We are planning to spend 1-2 weeks in Italy this summer and would like advice on which of the hill towns might be best for children ages 3,6, and 8. They love to ride bikes and are good walkers, and we want to stay somewhere we can enjoy the town and make some day trips to Florence and other sites. Also, for our other week, we are thinking of going to Venice and/or Rome, and perhaps Pompeii. Will Rome be horribly crowded and hot in July? Any thoughts on the best Italian itinerary for kids? Thanks for your help.
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1449 posts
if you are thinking of Pompeii I would recommend staying in Sorrento. Pompeii and Herculaneum (a better site, IMHO) are easily reachable by the local train and staying in Sorrento is not only delightful in itself but provides a good base for exploring the Amalfi coast.
As for a hilltown, you're not going to be able to do much bike riding in them; they are really steep for the most part. Have you thought about staying at an agritourismo or renting a villa in the Tuscany/Umbria area? You would need a car to do this, however.
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9420 posts
I agree with Mike about Sorrento. It's incredibly wonderful and a great place with kids. Beautiful, easily walkable, train to fun places (as Mike mentioned) and boats to Capri, Positano, Amalfi.
We love Hotel La Tonnarella in Sorrento, and they have a private beach for guests, with lounge chairs, unbrella's, food service, kids beach toys, ping pong...
Posted by
OP
Fairfax, VA
9 posts
Mike and Susan, thank you for the great suggestion about Sorrento - we are completely open to that and it sounds like a great place. We had been thinking we would rent a villa or apartment instead of hotel rooms but it might depend on what's available (we are late to be planning for summer, I know!) And Mike, we have thought about renting a villa in Tuscany - we think our kids would love the agrotourism approach. Any suggestions for that would be most welcome too. Basically we just want to plan a fun two weeks that all ages can enjoy.
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
Although not a hill town, Lucca is worth considering. It's great for biking, and there always seems to be a lot of children playing in the piazze (squares). It's big enough to be interesting but has a small town feel. It could be a good choice if you'll have a car to explore the surrounding area, but may not be central enough if using only public transportation.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon, USA
320 posts
Heather:
Our favorite is Il Palagio (www.infochianti.com). A wonderful villa about 1km outside the charming hill town of Panzano.
We have stayed there a few times and it was great every time.
In 2004 we had the kids (8 and 13). The pool was wonderful on the hot Tuscan afternoons. The kids could walk into the village and get a soda or some gelato (they loved being so independent).
Panzano is exactly between Florence and Siena on the S222 (also called the Chianti Road). Panzano has a delightful public market in the square on Sunday mornings and the village is also the home of Italy's most famous butcher Dario Cecchini (he was featured in Bill Buford's book Heat and an Anthony Bordain episode). Have fun.
Posted by
Ely, MN, USA
274 posts
Two of the most helpful books I found are from Frommers: Northern Italy with Your Family, and Tuscany and Umbria with your Family. Also, check out this article on Weird and Wonderful Rome (http://www.italylogue.com/destinations/weird-wonderful-rome.html). Hope that helps!