Italy City Suggestions with Young Family

What are the parents interested in seeing and doing? Will they be renting a car or taking trains? How long of a trip (how many nights)? Apartment(s) or hotel(s) or B&B(s)? Travel from place to place or have a home base and do day trips? Answers to these questions will help people narrow down their recommendations.

I would try for late October because of the heat and crowds of September in many places.

***Yes, they truly are travelers and have no difficulty with their young ones! What cities would you suggest or
areas where you think it would be best to visit. This is their first trip to Italy.*

Not sure what you mean by truly travelers. Have they been to Europe before with the children or just car trips in the states?

Where they go in Italy or any foreign country is of no real consequence if this is a real post. The logistics of taking three children under two years old, twins or trips no doubt, is really a difficult burden on two adults to enjoy any sightseeing. Can't imagine how to handle, luggage, strollers, naps, feeding, navigating in a foreign city, etc. all while having 3 little ones under two in tow.

Perhaps others who have actually experienced this situation with 3 young children can advise. Best of luck to your granddaughter and family. I suggest Grandma go with them! They could use an extra pair of hands.

Diane, did you already post this same question earlier?

How long do they have and where are they coming from?

With that many young kids and all the gear that goes with it, I'd personally get an apartment in Rome and just enjoy the city. They'll get very little true site seeing done so I'd just go for the food, outdoor parks, and experience of being there. I would not recommend moving around much if at all unless they have over a week of time and then maybe I'd pick a 2nd destination that is easy to fly out of.

Are the three under age of 2 toddler, infant and newborn?
Or is there a twin or triplet set in there?

If all so young how have they become “ truly travelers”

I’d eliminate Venice if these little ones are in strollers
Also eliminate any very hilly towns like Siena

Lucca is flat, very family friendly

Train travel might be a bit difficult, will they rent a car?

We need a lot more specific info

Honestly I’d tell the parents to go where they want to go
Kids that young don’t know what they like!

Either Rome or Florence would work with little ones in stroller or baby sling

I don't even know how a couple can handle 3 toddlers on a trip which involves airplanes and public transportation (trains/buses) in a foreign country. Traveling by public transportation is not the same as taking a car trip within the US using the family van. Renting a car in Italy and sticking to smaller towns would be best, the problem is that Italy has very strict laws on car seats for kids under 12, and to accommodate 3 kids that age, you need to be able to install 3 car seats in the rental car. Besides the fact that each baby car seat costs over 30€ (maybe more now) to rent, there is the issue that you would need to rent a van, because I don't think you can fit 3 baby car seats in the back seat of a regular car. Renting a van costs 2 to 3 times as much as a compact car. Taxi drivers are exempt from baby car seats laws, so if you travel in big cities, you might be able to use taxicabs without problems (city buses would be challenging I would think). I presume the kids can walk on their own? If not and they need a stroller, that is an extra challenge. Good luck.

Is this a joke??? I can not think of a worse way to plan a FIRST TRIP TO ITALY than doing with three two-year-olds on tow. The potential downsides and complications are virtually unlimited, all for a trip that the kids absolutely will not remember. Wait five years, the logistics will be far more containable.

“Truly travelers” is interesting phrasing…..

We take our 4 monsters ages 7-14 to Europe every year, dating back to 2015 (there were fewer monsters at the beginning). It takes planning and patience but we feel like we are teaching them to experience other cultures, ways of thinking, ways of doing things. Some sticks, some doesn’t but we love to spend time together and we have had really good experiences. We see many, if not all, of the main attractions. We may only get 20 min in front of a Monet instead of 30-40 if it was just the adults but we’re good. In several instances, we have be able to connect with other young families in the countries we’ve visited or been allowed to bypass a line or see an area others didn’t.

For Italy, the parents should go where they want to go and do what they want, with some modifications.

Pretty sure you can't have more than one lap child in same row and some airlines may require one adult per child under 2. Even if that's not an issue. They will need to bring at least one car seat (and buy seat), but imagine 3 would be better....

Have traveled with 4 under 5 -- it's a trip, not a vacation, but you get used to zone defense vs man to man very quickly..

They should go wherever they want that's flat and water hazard free (not venice!). Maybe a hotel/resort with childcare is an option?

Perhaps when they contemplate the magnitude of the logistical problems described by Roberto and msm (especially car seat requirements and lap child limitations on airplanes) they will re-consider.

Here is the OPs previous post.
Still no real explanation how these kids have become “truly” travelers in their very short lives or how there are 3 under age of 2 now and also then?

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/children-under-2-italy-or-japan

I have a coworker who took a family trip to Italy last year with her husband and their two small children; at the time, their daughter was 2 and their son 4. They met her sister in Italy- sister lives in Europe. For the flight, they bought three seats, daughter in mom’s lap. Mom practically walked from Atlanta to Milan, albeit on a plane.

They rented a car and went to Lake Como; they also went to Florence - no car there. They enjoyed their trip, but it was not easy and had Auntie there to help.

Our kids are grown, but this is far more than I would have considered when I was younger, and I cannot image having more infants and toddlers to wrangle, than adults. Then there is luggage…

Her only other post asking about tickets for an event in mid August.
No idea if this is same group of travelers or not.

She has not returned to any of her posts.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/getting-tickets-to-ravello-festival-belvedere-di-villa-rufolo-location

My family traveled all over the western USA and Mexico when I was a kid. I was one of 9- all about a year apart- so 9 kids between ages of newborn to 12. We'd be on the road for 2-3 weeks camping our way along.
We traveled in a VW bus that I don't even think HAD seatbelts and car seats were non existent.
4 to a row plus 2 lucky kids got to sit up front with dad. 1 was always me-as #2 I had priority, plus I could read a map- my big sister got car sick so she had to be in the back by the door. My mother preferred the back seat with the babies.
Plastic diapers and ready made formula were also non existent.

My father would never have taken 3 of us on a plane- he knew his limitations! LOL
He waited til they could leave all of us at home and started traveling the world with mom for months at a time.