Rome Florence and Venice with 11 yo Boy

Three major cities is a lot to cover in just 7 nights. My first suggestion would be to cut out a city and add that time to the other two cities. As it is, you're going to lose at least 1 full day to travel when you go from Rome to Florence and Florence to Venice. 7 nights really means you have 6 full days in country and 2 nights in a location means you have 1 full and 1 partial day, not two days.

As for "must do" activities, everyone is different and likes different things. You say yourself that your own son isn't as excited about this trip as you are which just goes to prove that different people like different things. I would have him sit down with a guide book or two or even go to YouTube and watch some videos. See if he mentions anything that he wishes to do and be sure to add those to the itinerary.

Donna

Maybe he'd enjoy a class in pizza making in Roma, or rowing lessons in Venezia. First thing, get him started on gelato and pizza to prompt his interest.

Can you get him to watch the Rick Steves' episodes on these locations and pick out places he would like to see? A private tour might help keep his interest in a place like the Colosseo and Forum. A private guide might seem like an extravagance, and it is a luxury, but it will be 150-200 Euro well spent if he gets something out of it. OTOH, maybe he'd like doing tours with an audio guide, going at his own pace with Mr. Steves in his ears.

These evening events are great, too. Gets you out of the heat. The "Tour" of Augustus' Forum is while seated on bleachers with an audio device giving a narration while you watch a multi-media show play out on the walls of the forum. The Caesar's Forum Tour is an opportunity to walk through Caesar's Forum again with an audio guide, at night, with multi-media presentations as you go along. Everyone we have sent to these has loved them. And being able to do something great at night in August is priceless.

We just returned at the end of June with our latest 11YO grandson-we had taken his 2 older brothers' when they were 11 too. Our experience is to skip the museums and not to plan too tight an itinerary; for all 3, one of the top highlights was the climb to the top of St. Peters' and using the rope to get to the Cupola; driving the pedal carts in the park where the Villa Borgese is, and eating pasta and pizza lunch and dinner. We did Florence with the oldest, and he had friends from the U.S. living there at the time and it was easy touring of the Duomo, the Baptistry, and eating Prochetta(?) at the in-door market down the street from the Baptistry. If you go to Florence, suggest you do the climb to the top of the Duomo.
With the latest GS, he said he wanted to go to the Vatican Museum and the Forum, however, he really was bored after we left the Mummies and the Rotunda with all the statues. As far as the Forum, we fell down on getting a guide which would have made a big difference. This guy missed the Underground Tour his older brothers' went on because tickets were sold out in June-the other guys went with us in May and November and really enjoyed it. Take it slow, out objective was to give each a taste of Europe if they wanted to return.

I would probably remove Florence from this itinerary, and add an extra day to both Rome and Venice. It's just too much for such a short amount of time! Besides, those cities have more to interest a child. In Venice be sure to tour the doges palace, where you can walk thru the bridge of sighs and into the prison on the other side! Get all day passes and go visit the islands in the lagoon. In Rome visit the borghese gardens and rent one of those pedal cart things.

I just did this trip with my son, who turned thirteen in the trip. He is also a very active kid and not into art, but he did very much want to go. We had eleven days in Italy (plus two for travel to and from Italy). I agree that all three cities is a lot of pack into seven days. My son liked Florence the least. He loved Venice.

These are some things we did and whether or not he liked them.

While in Florence we

*Saw the Uffizi--he was not impressed
*Saw the Accademie--he liked this quite a bit better (sculpture is apparently more interesting than paintings)
*Went to Pisa and climbed the leaning tower--this was a high priority and he was very glad we did it
*Hired a driver ($$$) and went to Lucca, where we rented bikes and rode the city walls and also climbed the tower with the trees growing out of the top, Tellaro, where we ate lunch at Il Delfino and walked around the village--he liked this day quite a bit and Il Delfino was one of our best meals in Italy

While in Venice we

*Did row Venice where you get rowing lessons in the canals--he did not like this as much as I had hoped partly because with just two of us it was a lot of rowing and partly because he felt a bit insecure out the in the big open part of the lagoon that a big chunk of the lesson was in
*went to the opera--he stuck it out for two acts but didn't enjoy it much
*did a food and wine tour--he didn't care for it, all grow-ups and boring he said
*went to Murano and Burano--he liked Murano a lot, Burano not so much

While in Rome we
*did the colosseum after dark tour--this was a big hit
*did a half day tour of the ruins of Ostia Antica--he kind of liked this, it got a little long for him
*did a cooking lesson in a small town near Rome--he really enjoyed this (it does involve using knives and a pretty sustained amount of attention because we prepared five courses, a pizza making course might make a shorter alternative)
*did breakfast at the Vatican--he wasn't super excited but he was glad I had booked something with early entry once he saw how long the lines were when we came out
**toured San Clemente church--this was okay with him, but not really interesting

Hope that helps!

Segway in Rome - he's too young for the tours, but he should be able to ride them in the Villa Borghese - our daughters and their friends had a blast (youngest friend was a small 9 year-old and he did fine.) After that first segway ride, we have learned that segway tours with this age group are the way to go!! Every city has different age/weight requirements, but our girls have now segwayed in the states and Europe and it's always a hightlight! Also, eco-car (its a golf cart) tour in Rome is always a hit, and a perfect first way to see the city - we always do it when we first arrive, and it's a must when we bring friends to the city for the first time!

Venice...make a scavenger hunt for him (include gelatto and pizza stops that he has to find!!)

As it is, you're going to lose at least 1 full day to travel when you go from Rome to Florence and Florence to Venice.

I consider Donna's statement to be overcompensating. Train time between each city pair is 1.5 hours and 2 hours, respectively. You shouldn't spend more than half a day with hotel checking in and out. Not all activities are open all hours, but if your travel time is morning, you certainly will find something to do in the afternoon. Many Florence hotels are just a 5-10 minute walk from the train station. And transportation from Venezia S Lucia station down the Grand Canal by vaporetto is the start of your Venice sightseeing, not just transportation.

Here are some ideas:
Rome - Colosseum, Pantheon, St. Peter's Church and Dome climb, San Crispino gelato. Monte fore Cremeria - more gelato. Give him a cheap camera and put him in charge of photos. If he likes soccer, perhaps you can eat at a place with a TV screen and watch a game. However, I truly believe soccer season is over. Restaurant - La Coppelle (Just North of Pantheon.)
Florence - bell tower climb, dome climb, Galileo museum(?), statue of David, La Spada is a good restaurant for families. (You can tripadvisor it.)
Venice - ride the canal, San Marco and Doge palace, restaurants in San Polo are better value for food/money. I can recommend a few if interested. There is also kayaking in Venice. (Row Venice). Wander around Venice on foot.

if you do Pisa, remember to get tickets on line ahead of time to climb tower. is he going to enjoy the train journey between sites?

Laura, I think Donna meant the combined travel time to all destinations to be about one full day, including packing, check-in/out, and travel time.

I agree about the capo retro ride being part of the sightseeing!

We have a similar issue when we visit in April. My plan was to buy a soccer ball while I was there and I hope to arrange overnights near a park. I can't circumvent ALL the museums, but I can help him get his fix while he is there. I also went online to find unique and active ideas such as a bike tour, the catacombs or some of those more 'unusual' places that will stick with my boy.

Yes, I was saying that with the two locations changes the OP will lose an entire day to travel, not a day lost for each change. Thanks Zoe for catching this. This is why I feel that the OP is trying to see too much without enough time.

Donna

I took one of my grandsons on the same agenda when he was 10. He loved it. While we did not have a ton of time in each location he was never bored and it left him wanting more. Pisa was the one thing he wanted to do and we went and he loved it. I have a fond memory of him sitting with his sketch pad and drawing the tower as other tourists looked over his shoulder. Later he did a painting from his sketch. Travel time is never 'lost time' for me. It is a chance to think about next locations. Write in my journal, have a little snack and just enjoy a little down time. Also, just enjoy the countryside and learn about public transportation. Each new location would invigorate us.

Each location is so different and special in its own way... but Venice is definitely a favorite.

He just returned on his own this year as a part of his senior trip and loved remembering the things we saw as well as venturing on to all the things he missed.