Help with Multi-generational Trip to Italy

The historic center of Orvieto sits on a relatively flat hilltop. It's not made up of steep streets like coastal villages such as Positano and Vernazza.

Depending on what your parents' interests are, I suggest you skip Rome but visit Venice and Florence. Your kids will love Venice. Maybe you could stow your parents in Verona for a day while you visit Venice if your elders insist they don't want to see Venice. You might try a selling job regarding going where you and the kids want to go. Maybe trade off one of their choices for one that your kids want to see. Make a travel video available, so they can get a taste of what's available. Pisa and Lucca might be crowd pleasers. Riding bicycles around the top of the wall in Lucca would be fun for the kids, at least. The top of the wall is good for a picnic, too. If your crowd is interested in music, both Venice and Lucca have frequent evening performances....opera, orchestra....

haha - actually, i've put my foot down about venice. I told my mom it would be immoral of me not to encourage them to see venice once in their life. ;)
I think they thing of it as another big crowded city, but it's a completely different experience. I agree that I think Rome might overwhelm them, but I do want everyone to see St. Peter's etc. Still, any other places to go that are not big cities that really give the 'Italian Experience'? Thank you!

If you can afford it, a private taxi in Venice would avoid the most crowded places there. Really, those vaporetti get uncomfortably crowded! Avoid piazza San Marco between about 10 and 4 pm, and you will be away from the cruise-ship mobs.

In Venice, consider springing for the Vaporetto Dell'Arte pass that allows you to ride up and down the Grand Canal in a vaporetto designed for tourists. They're MUCH less crowded than the regular ones and well worth the extra expense, esp. in your situation. In Venice, it sounds as if it will be vital to avoid the big crowds, which can be done. (See these photos I took: Uncrowded Venice.) The trick is to avoid the main spots (esp. Rialto and San Marco) during the 10 am to 5 pm time period. If you want an easy hilltop town experience between Venice and Rome, consider Orvieto. (Technically, it's just outside Tuscany in Umbria, but you can see Tuscany from it.) It's beautiful and not particularly crowded. I keep posting these photos and video clips I took of it, because it keeps coming up: Orvieto in May 2011 Happy travels.

Thank you Michael! Those are great suggestions. I remember in 1991, i was 22 and stayed for a week in Venice. I would spend hours on the back of a vaporetto, listening to my walkman and it went about it's route. Since I was on the back I got a great view behind me and avoided the on and off. Once I found myself at the vaporetto storage place on Murano and the driver was leaving to go home. I was so quiet back there he thought the boat was empty ;) That was a great way to see Venice, but it was also April and much less crowded than June will be.

Re Rome: Your parents may like to stay right near St. Peters/Vatican. There are two hotels right across the street from the Museum Entrance: Hotel Alimandi Vaticano (4star) and Hotel Alimandi Tunisi (3 star). The neighborhood directly in back of these hotels is very quiet, residential and I have a personal favorite, small, family owned restaurant with great food: Ristoranti Piacere Molise. I've taken a number of older folks who have loved this neighborhood. You can arrange a late afternoon tour of the Vatican, or just go on your own after 3PM, which contrary to popular belief, is when the lines are shortest. St. Peters square, the Museum and Sistine should not be missed if this is going to be the only trip to Italy for your family. These hotels arrange day trips to some surrounding areas of Rome, which your parents may enjoy, and while they're gone you can take the kids to the Collisseum and Roman Forum, which they also shouldn't miss if this is going to be an only trip to Italy for your family. Indulging in taxis in Rome can take the anxiety out of the big bustling City of Rome for your parents. Don't they want to throw their coins into the Trevi fountain? Another option would be your parents spending a night or two at Fiumicino - in the "water-front" area (This is very close to the airport), while your husband and kids take in the sites. There are good reviewsfor the Seccy Hotel on Trip Advisor, and it appears to be a close walk to many restaurants. They may prefer to stay near the airport for a few days before you depart to the U.S.

Regarding Venice, There's a small hotel in a small Piazza that's pretty close to St. Mark's Square: Hotel Bel Sito and Berlino I think. Look it up on Trip Advisor. We didn't have throngs of people outside the hotel, and were able to enjoy the sites from there. They have a nice breakfast. The rooms are pretty small, but comfortable, it's Very Italian. Michael gave you good advice regarding Orvieto. I don't know how 'rugged' the terrain is there, or how mobile and energetic your parents are. My husband is 69 years old and I'm 62, but because I have a back injury, he's more able to walk up and down steep streets than I am.

Orvieto would be a great stop. Most of the hotels there are modern, and they're located close to the "interstate" exit at the base of the mountain. There is an incline (vernicular) that takes you from the train station up to the city. And walking the city is no problem as it's pretty flat. You could easily do a day trip into Rome, as it's a 75 minute train ride into Rome Termini.
Last year, we stayed in Zagarolo (south of Rome) and went in by a 30 minute commuter train on our "Rome days." Olive Tree Hill is the #1 rated B&B in the Rome area and our host was available to take us to tourist sites in the Rome suburbs. There's about as much to see outside Rome as inside Rome, and most travelers stay in the city center. Ivano is famous for his midnight tours of Rome when all the tourist sights are deserted and the lighting is beautiful. He also cooked for us every night. See www.olivetreehill.com

Overall, try to remember that you can't please everyone all the time. Specifically, there's no reason to skip Florence, since the historic center is very compact and you get a lot of great experiences in the time you'll spend there. If you don't want to stay in the city itself, the little town of Fiesole is just a bus ride away, and you can daytrip into Floence itself; or stay in the Oltrarno (across the Arno River) area and just cross the bridge to see some of the major attractions. If your parents have an interest in WWII and art, the book "Saving Italy" might spark some interest in the monuments and artwork that were protected and recovered by a special unit of the U.S. Army. Rome is a bunch of little neighborhoods, it's a good suggestion to stay near St. Peter's since the area is less congested and a little more quiet than (for example) the Piazza Navona/Pantheon, Colosseum or Termini areas. Venice is a must-see, in my opinion, and if you stay in Venice you'll have a great time in the early morning and late afternoon/evening when the cruisers and daytrippers are not there. During the most congested periods you can visit the islands (don't miss Torcello) or take a half-hour train ride to Padova (you need an advance reservation for the Scroveegni Chapel).

Continued: There are some websites for traveling with children and the Lonely Planet guidebook to Italy has a lot of suggestions for things kids/teens might enjoy (I always steer people with kils toward Siena's Torture Museum). Orvieto makes an easy daytrip from Rome, just a little more than an hour by train. There's a funicular to the historic center (kids will like that) and Saint Patrick's well, plus some castle ruins with great views (all near the funivia exit/entrance). Then go to the main piazza for the Duomo or perhaps take the kids on the Underground Orvieto tour. Another possibility is to meet up with your parents after you and the kids have done Rome-Florence-Venice; if you can fly into Venice you can meet up with them for a couple of days in Rome before your cruise. Keep in mind that cruise stops are generally in or near big cities. Florence in June is still usually pretty good in terms of weather. Your idea about cooking classes as a bonding experience is a great one, sorry I have nothing to contribute specifically.

Just a thought about Florence: if your parents think of big cities as places like LA and San Francisco, Florence may not feel like a big city at all. When you are in the center of town, it doesn't feel anything like what we in America would consider a big city. It feels like a bustling smaller town. It's nice and flat--they might like it! That said, Florence with kids that age is not great. Climbing the Duomo would be awesome, but it's a museum heavy place that may not hold their interest long. Orvieto is a great suggestion. Assisi is another I would suggest, even though it's not in Tuscany. My kids loved Lucca. Those bikes around the walls are a winner. Also a nice flat town. We stayed at Albergo Villa Marta just outside of town. Wonderful connected rooms for families. You'd need a car, though.