need help planning 2 week trip to Italy with family

Gail,

That sounds like a great trip! I'd love to take a trip to Europe with my family, but I doubt that will (ever) be possible.

A few comments.....

With only two weeks, I'm not sure if "side trips" to Orvieto & Siena will be feasible. With such a short time frame, these would probably only be possible at the expense of time in your other destinations.

The order I'd suggest:

• Rome, 3 nights (plan your touring well!)

• Cinque Terre, 2 nights (take direct train from Rome, about 4-hours)

• Florence, 3 nights (if Pisa is really important to you, you can stop for a few hours on the way to Florence to see the Tower but you'll have to store all your luggage - IMO, I wouldn't bother)

• Venice, 2 nights

• Lago di Como, 2 nights (basing in Varenna is a good location; you can take day trips from there to Bellagio or other spots on the lake)

• Milan, 1 night (I normally prefer to stay close to the departure airport on my last night)

This is only about 13-nights. You'll have to allow some time for travel as some of the trips between cities will be 4-6 hours, which will reduce the time you have in each place.

Good luck with your planning!

Gail, I can relate. We just had our 2 children, their spouses and single grandson (hint, hint) for 10 days in Yellowstone and Jackson Hole. Love it.

For my thoughts, your trip looks OK. The trains will get you to Orvieto, Siena and Pisa but it will take longer as only the slower Regionale trains make these runs. For example, you can take the high-speed Eurostar from Rome to Florence and be there in 1hr.40min. To take the local Regionale from Rome to Siena will take 3.5hrs.

All of that being said, you can whiz through Orvieto on the high-speed to Florence. Once in Florence, you have the SITA bus option to Siena. There are express buses that can get you to the Siena city walls in 1hr-15min. Next, you can stop at Pisa on your way to the CT. All trains from Florence to the CT will stop in Pisa. It's a 30-minute walk in and a 30-minute walk out. Or, you can take the bus across the street from the train station. It's quicker. If the grandchildren want to climb the tower, your visit will take longer.

As for the CT to Venice, I suggest the 7:52am train out of La Spezia Centrale. It's the quickest of the day with one train change to a Eurostar in Bologna. If you can get to La Spezia early, there is a McDonalds at the train station where you can pick up breakfast for the first 7:52am train. It's a Regionale with no food (at least there wasn't when we rode it).

I agree with Ken on the rental car. You would have to get a large vehicle to hold 6 people plus luggage. Second, there are many cities in Italy where a rental car is useless and 4 of them are Rome, Florence, the CT and Venice.

Have a great trip.

Larry and Ken, You've both given some great advice and things for me to think about. You made me sure that it will be trains rather than a car. Gail

In June me, my wife, our 2 children (8 & 11) and her parents (age 79) went on a similar trip. Take trains. Stay in apartments. They are cheaper than 2 hotel rooms and much larger. They come with refrigerators and other amenities not available in hotels.
There are a number of places to find apartments in Italy. Some are VRBO, cross-pollinate, smart cactus, homelidays, holiday-velvet, etc.
In Rome we stayed in a large apartment on Piazza Navona through Smart Cactus (Apartment Comet). Very large apartment (2 BR, 2BA w/ foldout in den), great location, walk up 2 flights.
In Florence we stayed in a very nice apartment near the Central Market, another great location, nicer apartment than in Rome. It was olacted on Via Zanobi but I don't remember the website where we found it. Probably VRBO.
In Cinque Terre we stayed in a very nice apartment in Monterosso. It was located up the main road near Hotel Villa Steno. We found it through e-mailing Camera La Poesia. It was a great place to stay for 6 people. Two flights of stairs.
As far as trains, check the itinerary on-line at trenitalia.com to get an idea for times and frequency. It helps to know before you go if there may be any early mornings.
Hope this helps. Have a great time.

Ben L.
El Paso, TX

My only concern about the cities you're focusing on is that you have a good chance of getting too caught up with seeing the 'big' sites and you may not do things that the kids will enjoy. There is nothing so miserable as grumpy kids on a trip. I personally loved Sienna for young boys. The city is divided into neighborhoods with different animal mascots.... something about that just gets my imagination going. Plus there is hardly any traffic in the old center and it's pretty easy to let kids have more freedom to roam then say Florence or Rome. Oh and Venice only has 2 playgrounds on the whole island (Near the Armory and by Pizza Roma). Its pretty difficult to find somewhere for kids to play.

I forgot the most important advice. Pack light! One bag per person, each person should be able to carry their own bag up stairs and onto trains. In Rome, our children loved renting bikes in Villa Borghese and enjoyed the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill. There is plenty to see and do in the places you have planned to visit. Lucca and Siena are close to Florence and pretty easy for a day trip. Orvieto is wonderful but there are so many things to do in Rome you won't be able to see what you want in 3 days.

Great plan, Gail! I'd consider, though, going from Cinque Terre to Como, THEN to Venice, and fly home from Venice, even with a connecting flight. That way you'd avoid backtracking via train. Also, we've done a similar plan, last summer (the Florence to Cinque Terre to the lakes to Venice, although we stayed in Stresa, quieter than Como, and with a direct train to Venice). Details available on my travel blog (just go to old posts and pick the summer 2008 itinerary): http://www.moltogentileitalia.blogspot.com. Good luck!

I am in the process of planning my first trip to Europe/Italy for a group totaling 6, maybe 7. I found a great itinerary for two weeks that made since to me and is hitting the places you suggest, just in the reverse order. This is the website to the itinerary - http://www.italylogue.com/planning-a-trip/italy-itinerary-the-perfect-two-weeks.html

I tweaked it to make it work for us but liked the idea of flying into Venice and out of Rome. I will be visiting Venice, Milan, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Florence, Tuscany Area (Chianti Area, San Gimignano, Volterra) , Siena, Orvieto and Rome. A few will be staying an extra week for more time in Rome, Naples, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast and Capri. I also found apartments in most cities to accommadate all of us. For example, in Venice, I was able to secure an apartment at the hotel Rick Steves' tour group uses (Albergo Guerrato) that includes breakfast. I found others using VRBO.com. If you are interested in what I found, I will e-mail you my itinerary with specific detail.

I also found it appears easier & more cost effective to rent a van (9 passanger to give us a little room) than buy train tickets for 6 people. The van comes with GPS. I am picking up the van when I leave Venice and turning it in when I arrive in Rome. We are each taking 1 suitcase. I rented it via "Europe by Car". The apartment I found in Florence has a garage. I am planning on just parking the van there and exploring Florence by foot or public transportation.

I was also able to secure tours of most cities with private guides or small groups all recommended in the tourbook or on this website. Private guides seem to be able to cater to all ages. I am traveling with my grandma and her friend in my group so I understand differences in ages. I am going in October so can let you know how it all really works out if you want to know.

Enjoy planning. You are creating a lasting & unforgettable memory for your whole family. That is very special.

Thank you for all the great information. I had not thought of flying out of Venice since I'm trying to get enough ff American Miles and they don't fly from Venice, but looking at their web site, perhaps one of their partners does. Thanks also for the suggestions for apartments. I am so looking forward to this trip. I love the planning, but wanted to get direction from fellow Rick Steves fans. I love his books and following his advice. We've met some really nice people in our travels and had such memorable times. Thanks again, and I'll probably be posting more as time gets closer. Gail