Hi! I am looking for a kid friendly (14 month old) Itinerary. We can be there 10-14 days and have a wedding in Tuscany in October. We have been before and did Rome, Amalfi and Florence so we are hoping to experience something new. Since the wedding is in Tuscany we are willing to have Florence overlap. Definitely want to hit Lake Como.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
8921 posts
Go to western Tuscany, especially Lucca. The old town is set inside a ring of thick walls, with a path along the top of the walls for bicycling (bikes can be easily rented, including a child seat or Burley trailer) or strolling. Even in October, gardens and benches add to the ambiance up on top.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
9431 posts
Where in Tuscany? -it is a very big area
Will you travel by train or car?
Where will you fly in/out of?
What are your interests-history, art, food, nature?
If Lake Como is a must you will want to start looking for accommodation soon- books up early there
With a 14 m old in a stroller ( I assume) I would look for flatter towns
Bologna, Padua, Verona are all worthwhile locations easily reached by train
Then Lake Como and end in Milan to fly home
Alternative to Como is Stresa on Lake Maggiore-less crowded/touristy and close to MXP so you wouldn’t need to spend night in Milan
Posted by
OP
4 posts
We are staying in Montespertoli and the wedding has arranged travel to Montespertoli from florence and back. We will be traveling mostly by train unless someone can talk us in to a car with a baby in Europe! Haha. We are willing to fly in or out of anywhere. We just need to make sure we can get to Florence for the wedding the weekend of October 8th. We love food, bodies of water and history.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
9431 posts
Venice with a 14 mo old in a stroller would be brutal and I love Venice-save for when your child is older.
CT doesn’t have much to do unless you are hikers- not sure how enjoyable that would be with a toddler either
Florence, CT, Como will all be extremely crowded-try to pick less visited places
Posted by
OP
4 posts
What do you recommend then? We are very open. I've been to Pisa and wasn't super fond of it.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
9431 posts
Where are you flying from?
How many nights on the ground in Italy?
Depends how many nights you’ll have-pick 2 or 3 bases plus the wedding nights
I would figure out best flight choices first
I would want direct from US if possible due to the jet fuel crisis which is only going to get worse
I would want to arrive a few nights before the wedding to get over jet lag
Actually I think I would put the wedding in the middle of itinerary
Fly in or out of Rome or Milan
Book multicity usually under Advanced search
Ex
In to Rome, out of Milan
How many nights will you need for the wedding?
Will you stay at the wedding venue or will you stay in Florence?
(Oct 8 is a Thursday)
Posted by
OP
4 posts
You’re so helpful, thank you! We are flying from houston.
The wedding is Friday- Sunday and we are staying in the villa. They have provided transportation from Florence to the villa and back.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
9431 posts
Pretty sure there are no direct to Italy flights from Houston so you will be changing planes somewhere. Either in Europe or on the East Coast. I would prefer to get over the pond first but now with jet fuel problem changing on East Coast might make more sense. Change in Philly if you can. Newark second best.
In Europe choose Frankfurt, Munich or Amsterdam, I would avoid changing at CDG-Paris or London.
Use Google Flights to see what your best flight options are. Purchase tickets from the actual airline
Search for multicity
You have several options to fly to- Milan, Florence, Bologna, Verona all have airports.
If you really want to visit a lake I would do that first- October starts to get a bit chilly so travel north to south if possible.
Places I think would be kid/stroller friendly are Lucca, Bologna, Verona, Lake Garda, Ravenna.
If you wanted a coastal location I would look along the Ligurian coast- just north of Cinque Terre- less touristy/crowded.
Sestri Levante or Santa Margherita Liguria for example
Bologna is supposedly the foodie capital of Italy. Not a lot of major sites but it is flat and a good base
I would try to stay at least 3 nights in each location as each change takes up a half day- the less moving around the better.
Keep your location changes easy (few train changes)
Maybe something like
Fly to Verona- changing in Europe somewhere
Verona 3 nights- really nice town, good place to get over jet lag
Lake Garda 3 nights- just a very short train ride from Verona
To Florence- 1 night Thursday?
To wedding Fri, Sat, Sun
Back to Florence then train to Bologna 3 or 4 nights
Fly home from Bologna
Or head to Lucca for a few nights after wedding - but stay in Florence night before departure
Keep in mind you will need to be in your departure city the night before departure as flights leave early am.
Or
Fly to Milan
To Lake Como- 3 nights- this just takes a while to get there and not sure traveling onward after a probable 12-14 hour travel night already would suit your little one!
Once you can tell us where you will fly to in Italy and from in Italy we can make more suggestions.