Recommendations for mom and 19 yr old son trip

It’s a lot already for two weeks. Can you choose between Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre?
Fly to Rome and head to Venice upon landing (by train: 4 hours)
Venice 3 nights
train Venezia Santa Lucia to Firenze Santa Maria Novella
Florence 3 nights
Train to CT town of choice
Cinque Terre 3 nights
Train to Salerno boat to Amalfi Coast
Amalfi Coast and around there 5 nights
Rome 4 nights

You need 18 nights. Cut something out.

As Roberto points out, you need more days or fewer places. If 16 days is 'fixed', then I suggest skipping Amalfi as it is the 'out in left field' destination.

If the trip is this year you need to be a warp speed in your planning and bookings.

good luck!

Thanks for the itinerary tips. Any suggestions on specific activities? I can see him tolerating only a few museums which seem to be the highlight for many traveling to Italy.

I expect the average "active" 19yo is going to want excitement, in the form of sports, activities and culture (i.e. modern music, shows, etc). I suspect there aren't too many members on here who can offer much help there ...

Your itinerary is, for me, too rushed. I see little scope/allowance, in terms of destinations, for your son if he isn't into galleries, museums and cathedrals. Of course, the big cities like Rome will have a great club scene, but he'd have to do that alone I'm guessing (or you could take some earplugs).

As a petrol head myself, I will point out that Italy has a tremendous motoring/motor sports heritage and culture. Is he into any of that? If so, you'll be in the home of Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Ducati, plus on the doorstep of some of the most famous racetracks in the world - Monza and Imola for example.

Yes, heritage motor sports he would love. Thanks!

Although he indicates he is excited, his lack of input speaks either of lack of knowledge of Italy or lack of interest in Italy. This begs the question: Is this trip for him or for you?

Are your plane reservations set? How active/athletic are you? When are you planning to go? You've listed the usual suspects, some he may enjoy and some he may find boring. He really needs to get engaged and own the trip if it is to be a success.

If you are not locked in to flying into Rome, you might consider spending more time north. In addition to taking in the Ferrari museum, you could spend time hiking in the Dolomites. If you stay in Tuscany, he may enjoy the hot springs. Hiking in the CT may be fun, but that will depend on when you'll be there.

Will you have a rental car or will you be taking public transportation? The nature of your trip will be different depending on how you get around. Speaking of transportation, be sure to factor in the time it takes to move from one area to the other. It will take half a day minimum and could easily eat up an entire day. If you have to fly into Rome, do either do Rome and points north or Rome and points south. Trying to do both will stretch yourself thin. When you plan, use Google maps to check distances and travel time. For instance, public transportation from Amalfi to the Ferrari museum is 14 hours.

Hi decker -
Some logistics first?

If the trip is this year you need to be a warp speed in your planning
and bookings.

Exactly. WHEN are you planning this trip? If it's soon - and especially during the current summer - there's a lot to nail down as the accommodations in the most popular destinations, like the CT, fill early before the season.

Same with tickets for more popular attractions; some sell out early. Even if he's not into museums, he should at least sample a few as, well, you don't know what you don't like unless you try, and Italy's very old and interesting treasures seldom fail to make an impression if one has never experienced anything like them! :O)

farmhouse in Tuscany...

Car rental will likely be a necessity for this piece. Have you been to Italy before, and how comfortable will be you be behind the wheel? Driving in Italy is a different animal than in the U.S. as there are restricted areas in some towns/cities you will not be allowed to access with the car if you intend to use it for exploring in Tuscany. Each driver also needs an international driver's permit. Rental is certainly possible and many visitors have done it for parts of the country less served or served at all by efficient public transport but best to do the homework first?

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/international-driver-s-license-a67c8c2a-ae1f-4da9-a17c-10d581c89cd9

https://www.italybeyondtheobvious.com/dont-mess-with-ztl-zones

You may also want to be cautious with the farmhouse stay as I don't know how 'exciting' that may be for your active adult unless it's one that offers, say, bike or horseback riding, hiking, is on a lake with water sports, etc. I believe I've seen comments from posters on the forum that many have a set minimum on # of nights during high season but will leave that to the experts in agriturismi stays.

Additionally, make sure you both have medical insurance that will cover you in case of a serious mishap or illness abroad, including evac coverage back to the U.S. if necessary. Most of us have to purchase travel insurance policies for this sort of thing.

Anyway, you get the idea... It's hard to tell just how many of the nuts and bolts you'd already covered so apologies if you already knew this stuff!

As far as things to do, make him do some reading!!! This is a GREAT opportunity for your young man to learn about the fine art of travel - where to go, what to do, what that involves - so those lessons can be used when he strikes out on his own someday. Hiking and swimming in the CT, biking the Appia Antica in Rome, a gondola-paddling lesson in Venice, Vespa tours in Rome or Florence (NOT driving the thing himself, ride behind an experienced driver), climbing a tower, walking food tours ... active possibilities are many and he should to do the homework on what those are, which appeal, how much they cost (no idea what sort of budget you're working with), and how to make reservations when necessary.

Just a start?

Thanks again. Yes, we have a car, we have many of our travel plans booked but have purposely left gaps in our itinerary. The hiking, biking, gondola paddling lessons sound great. While the gentleman above challenged the intent of my trip and “who it is for”, I’d like to say that the purpose of this trip is to bond with my son, while I can, before he has completely left the nest. If that means it is for me, then yes it is. The mishaps and memories will be apart of it.

Yes, we have a car, we have many of our travel plans booked but have purposely left gaps in our itinerary

Read up on driving in Italy. I loved it, but I did not drive in the big cities. It is easy to park outside large cities and commute in.

I think we could be of more help if we knew what you have booked and your itinerary. There's no reason for us to recommend skipping Amalfi or other stops if you already have booked accommodations.

I was pressing you a little on who the trip was for because it sounded like you had more invested in it. I would plan a trip to Italy differently if it was just my wife and I or if it was us and our 18 year old grandson. It is more than just an age difference. He has different interests than us. The first trip to Europe my wife and I went on was a high school trip (that's how we met). Even then, I was far more interested in art museums than my grandson is now. BTW, said grandson will be spending his first semester in college in a studies abroad program in Paris.

Decker, you are far from the first poster making a "leaving the nest" trip with their offspring! I think identifying activities that you can both do TOGETHER is part of the challenge for us here so that you can make those bonding memories, if that makes sense? Being that we don't know much about either of you at this point, it's sort of a tough nut to crack. But shoot, just sitting down together on the research can be the start of making those moments: quality time, ya know?

Sooooo, how about you? What sorts of activity is Mom up for? Interested in swimming, hiking, peddling a bike, zipping around on the back of a Vespa? And what things would you dearly love to see that your young man should cheerfully just go along with just because it would make Mom happy?

About that car? Not a great idea for the majority of places on your agenda. You are thinking of renting just for the more rural Tuscany piece? And yes, knowing what parts of the trip you've already booked, exact dates and order of itinerary so far would be really helpful!

Book a gondola rowing lesson in Venice via RowVenice. Great fun. Lessons accommodate, I believe, up to four people, so this is something you can do together. On the expensive side but an experience you can’t duplicate anywhere else.

I’m in Rome right now with my 19 yo son! He loved the Capuchin Crypt. Bored by Pantheon. He found Wednesday morning Pope audience was better than expected and we stayed for 30 min. Seeing the Vespas and tiny 1-person cars is cool. He loves being the boss of the GPS and leading us to authentic food rather than tourist food! Loves being allowed to drink beer and wine with Mom. He wants to climb domes and any/all high towers. He climbed Spanish steps and I waited at the bottom. Lol. He is interested in the engineering marvels like viaducts so we’re walking around to find those. I’m making sure he learns the Metro, how to book on Air BnB, how to change money, etc so he will be able to travel without me in his future.

I’m not doing ANY shopping! But that’s OK- just not this trip. Just mix up the active with the “must sees” like art and history and I’m sure you’ll have a blast. Take selfies! Allow him space for siesta and snap chat/Internet time.

They grow up too fast. (Sob)

Here's another thing to consider if your son will be driving.

https://www.autoeurope.com/travel-tips/car-rental-under-21/

This brings back fond memories I have of a trip through Europe with my mom back in the mid-90's, when I was 20. What worked for us in cities where we had multiple days to explore was to trade off on responsibility for planning the day's itinerary. For instance, she would plan one day's activities in Rome and I'd plan the next. The only time either one of us put our foot down was after we had visited something like 5 churches in a row in Rome and still had more on the agenda...I called "mercy" and we changed our plans on the fly. So maybe each person gets one of those golden tickets to call an audible :)

Back then we were able to do a lot of this on the fly, day by day (only our train and hotel arrangements were pre-booked). Doing that trip today we'd probably want to agree in advance some key attractions that require pre-booking (or where it is advantageous to do so in avoiding wasting time in lines) and build things around that.

Have a wonderful trip and enjoy the time bonding with your son over the shared adventure of travel!

Two years ago we took 17 year old son to Venice, Cinque Terra, Sorrento(Pompei, Capri, Amalfi, Paestum) and Rome. He did not give much input of what he wanted to see or do, things I know he enjoyed- gelato and pizza, we would rate the pizza and what we like about it, he loved taking pictures with his dad's camera. He seemed to enjoy the hiking, boat rides and swimming in the water. Time to chill at night and absorb the internet, other nights he wanted to walk the town. We did 4 stops and it was enough for us. This year he is 19 and we are doing two weeks in Switzerland and then 3 nights Varenna(Fiumelatte) -I think he will be bored if it is bad weather, but we plan to rent a boat and enjoy the lake. 1 night Bologna where we have reservations to tour the Lamborghini factory. He may drive a Lamborghini but he has to pay for it on his on. He said no to the Ferrari museum because he can't get the factory tour as we do not own a Ferrari. We are following up with 3 nights in Venice. We didn't do the gondola lesson because he wasn't interest and still doesn't want to do it this time. I hope you are able to bond with him and I so understand the "I don't know".