Help with itinerary. First trip (for the kids) to Italy. Two weeks. Venice to Rome.

I think it looks pretty good timing wise!

Not sure about the car after Florence, but I would try to do trains personally... I am not sure what is to in Siena and Orvieto - we did visit there about 15 years ago but we went way too fast and I don;t remember a thing!

My kids (9 and 11) really liked Lucca - especially the biking - and day trip to Pisa from there to climb the Tower!

Take a rowing class at rowvenice.org while you are there... very fun!!

Kim

Agree re the rowing class. We couldn't tear out kids away from the oar to have a go ourselves. The kids also loved Palazzo Valentini (Le Domus Romane) in Rome.

I generally enjoy driving but with your proposed itinerary would stick with trains. If you were intending to spend several days visiting Tuscan hill towns then I would have a car, but you are not.

OK you have

• Venezia - 3 nights
  
• CT - 2 nights
  
• Firenze - 3 nights
  
• Siena - 1 night
  
• Orvieto - 2 nights
• Roma - 4 nights

I think you have planned the minimum time in Venezia, Firenze, the Cinque Terre and Roma. (Note I am using Italian names as you need to know these to make your reservations on trains.) You only have one full day in the CT as it takes along time to get there from Venezia. If you like hiking and being on the water, you might reallocate a night so you ahve two full days.

I would make Siena a day trip, if you are so inclined, from Firenze. Or you might decide Lucca is more fun as a day trip from Firenze. Each is an easy bus trip. At least you cut out a one-night stop by reallocating this night either to Firenze or the CT.

2 nights in Orvieto gives you one full day and I think that is nice. It is a hill town and that is fun to see/experience. Go on the Underground Tour. The kids will like it.

A car is a hassle. Pack light and stick to trains and buses. Our key is to make sure each traveler can carry his/her own stuff.

I think your kids will enjoy Lucca - biking on the walls, towers to climb. I might spend two nights there and make Siena a daytrip from Firenze. Pisa is an easy hall-day from Lucca by bus or train.

Orvieto is great, there is Saint Patrick's well, Etruscan ruins, an old ruined castle with great views, and the Duomo and museums. I would leave it in the itinerary.

You really don't need a car for any of this, the train trips are not too lengthy, and your kids might enjoy gaining expertise on the trains as you take them throughout the trip.

Our kids were just a tad older on our last trip to Italy, and they had a blast. If your family likes hiking, then I would add a day to CT (but you need to make hotel reservations yesterday!), and personally I would get an apartment in Florence, eliminate the stay in Siena and do day trips out of Florence to Lucca (the biking is a nice change of pace for kids) and Sienna if you want to see it. A car for a day rented in Florence would allow you to see Sienna and another hill small hill town, since your itinerary is pretty city heavy. Since 4 nights isn't enough to do Rome justice, and you've been before, you could cut the night from there to add to the CT, assuming your kids will return someday. My kids (who are generally quite tolerant of museums) thought the Borghese was the best museum experience ever - only 2 hours, amazing sculpture and surrounded by a park where you can rent peddled vehicles and tool around.

Looks pretty good with one possible alteration. Try to do Siena as a day trip from Florence. Also, try to move about as much as possible by train. Not only will the kids enjoy it, you will not have the pain in the anatomy of renting a car. Not to say you will not have to rent a car, but do try to avoid it.

Thanks to all for the great comments and suggestions. I see many replies that seem to suggest not going to Siena, or replacing it with Lucca, etc.
Laurel: I was concerned about your comment on the "minimum stay" at each place. Would it be better, in your opinion, to add the day in Siena to Florence, and just stay in Florence an extra day (no side trip), and skip Orvieto and add it to CT or Rome?
I think we'll be skipping the car, based on what everyone is saying.

Thanks again!

Please don't let these few otherwise great suggestions talk you out of Siena. There are many people, like me, who prefer Siena to Florence. The first thing that you notice about Florence is that it is a big city with great museums but you have to search a little to find the charm. Siena is all medieval charm but also with some very nice architectural sites.

Thanks again for the great responses.
A possible revised schedule could be:

Venice: 8 -9 - 10 - 11 (depart to Cinque Terre)

Cinque Terre: 11-12-13-14 (depart to Florence)

Florence (with possible day trip to Siena or Lucca or Pisa): 14 -15 -16 - 17 - 18 (depart to Orvieto)

Orvieto: 18 - 19 (depart to Rome)

Rome: 19 - 23 (depart home)

As always, who knows what we will like best? This one eliminates the Siena/Lucca/Pisa overnight (making it a day trip) and gives CT one more day. Perhaps this will be a nice break from the cities (although it is August, and it will be a zoo based on what I've read). However, it eliminates the full day in Orvieto. The alternative would be to stay one day less in Florence (no day trip) and do two nights in Orvieto.

Any preferences one versus the other?

I think you last plan is a nice balance. While I am not generally a fan of one night stays, if you leave Firenze nice and early on the 18th, you'll have the advantage of most of a day in Orvieto. Non-stop at 9:09 AM arrives 11:22. You can see some high points in the afternoon and early evening OR you can add the night to Roma and make Orvieto a day trip if you've a mind to see it.

Lucca and Pisa can be combined in one day trip but Siena should probably have its own day (opposite directions).

I would re-do that whole iteniary. Folks in their replies failed to mention that in Siena August 16th is the Palio. That's their famous horse race around Il Campo. I was there last year and loved it. The passion the sienese have is something to see even walking around town. I would stay in Siena from the 15 - 17 at least. The race is on the 16th and they have events and trials for a couple days before. A couple years ago ESPN did a good piece on the Palio that you can see here https://vimeo.com/58225076. I would stay in Siena all those days instead of Florence, and take a daytrip to Florence for your museum fill.

Also we loved Orvieto as a change of pace from the larger cities. The train station is across the street from the funicular that takes you to the top of the hill where Orvieto is located. Also a Hertz office is there as well if you decide to drive. We dropped our car off there on arrival and when we left hopped the train to Rome. PM me if you would like a recommendation of lodging there.

If you are relying on the hertz office in Orvieto, I advise you to check what hours they are open on what days. Orvieto is a small town with small town operating hours, especially on Sundays.

Orvieto is a lovely hill town, my kids liked walking around the "old city" but your family may get a similar experience in Pisa/Sienna/Lucca. I have not been to those areas (yet!) So this is a guess. If you are going in to Orvieto arriving one day and leaving the next, I'm not sure it is worth it. I loved the ambience of Orvieto, but truthfully there was not much for kids to do, and my kids are good travelers. Lots of small shops, the beautiful main church, and lovely small trattorias. Others may have more ideas, but for my twin 12 year olds it was just OK, not a favorite, especially compared to the other destinations you are considering.

Above, I see another's contributor suggested in Rome "le romaine domus"--it is 1 of the top 5 things to do in Rome per TripAdvisor, EXCELLENT!!! Get tix in advance. Try to do it first in Rome, it will make all the other sites more interesting. Also in Rome my kids enjoyed Rick's Pantheon audio tour (50 minutes, free) and adored the nearby bus stop area of Largo Argentina where you can watch the antics of many, many cats as they hop from marble pedestal to marble block in a submerged, gated area of ruins, right in the middle of the city! ( allegedly where Julius Caesar was assassinated). Private message me if you want more ideas for kids in Rome/Venice.
Whatever you decided upon, you will have a wonderful trip. Enjoy!

We did a two week trip several years ago with 6 kids (two families) from the ages of 8-15. The grandparents rented a villa outside of Lucca for us for their 50th anniversary (lucky us). I highly recommend Lucca...especially, as others have mentioned, the bike riding on top of the wall. On our trip, the kids motivated us to try different activities...like the science museum on Florence http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/History_of_Science_museum.html (I think it had Galileo's finger, or something like that). And they loved the town of Vinci and seeing all of the DaVinci models and sketches so much we did it twice! http://www.museoleonardiano.it/eng/. Like I said, we stayed in Lucca, and took bus trips into Florence (twice). As far as carrying luggage, isn't that what kids are for? : )