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15 nights Tuscany, Positano, and Rome with kids?

We fly into Pisa in early June and have 15 nights in Italy (flying out of Rome). We have 3 kids ages 10,8,6. My husband and I have both travelled to Italy before and visited Florence, Rome, and Venice. The kids have traveled internationally several times. Our hope is to enjoy the culture, food, some art and history (in kid appropriate amounts), and some time to relax as a family. Right now we plan on the following:

-4 nights in a villa with pool just outside of Florence (walking distance to train station with 15 min train ride into Florence). We have a few kid friendly activities planned 2 days in Florence - gelato tour, marbled paper kids workshop, and kid oriented walking tour and a free day to either explore Florence more or just relax. We will pick up our rental car our last day here before heading in to Radda
-2 nights Radda in Chianti in apartment within town walls (we have a family cooking class scheduled at Al Gelso Bianco and a tour of the Chianti Cashmere goat farm). Will explore some small nearby towns/villages as time allows
-3 nights in a Villa with pool in Val D’Orcia (right outside Monticchiello)- plan to visit Pienza, Montepulciano, Monticchiello and some other small towns in the early part of the day and also relax at villa pool in afternoons. Pizza making class at our villa one night
-3 nights Positano (will drop rental car at Chiusi, then train to Rome/Naples and private driver to our Hotel (Eden Roc apartment). Spend 3 days mostly enjoying Positano, swimming, and probably a boat tour to Capri or around the coast.
- 3 nights Rome (possibly try to see Pompeii on our way back from Positano to Rome). We have a nice apartment reserved in front of the Pantheon. We will tour a few of the main sights and try to enjoy walking around the city and enjoying the people and food before flying home.

Does this itinerary sound ok? I know it is a lot of moving around but I was hoping that most stops of 3-4 nights would be enough to make it not too hectic. We pack light (4 outfits each) and rent places with washers so packing and moving luggage shouldn’t be too painful. If you have any suggestions of changes or improvements please let me know. Thank you!

Posted by
906 posts

Yes, sounds good. Going from Montichiello to Positano is a bit of a hauls for just 2 days on the coast, than a haul back to Rome. Might it be better to spend those days in Tuscany or Umbria, then to Rome?

About 100km from your villa (Montichiello) there is a "Monster Park" near Bormarzo that our kids enjoyed, 8,8, and 5. Also, check out Carsulae if you are down that way. It is a Roman ruin in Umbria down near Terni. Not many tourists and you can basically have the entire ruin to yourselves. Kids love running around the ruins, in and out of the nooks and crannies, and walking on the walls. It is a great place to spend a few hours.

Posted by
2 posts

Thanks for the advice! Yes, I’ve wondered if 3 nights in Positano is worth the hassle of getting down there. We could take a day away from Tuscany or Rome and do 4 nights in Positano. Or we could skip Positano and add time to Tuscany. If we did add time to Tuscany would you add it to the Val D Orcia villa with pool to make 6 consecutive nights there? Or maybe add 3 nights inside town walls in a town such as Montalcino, Montepulciano, Cortona or Pienza (I’ve looked at a few appealing rentals here). Not really interested in adding more time to Rome as I’ve been there before and it wasn’t my favorite but want to spend some time there for kids sake. Did your kids really enjoy Tuscany and the small towns? Thanks for the advice on the monster park- I had it on my radar but I’m glad to hear that it was a hit with kids similar ages to ours.

Posted by
4105 posts

It pains me to say this, but skip Positano this trip.
It's just too far.

Add 2 nights to Monticchello. Do this one day.
Your kids will love it.
https://maremma-tuscany.com/saturnia/le-cascate-del-mulino/

Visit the Park of the Monsters. Using the SR2 road around Lake Bolsena. Beautiful drive.
http://themuseumtimes.com/bomarzo-monster-park-day-trip-from-rome/

Then maybe spend the night in Orvieto. Drop your car here (Hertz only). Beautiful hill town with St. Patrick's Well.

http://onedayinitaly.com/deep-down-in-st-patricks-well/

Close to the funicular and ramparts in the park by the well to let off some steam. Easy train ride into Rome. 1:17.

These are some spots my Grandaughter has enjoyed over the years.

Edited to add.

Posted by
336 posts

You may want to consider doing Cinque Terre instead of Positano. It's 2.5 hours from Florence, and you could see the Leaning Tower if you stop in Pisa on the way. One town north of CT is Levanto, a surfing town which is pretty cool if the kids like the beach (much better beach than anything on AC IMHO). I prefer CT to AC. While both are beautiful and crowded, at least CT has no (or few) cars. And in your case, about 3 hours less travel (from Florence)...