Bring a stroller or not?

My first thought is you are going to have to rent a pretty big car to handle the stroller and the support luggage for the 3 of you-probably a wagon or a van. suggest you look at the size of the rental cars where you decide to rent for the prices and the cars. I normally use www.expedia.co.uk for rentals and consistantly competiitve rates. The CT is without question the place that would be not "stroller friendly," however, you'd have to scope out each of the hill towns in Tuscany when you travel about if it makes sense to unload the stroller. In Venice saw plenty of strollers, however also saw plenty of hot, tired, parents lugging them up and down the steps of the canal bridges. In Paris , many happy parents "strollering" with happy toddlers.Finally, as a grandparent, would suggest you buy one of those "toddler leashes," as toddlers can be very speedy when loose, and in Venice especially, would save you some panic moments when she zips away as she will. I salute you guys for your undertaking the challenge of your quest!

Mr, Reynolds, if we were me I'd definitely bring the smaller and lighter of the two, if you must bring one at all. You're going to encounter a lot of steps, and I suspect you might soon get tired of hauling the bigger model up and down. You're also going to want one that folds quickly if using public transit. I'd just caution you to take a good look at the wheels; like rolling suitcases, you want wheels that'll hold up but compact, light, and easy to navigate in crowds and tight areas will be the ticket.

And just a tip? You've probably already picked up on this but restrooms in Italy aren't always close at hand, and very small children often have a habit of needing to go RIGHT NOW! Insist that she go every time the opportunity presents itself, in case if might be awhile until the next one. In dire need? Just go to the nearest bar or cafe, order a beverage, and use the facilities (almost always for customers only). It'll be worth it, and you'll probably enjoy the short break. :O)

Thanks Jerry!
Yes, we have one of those leashes and have used many times, has been a life saver!
I do fear she may be too big when we leave for the trip to still use it, so will need to test and maybe see if there is an industrial strength version before we leave, lol.

Car I did already rent was a 4 door Fiat 500 or similar, was the 3rd class of cars think it went Economy, Mini and then Compact and I booked a compact.
I feared anything larger would not be dicey driving on some of the very thin streets and parking in Tuscany area and also on the hairpin turns of the Dolomites.

Would this not have enough room for a small stroller, 2 medium suitcases, a backpack and a large purse. Maybe not?

That's a tough one. If the larger stroller has pneumatic tires or something similar-large enough to roll over cobbles easily-then it's probably worth it. Another option would be to buy a cheap one (or ones) while there, but you are right that in CT and anywhere with cobbles those will be more trouble than they are worth. As un-intuitive as it may feel, I would probably opt for the big stroller as long as it will function well on rough surfaces. It probably also has room for your day pack(s) so that may be a small plus. I'm a father of four, though never traveled in Europe with them-I do sympathize with you.

Good tips Kathy.
Would you vote to bring the smaller one or none at all though?

She has been great with Potty trained and accident free for some time now but you are right about needing to go Right Now so before we go will have to practice with her to go I advance of us leaving for places.
Ashamed to admit it but I may be more the offender of needing to go mid trip somewhere, and envision it being a manageable but annoying issue in the cities. Will add some walking money to the budget for extra drinks when we only need to go the bathroom and not drink, lol

Need to take the small stroller out of the box and test it out soon locally and see how it folds up and the like. It was an expensive gift from a family member and a nice compact stroller we just never needed it even in Boston and NYC the larger stroller was more convenient.

Dave, that is why we have always taken the larger one. It can store my wife's purse easily plus water bottles, sunglasses, etc... very easily with many pockets and rolls over cobblestones much easier as well as handling drops from curbs with ease compared to the smaller stroller.
It could be tougher to fit in the rental car though, which is on the smaller side.
It also could look more appealing to a thief if left in the car when parking?

You said... 4 door Fiat 500 or similar

Really? Is there really a 4-door version? That car is teeny tiny for three of you and minimal luggage, even without a stroller, imo.

See also this recent thread discussing similar issues in France.

I say bring a stroller, the smaller one, as long as it's sturdy, and the harness. One of my kids was born and partially raised in Paris, and the stroller was essential. The stroller will give your daughter the opportunity to sleep when she needs it, freeing you to visit a museum or two, or even have a nice meal or coffee.

As for the steps: two parents moving a stroller up and down steps is a lot easier than always having to bend sideways to hold onto her hand and coaxing her to move along.

Dave,
I can still change the car, reservation can be changed/cancelled without penalty.

The 4 door version I believe is called the 500L
I know you rarely get the exact car though so could end up with a larger vehicle, Volkswagen Golf, Fiat Punto or who knows what else might be in the compact class.

Next upgrade is mid size and says
Alfa Romeo Giulietta or similar
again who knows what actual car they would give me, I have heard the Giulietta drives very nice.
would probably add $200 to what was a $500 car rental bill; sounds like I should do this?
I was worried that car would be too big for the really narrow roads and for parking
Will be covering with full insurance so guess I should not worry much.

I really don't want to get a wagon or van.

The Paris post was helpful, I am definitely leaning toward being in agreement with my wife (even though she does not know where we are going) that we will need the stroller (at least for Paris)
She probably assumes somewhere in Europe.
Larger stroller I think better for Italy but smaller stroller likely needed for Paris so thinking at this point the smaller stroller is best overall. Public transit we won't be using much but when we have to it may not be compatible with the big stroller.

Do need to figure out if I need to upgrade the size of rental car to mid-size or larger still.
Originally I was thinking no stroller when I booked the car.

I'd be getting after that Alfa, $200 well spent. I rented a VW Polo in France and they were out; gave me a 3-Series BMW for the same price.

Use caution and educate yourself on ZTL's and other stuff in Italy!

I feel for you. Definitely test the smaller stroller now. I once received a smaller, cheaper stroller as a gift and decided to make it my travel stroller. When i walked my feet kicked the back of it with every step. But I didn't discover that until we got to our destination.

If need be you may have to buy another cheap stroller that folds small and is functional.

Also, what are you doing about car seats?

We did the baby thing years ago. We had a high end Perego stroller. Later, we purchased an umbrella stroller at a garage sale for $5 and stopped using the Perego. It was so much more convenient. I think they are about $20 new. Packs down to nothing. On one trip to Hawaii, i shoved it in with my golf clubs in a cover bag to check it in. I have seen people bring them on a plane and the attendant just stored them to one side. So convenient for a toddler to ride or rest while travelling. I used to loop the diaper/baby bag, SLR camera bag and camcorder bag on the handles and push the kid and cargo around attractions. If the kid got out, the whole thing would flip backwards from all the weight. You should be able to buy a cheap one at your destination and just give it away if you do not want to fly it back.

Will add some walking money to the budget for extra drinks when we
only need to go the bathroom and not drink.

LOL, Little people aren't the only ones whom nature calls to at the most inopportune times! Sitting piazza or streetside with a cappuccino (always served in dignified china cups) has become a religion with us - several times a day - in Italy. Those cups aren't big enough to create another 'go' problem in the next hour, and it's great fun to just watch the world go by. We did the same in Paris.

Plan for car seat was I was planning on bringing one with us (can be checked in as luggage for free on flight to Pisa ; I checked into that)
We have one we only use for travel and it is easy to use, have setup in many car types before so mainly for more familiarity than anything else. We have checked it before on domestic plane flights.
It also makes booking a car from our house to the airport easier if we can put our seat in the car.
I am planning on booking a car service to pick up my wife at our house and I will meet them at the airport.

I also am afraid of showing up at the Pisa airport and find out they have none for rent or those to choose from are damaged/badly soiled.
I do know technically US car seats are not legal for use in Europe but fact is I know she will be safe in it and know this is a rule that is never enforced so not too concerned as long as I can figure out where to secure it.
Plan is then to just leave the seat in the car or throw it away if they won't take it when returning the car to Venice.
I may have to pay them to throw it away I imagine.
She will probably be too big for it for use in 2017 anyway and definitely cannot carry it with us in Venice and Paris.
On way home we will have my car with car seat in it already.

Need some snow to melt and will be testing out that small stroller and do plan on upgrading the car. Hopefully the mid size car is sufficient.
Knowledgeable about the ZTL issues and will have routes mapped up plus bringing a GPS with loaded maps to guide us.

I'm a little confused. You said your daughter is 3, but you are not going on your trip until 2017. So she will be 4, maybe 4 1/2 when you leave? Do you think she will still need a stroller by then?

No I was saying we would leave our travel car seat in Italy because we would not need it in 2017
This vacation is this year she will be 3.5, next vacation after would be 2017 and by then she will be 4+ I assume she would be using a booster seat so this trip should be the last time we need to use our travel car. Sorry I am sure it was worded confusingly

" My wife is convinced we must have a stroller and is going to be a hard sell for me to convince her otherwise."

I didn't need to read the rest- why fight, you know that you will lose.

Sage advise Bob, you sound like someone with experience.
I actually do fully agree now it is not worth any disputes, originally I was envisioning carrying the stroller around just being a nightmare.
But after writing it out, reading responses it has opened my eyes to aspects where it will very beneficial to have one with us. Mainly so she can nap while we want to keep going.
This forum is great for that and I appreciate all of the support and responses to my question.

The other aspect is my plan of booking the car at the very beginning at the Pisa airport was not my very first plan.
It is more costly and kind of wasteful to do this since the car will sit for a stretch in paid parking lot in La Spieza but became needed when I determined it would be best to bring our travel car seat. This revision kind of opened the door for bringing a stroller along. It will be beneficial that we can keep our stroller in the car then as well, as Vernazza was mainly the one place I was worried about a stroller.
Have to hope the paid secure lot under the train station is truly secure as I plan on keeping now a stroller, car seat and some colder weather accessories that I imagine we may need in the Dolomites but not before then.
Our hotel in Vernazza (Gianni Franzi) is famous for having 100 steps up to the rooms which have a great view but at the cost of the steps.

We've gone on dozens of trips around Europe with our kids. Definitely take the light stroller. You'll really regret not having it.

Some of my best memories of touring with the kids was when they were asleep in their strollers! It gave us a brief moment of adult time together.

Bob reminds me of a line Rick often said about traveling with kids, "if the mother says you need it, then you need it."

I have come late to this topic but I would double check Dave's advice. I am happy to stand corrected but my understanding is the Fiat 500L has a 400litre capacity trunk, the VW Golf has 380litres and the Guilietta is 316litres. Last time we were in Italy we hired a Renault Megane wagon which was a good balance between size and luggage capacity for a family.

We also used our US booster seat both in Scotland and Italy. I follow rules especially when in foreign countries. However, I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to get in trouble for using a non EU sticker car seat. I also felt much better letting my daughter use her own car seat. Technically it was my older daughter's car seat. And we left it after Scotland since the rest of our trip was on trains.