones.

I have two suggested trips
Fly into MILAN, if you are LAKE & MOUNTAIN Lovers consider this..

Fly into Milan head to Lake Como day one ( 3 to relax and skip Milan 2 if you want to see Milan 1/2 day before train to Florence)
Day 1 sleep Lake Como pick a town!
Day 2 sleep Lake Como ( add a day if you think the family will want to get over jet lag etc)
Day 3 Train from Lake Como to Milan switch for train to Florence fast train 2 hours ( see Milan..Duomo ) or not
Day 3, 4, 5 Florence proper try to stay somewhere with a pool or there are some places just on the outskirts with shuttle service that may be cooler with gardens...option to schlep into other towns but Florence has a lot to offer
Day 5 afternoon or morning if you are ready to move on Rome
Day 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Rome
Getting hot and want a change...see archeological sites outside Rome stay Day 8, 9 Stay in Ostia for beach time before flying home..you can go directly to Rome airport from here easily.

This is 3 hotels 4 if you stay in Ostia...I think this makes sense with children but still gives a wide view of a beautiful country!
Not sure if I got ALL your nights but just suggesting the flow...if small town Tuscany is on the bill then I am sure you will have lot's of suggestions here, it is not my thing...I love cities, art, architecture, markets and beaches!

Second option: if you are BEACH lovers...

Fly into Naples and out of Rome/ Naples/Islands with beaches and sites, Rome

Arrive Naples
Sleep NAPLES one night choose hotel near train station ( I like Una Hotel Napoli very safe, roof top view with breakfast included and soundproofed) Have pizza with kids, see Archeological museum ( feeling spry go to Herculaneum 25 minute train ride 15 minute walk from station to site, visit 1-2 hours, there is shade, the kids will be able to see tiles and urns and wells lots of easy walking compared to Pompeii. You could skip this altogether as Rome has tons of archeological sites and see these on a future trip.

If you won't TOUR Naples than stay in a hotel with a pool near the port area and take a very early ferry to the island of your choice Ischia or Procida...both have real sandy beaches that you just WALK on to, no cliffs or hiking to reach them!
I recommend ISCHIA for families Castle Aragonese is fun for kids and you can do 1/2 day at beach...stay in Ischia Ponte or Porto area with kids it is just easier on a short trip there is a boat trip around the island that takes you to all 4 major towns...recommended..or PROCIDA smaller island walkable but fewer sights...
Night 2 Island
Night 3 Island
Night 4 Island ( you could do a boat trip around Ischia go to 4 towns or day trip to Capri from either island)

Morning of day 5 take ferry back to Naples figure 1 hr and FAST train to Rome1.5 hrs ( this is when you COULD lock luggage at Naples Central station and see archeological sites, and museum pizza etc if better jet lag & kiddo wise)
FAST 1.5 hour train to Rome/every one is refreshed from relaxing and on the correct time zone to tour ROME!
Night 5 Rome
Night 6 Rome
Night 7 Rome
Night 8 Rome
In my opinion the kids will love Rome...Vatican City needs a 1/2 day at least, if they can walk more then return a 2nd day...
There are some affordable hotels in Rome with pools...

3 hotels ( 4 if you stay one night to get it together in Naples if not plane taxi ferry to island on first day is a lot...I have done it without kids many times but it kicks you!)

I have done these trips many times with the exception of Como...I usually go to south of France from Milan but that is another story!

P.S. ferries with kids..if they tend to get motion sickness, like this big kid, take the LARGE ship style ferries, the cargo/car type they are also less expensive and take about 1/2 hr longer but less of a crush than the smaller hydrofoils..beware of pilfering on ferries, sometimes you cannot keep luggage with you..keep an eye on it, and make sure pockets are locked. Travel super light. I use a 16" Travelon ( Samsonite makes one too) 2 wheeled rolling carry on ( fits under seats) and a medium backpack...I find that spinner type rolling luggage is a nightmare on cobble stones.

Have you thought about having your kids keep travel art journals? On our last trip to Germany I bought the two older kids (3 and 5 at the time) a blank spiral bound water-colour/sketch notebook to use as a an art journal to document their trip.

I bought a 4X6 flip top photo box for each of them and filled it with crayons, small markers, a glue stick, kid scissors (packed in checked luggage on the plane) and some stickers - they could pull these out on the plane or in a restaurant without things rolling all over the place. I brought along a pencil case for myself with special markers, a small set of water colour paints, washi tape, special stickers and a few other things for special touches. I also bought a Fujifilm Instax Polaroid Camera with enough film for 2 pictures of each kid per day.

We worked on our journals each evening ... drawing pictures of things that happened that day, cutting up brochures and maps, adding stickers we found at souvenir shops, coasters from restaurants, boarding passes, postcards of memorable places, water bottle wrappers, etc. I would ask them what the best part of the day was and write it in the journal. Before and after the trip I asked them other questions about their favourite experiences and memorable things. All these things I noted in the journal for them. You can do an images search for "art journal" or "trip journal" to get ideas.

When we got home they were so excited to take their journals to show family and friends. We have been home for a year now and they often ask to look at their journals. The journals have really helped solidify the memories of our trip for the kids and have become very special keepsakes.

We are heading to Tuscany in two weeks with the kids (4 and 6 now) and the kids have already started working on their journals. The 6 year old is learning to write now and will be making some notes himself this time. This time I have collected ideas to help them learn a little more about the culture, art and language and include it in their journal. Google "Kids Italy Discovery Journal". It has a lot of information on Italy and prompts for journaling. It is available to download and you only print out as much or as little as you want.

I traveled with my 10 month old and 7 year old daughter to Milan, Rome and Venice. Our seven year old LOVED Venice. I would suggest replacing Tuscany with Venice. As others have said, it has enough to keep young ones interested. Kids are treated like rock stars in Italy. At the majority of restaurants in Italy, staff would come out and entertain or feed our baby and pay lots of attention to our picky eating 7 year old. We scheduled and hit the important sites first thing in the morning. It was cooler and the kids were fresh with energy. We tried to visit a park every few days so our daughter could play. With kids, you move slower so be prepared.