Italy with 4 year old

Hi James, Well, I haven't been to Italy with a 4 year old, but I have been there with a 1 year old. Not really the same, but I think that I can answer some of your questions, nonetheless. Your vague plans sounds OK, although I would probably drop a CT night and add it to Rome. You'll never run out of things to do in Rome. Other than relaxing and hiking, you likely will in CT. 2 nights would be the minimum in CT, in my opinion, though. I would train it from Venice to CT, since parking there is REALLY difficult, mostly locals. You'll have to change trains, but it isn't that big of a deal. If you drop night in Venice, don't spend less than 2. There are some great parks in Venice, though, so your 4 year old will probably have some fun there. Rome, actually, has pretty pathetic parks. The Borghese is great, but it's not at all central. Nothing like Paris or London, which are both loaded with parks. Gelato is everywhere, so your 4 year old will dig that, for sure. So will everyone else, too! Florence has some parks for the kids, and there will be plenty of pigeons to chase around. If you head to the art school across the arno, there is a park/playground over there that my daughter spent some time in, but it's a bit out of the way if you're not a wanderer like my wife and me. If you're into art, then Florence is the place to be. If it's not your thing, then you can minimize your time there and focus on he countryside. Tuscany is the essential Italian experience, in my opinion.
Have Fun!

Hi, I just wanted to talk about travelling with preschoolers. We've gone all over the place with similar aged kids, and here are my suggestions/comments: Spend ample time in the piazzas, where the kids can climb stairs/statues/wells, chase pigeons (as previously posted), run free, etc. If you take a little time to point out interesting and unusual things, the kids can get into the process of discovering things with you. Savor viewpoints, climb any tower in the cities you visit. Let them pick out a postcard (or souvenir) in each city. Make it a point to ask the TI office to tell you where any parks/playgrounds are, and work them in if you can. And when you do stuff that is not as kid friendly, like museums, or guided tours where its required for the kids to be quiet, have new small toys for them to make it fun and manageable. (That is a big part of my packing list). Even if your child has outgrown a stroller, consider taking one on days that aren't as fun, so they can stay busy playing while you are looking at the sistene chapel for longer than they want to. Build some activities into your itinerary that will be fun for the kids - some standouts for us in the basic travel locations you mentioned are: St. Patrick's Well in Orvieto (a bit south of Tuscany, on the way to Rome), the tower of Pisa (even though you can't climb it until age 8, the kids were psyched about how crooked it was), roaming the ruins in Rome, Volterra, and San Galgano ruins near Siena. (We haven't been to CT yet, because we want our kids to have a better endurance for it before we go, so can't comment on that). It's nice that you will have family to help you also. And you've got pizza and gelato on your side. Have a great trip!

Since you'll have a car, you might involve your child in the tower-counting game on your way to San Gimignano. Just a few kilometers outside of Siena is Monteriggione, a very small (miniature, actually) town that has parapets you can walk on with your child - the whole town is child-size, surrounded by a medieval wall. Gelato and cups of fresh fruit, readily available, will help.

Thanks for all the advice, I think we're going to cut out CT in favor of Florence and that way we don't need to travel quite as far. We also will have the grandparents in tow so Florence should be good, they can watch the 4 year old while we look at art.

This website http://www.ciaobambino.com/ciaobambinoblog/index.php/tag/Italy has some great kid-oriented advice and ideas.

Hi James,
Pigeon chasing can definitely entertain the young ones! No sight seeing recommendations for you but two brief tips: 1. Plan bathroom breaks:always use the bathroom when you get to and leave a museum, you never know when you will find a good one again. We have encountered the hole in the floor more than once and have had to hold it until the next stop. Always have a euro or 2 in your pocket in case it is a pay WC. 2. I don't usually see a special child's menu at restaurants but you can order mezza porzione (half portion) of something. also, if your child is picky, remember the word "solo" means only, as in "solo pasta". Senza means without. If you say "senza condimento" that means without sauce (according to google translate, maybe a native speaker could advise better). I speak very little Italian but have had success in getting plain pasta for my somewhat picky eater with these phrases. Or "con niente" meaning with nothing. Again, may not be proper Italian but has gotten the point across. Good news is now the 8 year old will eat all of the yummy sauces! Have fun on your trip.

We traveled with our four year old to Italy last September. We spent 3 days in CT, 9 at an agriturismo in Tuscany, and 3 in Rome. The beach at CT was a huge highlight for him though maybe ocean is more of a novelty to a kid from KC. The weeks worth of consecutive nights at the agriturismo were fantastic for all. The owner's had children to play with, my parents were able to babysit while my wife and I explored or vice-versa. Our central local allowed for family day trips by car to Assisi, Arezzo, and Pienza. The travel days were the hardest, settling into new places, so you may be wise to edit the number of times you relocate. All in all he traveled very well. His favorite Italian things were the beach, piazzas and fountains, parks and playgrounds, pizza, gelato, and other children. Try to seek these out throughout your travels.

We have a very active 4 year old grandson, and it takes the whole family to take care of him on a trip. I hope your son likes pizza. You're best transportation is by train from Venice to Florence; 158 miles. Tuscany is a place you rent an automobile and do day trips out of one location. The Cinque Terre is actually a little out of the way, and taking a train from Venice will require 1 to 3 transfers and take 6 to 7 hours. C/T is best gotten to from Florence by train to Pisa and transfer to LaSpezia. There, you'd get on a local train. It's a very physically demanding place with steep hills, thousands of steps and hiking from town to town. It's not a place for a 4 year old. The train trip from Florence to Rome is about 2 hours, and you would need to buy a train ticket and get reservations on the faster trains. I wouldn't consider driving to Rome, as the drivers there are ultra aggressive; They drive with one hand on the horn and one hand on the wheel. Best of luck. Where in the world can you chase pigeons around the squares--and then eat them for supper?

Thanks for all the responses, since we do/have done beach a few times with the 4 year old, we've decided that keeping it to slightly fewer locations, and skipping CT is probably best for us. Definitely interesting to read through all the commenst and advice, we're looking forward to it already, (especially having a little time for him to spend with the grandparents, and us to spend by ourselves).

We took our 3and 5 year old daughters to Italy. We had them draw pictures of their favorite thing they did each day (toddler version of journaling). My daughter's drawing of michelangelos David still is hilarious! we took them to museums and had them chose tHeir favorite painting in each room and tell me why. When they got bored it was gelato time. Lots of picnics. Dinner in Italy with young ones is hard because restaurants don't open til around 8 pm but you can always get pizza in the late afternoon. We brought Jif-to-go packs because you can always get bread and then my picky eaters could have a sandwich. another big hit was climbing towers in all the cities...also throwing rocks in the Arno River. It will be a different type of trip than with all adults but we loved it. Have been back to Europe 5 times since with our now teenagers! It's really great. Good luck! Kaye
Folsom, CA

Hi James, We were in Rome last year with our teens, but my youngest still loves zoos, so he and his dad went to the zoo in Rome one day and LOVED it! Just a thought in case your 4 year old likes animals:) It's in the park surrounding the Villa Borghese I believe. Have a great trip!

Speaking of sandwiches, I have one word: Nutella.