Hello! Planning on an Italian vacation next June 2027. My first thought would be Venice, farm house in Tuscany and then either Elba or Ischia. I am looking for culture, beautiful scenery and good food, a place where my kids can take cooking classes and explore (without too many crowds), and then finish off with beautiful sandy beaches and water sports - again with charming villages and beautiful scenery. Please advise! We are open to other suggestions too!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
17927 posts
What you are looking for is everywhere in Italy. How many nights do you plan to be on the ground? What means of transportation do you plan to use? Rental car, public transportation, a combination of both? A car is not usable in Venice but it is an absolute must have for farmhouse stays.
Posted by
Bendigo, Australia
1383 posts
Years ago, 17 years ago, I wrote a treasure hunt for kids in Venice. It still probably works OK, although a bit dated. (Like, “go to an internet cafe and check Facebook”). And Poliero Senior has pssed on, his son runs the shop.
Anyway, it’s here.
https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/venice-for-teenagers-762890/
Posted by
AZ 🌵
3631 posts
Aussie, your Treasure Hunt is great! Good for all ages. Have you thought about updating it?
Posted by
Saint Paul, Minnesota
2189 posts
Depending on how many nights you will have for this trip, I'd be inclined to avoid criss-crossing the country to find a farm house and beaches --- what Roberto says is 100% correct. With Venice as a start (and I think that's a great idea although parts of Venice will be very crowded), consider staying in the Veneto and maybe some of Emilia-Romagna for your charming less touristed towns, and looking into the sandy beaches in Friuli on the coast north of Venice. Try googling on something like "sandy beaches northern adriatic italy." Use trains throughout these regions --- much better trains to smaller towns than in Tuscany. Might need a taxi or bus to get to a castle or a farm house cooking class. People here can name towns to visit by train, like Treviso or Ferrara.
Here's my trip report on Venice with a 9 and 6 year old: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/bologna-ferrara-venice-rome-in-december-with-kids
Posted by
10124 posts
Not going to the best city in the World, Rome!
Tuscany is wonderful, loved Florence, Siena, Lucca, Pisa, Voltera, San Giminancio.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
We would plan on staying in Venice for 3 nights, Tuscany 5-7 nights and either Elba or Ischia for 5-7 nights. We would rent a car in Tuscany and either take the car with us on the ferry to Elba or use bus/taxis in Ischia. Maybe 3 places is too much for 4 kids to travel around and I am being too ambitious! Perhaps I stick with Tuscany and then beach. Is Elba or Ischia better for young kids/tweens? (Ages 7-13) I lean towards Elba for ease and closer proximity to Tuscany but also lean towards Ischia because water will be warmer in June. My kids love sandy beaches where we can spread out and they love water sports (paddle boats, kayaks, etc). Does anyone have recs on where to stay in Tuscany - I was thinking right outside of Lucca in a farmhouse. Also, any insight on Elba or Ischia is welcome! Thanks all!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
17927 posts
The plan is good. I would look for a place in the province of Siena or maybe in the province of Florence on the way to Siena, as the main famous small towns destinations are there.
There are many websites that specialize in farm stay like
www.agriturismo.it
www.agriturismo.com
www.agriturismi.it
www.agriturismo.net
www.agriturismitaliani.it
Just make sure to plot where they are on GoogleMaps, and using GoogleMaps calculate the driving times to the places you want to visit on day trips from there. Use also the Streetview feature to see the roads leading to it. Some properties are beautiful but very secluded and requiring long drives to reach from anywhere on curvy roads.
For the beaches Elba is of course great. Many beaches are pebbly or rocky but some are sandy. Below are some ideas:
https://visitelba.info/en/the-beaches-of-elba/
If you plan to stay in the mainland the best beaches are in southern Tuscany in an area called Maremma, especially the Argentario Peninsula and the Tuscan Archipelago (Giglio Island).
https://www.tuttomaremma.com/en/
I wouldn’t bother to go all the way to Ischia if all you need is beaches for the kids. There will be no or imperceptible water temperature difference between Tuscany and Ischia, and that is often influenced more by currents, geography, i.e. protection from winds and open seas (coves will be warmer) and water depth (shallow waters are warmer) than latitude, since the latitude difference is just a couple of degrees to the south. In Elba you probably get warmer beaches on the south side, like near Capoliveri, Fetovaia or Cavoli, some spots of which are sandy and shallow. I’ve never been to the beaches of Ischia
If you ferry a car across on weekends you might need reservations. During the week maybe not yet in June.