Italy with Kids

The two year old won't remember much of this trip and neither one will care about churches and museums.

In any case if you want to do the basic cities, I suggest 4 nights in Rome, 3 nights in Florence, 3 nights in Venice. If you intend to fly in and out of Rome, since flights from North America generally arrive in the morning, I would go straight to the farthest point (Venice) first as soon as you land. Then from Benice you would back track to Florence and lastly back to Rome (Florence is halfway between Rome and Venice). This strategy would save you a hotel change. The last night must be spent in Rome because flights back to North America depart in the morning and you need to be at the airport at least 2 to 2.5 hours prior to departure.

The high speed train ride from Rome to Venice is 3h 50min from the main station (Roma Termini) and there is a train every hour approximately. The shuttle train (Leonardo Express) from the airport to Termini departs every 30 min and takes 32 min to get there. There are also two very convenient high speed trains a day that depart directly from the airport and therefore don't require you to transfer trains at Termini. The trains depart at 11:48 and 15:48, which is 3:48pm. Get used to the military 24h clock, Europe uses that system for all timetables.

We traveled to Italy with kids at all ages, starting at 2.
My kids were very much in a routine at home so we tried to keep to a basic routine while traveling also.
Breakfast, sightseeing, lunch, back to hotel for naps and rest, little more sightseeing, early dinner, back to hotel to unwind, sleep.
Just some other general thoughts...
Venice is not stroller friendly due to numerous bridges, steps, canals etc. Is your 2 year old able to fit in a back pack? We did not attempt Venice until kids were teens. Not to say it can't be done, just be prepared for constant up and down with the stroller.
When our kids were very young, we spent most of our time in smaller towns, villages and out in the country. We stayed at several agriturismi which were great for kids (and us). We limited or avoided museums.
Your 2 year old will not remember anything from the trip. Our 6 year old remembers fondly, chasing pigeons in the piazze, seeing fountains, a kiitten or stray dog we fed, swimming in the pools etc. Also at about age 6 we happened upon a Renaissance faire in San Gimingnano that was very kid friendly and memorable.
Also, training to Venice and backtracking to Rome would not have been a good plan for us, with or without kids.
Since you must fly into and out of Rome, I would consider visiting Rome and spending some time in Orvieto or Southern Tuscany in your ten days.

Ahhhh...I had not thought about the whole stroller thing in Venice. I do have a backpack that my two year old still fits in, though. My kids are pretty good when it comes to switching around their routine (my and my husband's schedules tend to change a lot, so routine is not something that we are very good at).

Thank you for your suggestions...I think I will talk to my husband about possibly trying to fit in some smaller towns/agriturismos instead. I think the kids would really enjoy that!

We loved Lucca - though our boys were 8 and 10 at the time. We rented bikes (you could do the surrey and all fit) and rode the walls (more than once) - stopped at a little playground. Hung out in the main piazza. Day trip to Pisa. Really cute little town!! Low key. Loved it.

Couple of thoughts. We took 5 grand kids in 2104, the youngest was 5 at the time, 3- 8 year olds, and a teenager.

We made lots of time and activities available for the kids, specifically. Things like "gelatto o'clock" everyday, swimming, both in pools and at the beach, the Monster Park in Bomarzo, and so forth. We even let them cook their own pizzas a couple nights (we had a villa).

Another thought, in March the further south you are the better the weather. If you are thinking of anything south of Rome you might want to start there and move north.

There is a great video series called "Travel With Kids". They have a number of episodes on cities in Italy. You can access the videos on YouTube. I think you would benefit from watching them.

If you do decide on Venice.... the 6 year old will like watching the glass blowers on Murano. Also think about a rowing lesson. The 6 year old will need help but I guarantee they will love it. www.rowvenice.org

Possibly consider a guided tour in Rome with Pinocchio Tours. They specialize in families and are wonderful.

I finally took my family to Italy last year, but my kids are far older (teens).

If Rome indeed the arrival and departure point, Roberto is right, head to the furthest point first and work your way back. That's what we did. We flew into Milan (flights were half the price of Rome) then took a train to Salerno. It was a long first day, but it makes sense.

But putting myself in your shoes, Venice has a stroller problem AND a luggage transfer problem. Assuming you are on a budget, you might consider staying in Mestre (a suburb of Venice) and take a 10 minute train each day into Venice proper.

So much of Venice is possible without too many bridges - Dorsoduro for example, my favourite part - and so much of it is fairly distant from the station.

Arriving at the station Santa Lucia once is fabulous and amazing. Having to do it every day would get a bit tiring.

Also, that 10 or 15 minute journey on the train doesn't count getting to the Mestre station, getting to the right platform because the train is unlikely to use platform 1, down the stairs to the tunnel through the tunnel, up the stairs again, and waiting for the train, then the 10 or 15 minutes, then the walk off the train and through the station and down the steps or ramp to the Grand Canal and then waiting for the vaporetto and then the half hour on the vaporetto.

You can see that staying in Mestre actually adds a minimum of 60 to 90 minutes each way to the commute.

If you stay in one of the more convenient parts of Venice like Dorsoduro or near the Best Western Hotel Ala - my now favourite - you can walk with the kiddoes most places and have a fabulous time.

I'd try to avoid those stairs at Mestre.

You could consider the Tram which also connects Mestre to Venice, but you still have to get from the station to where you are going.