OTHER activities in addition to churches/museums for 10/14 yr boys

I remember when I was at the Borghese Museum and there was 12 year old boy with his parents that looked absolutely bored out of his mind. I would ask your boys what they are interested in and what they would like to do. Incorporate them into the planning and they will probably enjoy the experience that much more. As opposed to having to follow mom and dad around all day.

Ostia Antica is very cool and wide open to wander through the ruins. We love it

Thanks everyone! Great suggestions as always :)!

In Rome your boys would probably enjoy seeing the Mouth of Truth and the church just off Piazza Barberini with all the bones. Also within walking distance of MOT you can take the Aventine Hill walk and look through the "keyhole" for view of St Peter's Bascillica. This is found in a large gate to an embassy--can't miss as there will be a handful of people there for the view. The Forum will be an amazing place for kids to explore. They also may like the Baths of Caracalla. Make sure they get to see an aquaduct--there is a decent one on the side of Palatine Hill area that you enter on V Gregoria. The cat sanctuary on Largo Argentina is interesting. Hope you have a great trip!

Get them their own cameras. Find an internet cafe each day so they can communicate with their friends back home. Give them some cash. Introduce them to gelato. Take them to the Trevi Fountain in Rome. In Venice, take them out to the Lido and let them rent bikes and ride around. Ride the water taxis. Limit yourselves to one church or museum a day. They won't be bored; more likely they'll have the time of their young lives.

You might consider renting bikes for them in Lucca and letting them ride around the wall. We did a day bike ride out of Florence and into the hills and vineyards of Chianti. It was wonderful, but did take a whole day.

In Rome you can sign up for Gladiator School. They are a kind of historical society that welcomes tourists. We (late thirties) did it in the summer of 2008. We got some basic training using wooden swords (before graduating to "real" swords) from gladiators in costume, a tour of the small museum and then a snack with melon and water. After the snack we got more intricate training with a net and trident. It was great fun for all ages; a school group from USA arrived as we were finishing.

So far I've only seen it offered through Viator -- and I've had trouble with them before. If you use them make sure you call the contact number when you arrive repeatedly to make sure you are getting the service you paid for. You could try phoning the gladiators directly, they spoke fairly good English. This is the website and it also has an email contact.

http://www.gsr-roma.com/english/

I've been to the Crime Museum in Rome. It was very difficult to find, though that was probably contributed to by the fact that there was scaffolding over several facades in the area. I even asked a guy setting up cafe tables if he knew where the museum was, and he had no idea what I was talking about. Anyway, I did eventually find it. The policemen working the locker room (to store bags) and the ticket window seemed genuinely surprised that anyone had shown up at all. As I recall, I had the entire museum basically to myself. It was marginally interesting (I don't read Italian, unfortunately), and the only bit I really remember is the room filled with confiscated pornography!

If you have a PS3 or XBox, get a copy of Assassin's Creed II and let the kids play it before you go.

Two of the most helpful books I found are from Frommers: Northern Italy with Your Family, and Tuscany and Umbria with your Family. We will be there this spring with our 12 and 15 year old. We plan to go to the Crime Museum in Rome, which I hardly ever hear anyone refer to, but looks fascinating and quite grizzly (maybe too much for your 10-year old). It's on the Vatican side of the river. Check out this article on Weird and Wonderful Rome (http://www.italylogue.com/destinations/weird-wonderful-rome.html). We will also be in Lucca for two days and plan to head north into the mountains to see the Grotta del Vento caves (http://www.grottadelvento.com) Hope that helps!

You can find torture/crime museums in several places. We went to the one in Siena. The kids really liked it.

When in Tuscany consider staying at an agriturismo with a pool. Your boys might be more willing to go to yet another church with you if they can jump into the water at the end of the day.

I have to agree with Francis. When we first started talking about going to Europe this summer, my 12 year old son insisted on going to Florence. I was at first quite impressed that he was aware of and so enthusiastic about visiting this historic city. But when I questioned him further, I found that his interest was sparked solely by playing Assassin's Creed. Oh well...

We just hit Rome, CT, and Venice with our 12 year old son. Venice was his favorite.

Yes Assassin's Creed it their guidebook. And yes, I am beginning to start sentences with, "When I was your age..."

Our kiddo loved the whole thing. I just asked him what he liked best and he said, "That you promised me only one art museum." We considered the Vatican our one and only formal art museum and he actually enjoyed it because we let him set the pace. Fast, but just enough for us, and with enough time in the Sistine Chapel to listen to the Steves podcast.

He liked the trains. He loved being bribed in Euros because of the exchange rate! He loved getting lost in Venice and happening upon a video game store. He loved the food and gelato at every corner. He loved having McDonalds there. (try to get your kids to try the McItaly!) We actually had the best time jostling in line with a bunch of Italian kids his age. Great cultural experience and we loved interacting with them.

He loved buying little tacky trinkets everywhere. Yes, we now own a purple, sparkly Leaning Tower of Pisa. But, because I was patient with him there, he was patient with me in Murano when I bought wine glasses and a light for our kitchen.

Buy one of those books with the overlays that show what the ruins looked like when they were new. And then bring them with you to the Forum, Colosseum, etc. Your kids will have an easier time picturing.

Capucchin Crypt was totally a freak out, but now his street cred is totally upped. "Yep, the bones of 4000 monks and I saw them."

He loved navigating on the maps which of course he was much better at than we were.

We kept it very low key and planned to not plan too much and it was a blast. Our favorite days were the days we just wandered.

You should look at the driving tour with Angel Tours in Rome, we had some teens on our drive who liked it a lot.