We are planning our trip to Italy for next summer 2017. We are flying into Rome and want to spend just a couple days there as we like the smaller towns. We have 4-5 days after Rome before we head to France. We will have a car for our Italy leg and would like to find a great hotel with a great view that's outside of the craziness but close enough that we're not too isolated. We need access to kid friendly things to do (hikes, water sports, zip lining, etc) as well as grown up stuff. We keep hearing about the Amalfi Coast. We like to camp out in one spot but take day trips during our stay. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8154 posts
You might want to pickup one of the really good travel guides to Italy--like Rick Steves. There's just so much to Italy including art, history, architecture, culture and great food. I don't know how much time you're going to have for adventure sports as Italy is generally not that kind of place.
Remember that your first day after a journey is getting acclimated to the time change and is generally a wasted day.
Rome alone is one of those places you could easily spend a week and even 4 days there is pushing it. With the short time you've got to spend,
If I had a week, I'd spend the first three days in Rome. Then I'd take a train out of Termini to Orvieto--70 minutes north. I'd ride the vernicular (cable car) up the hill and walk through the city and eat lunch. Then pickup the rental car across the street from the train station and head north on their motorway. I'd be looking to stay in an agriturismo (farm stay) 2 hrs. north and outside of Siena or Poggibonsi for the balance of your time in Italy. I'd be doing day trips to Siena, San Gimignano, Certaldo, Volterra and Florence from there. You can fly non-stop to Paris-Orly Airport from Florence Airport on the budget airline, Vueling.
It's a shame that you don't have a little more time, as Florence is a 3 day town and it'd be great for a first time tourist to see the incredible Venice.
Posted by
Cape Ann, Massachusetts
3207 posts
My daughter was 14 when we planned her first trip to Europe. .. And several others in the teenage years. On those trips, my daughter picked out where we were going (Italy) and what we were going to see as I wanted her to love travel. I much preferred to follow her lead as I'm pretty happy traveling anywhere. The only adaptation I really had to make was slower in the morning... I can't say anything was ever divided between kid friendly and adult stuff. She picked much history, only a few cathedrals, Pompeii, and scenic coastal vistas. I suggest you discuss what to see with your daughter, rather than with strangers. Lonely planet used to be the go to book, but their Italy book appears to be competing with Rick Steves in Italy and has lost its focus. So I suggest your family look at some other guides to see if they cover more than Rick does. My daughter ended up living in Europe for seven years after college so I think this system might work.
Posted by
OP
winter park, fl, usa
23 posts
Thanks so much. This will be our 9th summer in Europe but our first in Italy. If there's one thing I've learned is each year we miss seeing something that we should absolutely under no circumstances miss. Of course the other side of the coin is we see things that we should absolutely under no circumstances miss, so we've come to accept that we can't do it all. We've always used Rick Steve's books but I haven't found a good Amalfi Coast itinerary. I'll keep looking.
Posted by
8 posts
I think a 14 year old might enjoy Cinque Terra more than Amalfi Coast and you can fly to Paris from Florence or Pisa. She might like Pisa and Florence -- all of these are in the same direction and easy by train. Orvieto is a great City as earlier post said and it is between Rome and Florence/Pisa/CT. If you decide to have car from Rome, I would drop it in Siena or Florence after touring Tuscany but not take it to CT. Easy, fast bus from Siena to Florence. Train schedules take some time to figure out but worth it -- so much more stress free than driving because of restricted areas and parking.