Family trip to Italy--May/June 2018

I think the biggest challenge will be accommodation. I would choose no more than two bases, in places where you can enjoy the town or village but also use the train line and not have to fit everyone in a van. Perhaps rent a large apartment in one of the cities (whichever one floats your boat) and then a smaller coastal town--somewhere in Liguria would work well since the transport is so good.
Can you do it in June?

Yes, our plan is late May or the first half of June. We will rent accommodations through airbnb.

Hi Jess -

I am still a little hesitant about the twins and the rigors of this
kind of trip. Are we crazy to consider taking them?

Are you crazy? Heavens no! This forum sees posters all the time who either are taking or have taken children much, much younger than 10: infants and toddlers. They're not only plenty old enough to GO but to do some research prior to the trip...and I highly recommend that ALL of your young people do that. They'll not only be learning about what they'll be seeing but learning how to travel.

Also, having a hand in the plan helps eliminate the boredom factor: if they've chosen some of the attractions they find interesting, and read up on them, they'll be more engaged when they get there. Maybe get some guidebooks and age-appropriate books about Italy from the library and sit down with them as a family? The internet is also loaded with info.

Consider your collective interests when choosing places to go. Florence, for example, is a gold mine for Renaissance art, Rome has a wealth of historic Republican and Imperial-era ruins, and so on. Certain cities also make great bases for day trips to other interesting places. Florence, again, is a great base for a jaunt by train to Pisa and/or Lucca, or by bus to Siena and Fiesole. Rome? Trains to Orvieto or Ostia Antica.

Are you looking for an active holiday or more chill-out time? Some travelers enjoy laid-back stays in country agriturismi (farmhouses) while others prefer hiking in the Dolomites.

Anyway, you get the idea? :O)

I would caution against trying to cover too much ground as moving 7 people of differing ages around a LOT on tight schedules would almost certainly be a recipe for exhaustion and frustration. It would also decrease your valuable sightseeing time. I'd think about picking no more than 3 bases and settling in, doing most of your exploration without a lot of packing up, checking in and out, managing luggage. etc. Summer is also hot and crowded in the most popular tourist locations so you might want to balance city stays with another on the sea (e.g. Sorrentine/Amalfi Coast) or in the northern lakes region, such as Lake Como.

I'd also look at flying open-jaw into one airport and out of another to eliminate backtracking. Just a start....

Oh duh I see May/June in the title now (I saw summer in your question). You are golden then, as that is a fantastic time!
Enjoy the planning--I say go for it! The kids are at an age where some can do different things independently. I was envisioning a town like Santa Margarita Ligure for example, somewhere the kids can wander the promenade and explore while you sit in a cafe--and a nice contrast after a week in a big city (though that can also feel quite easy going if you rent in a residential neighborhood).

Given the challenges of finding housing for a family group of seven, I agree that limiting yourselves to two or at most three bases is a great idea. Unless you can add more time, that is.

I'd consider some time in the north, where there's a stretch of attractive destinations along the rail line between Venice and Verona. Padua and Vicenza are both very interesting, and you're near the lakes. That area makes day-tripping pretty easy.

Not crazy at all! We took my 11 year old and almost 14 year old to Italy for 10 days last summer and it was wonderful! I recommend: a week in Florence/Tuscany and a week in Rome. You can do day trips to Pompeii from Rome and Pisa or Cinque Terre from Florence. We all loved Rome, Florence and Cinque Terre. I am no help on lodgings bc we did hotels. You would need 2 rooms or perhaps an apartment. Or if you want to see more, add Venice for a couple days. We did not make it as we only had 10 days, but I wish we had more time to go to Venice. Your kids are going to love it!

Would not worry about the 10 year olds being a problem.

Not sure if you are looking for a 'tour' or just a 'sit and stay' experience.

If the former, RS has some to choose from, Best of Italy 17 days( if you can stretch beyond 2 weeks), // Village Italy 14 day and My Way Italy 13 days.

If the latter, then you just have to decide on which 2-3 locations to go to, based on what you want to do.

Famous principles of traveling with a group: A group only moves a fast as its slowest member, and the larger a group, the slower it moves.

So, the trick to making a 2 week trip to Italy work with your family of seven is not to try to move too much. For a two week trip, pick 2-3 bases - TOPS. As long as you do that, and don't try to see "Italy" in that time but instead focus on a few things, you can have a great trip.

I also agree that everyone should have buy-in, in the form each person picking 1-2 things they really want to see. That way, if they're bored by something that someone else is interested in, they can be reminded that their turn will come for "their" sight, activity, etc. You will also do things this way that you wouldn't have done otherwise, some of which may end up being your favorites. When I went to Berlin with my mother, she really wanted to see the aquarium, and I really wanted to see the Berlin Wall exhibits near Nordbahnhof Station. Neither of us was particularly interested in the other person's must-see, but we both went to both of these, and ended up liking them much more than expected. I now recommend the aquarium to everyone!