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Rome-Viareggio-Venice: Good stuff along the way? Have to rent a car?

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Hello fellow travelers!
We are traveling (post-cruise for my parents 50th Anniversary) with just our kids (ages 5-12). We've driven in Italy before and it's not easy and ends up in squabbles between me and my husband because he's driving and I'm 'supposedly' navigating but navigating there is really hard! Is this our only good option for getting from Civitavecchia to Viareggio?

We thought of stopping in Umbria and the Thermal Springs (don't know which one is good) along the way (slight detour) to take a cooking class and go to a cheese farm. Would love to do ineteractive things like this with the kids- any other good activities anyone know about? In Umbria, Tuscany or along the Amalfi coast (we've been to Cinque Terre)?

Then, for going from Viareggio to Venice-
1- Good stops/activities along the way?
2- Must drive?
3- Good places to stay in Venice?

Thanks so much for any/all tips!

Posted by
761 posts

We took the train from Florence to ViaReggio and really enjoyed our one night stay there. Luca and Pisa are both doable by train from Viareggio and Florence and I think both would be fun for kids. lots of silly photo ops with the Tower of Pisa , enjoyed the Tower. didnt get to Luca but hear wonderful things about it. You can ride bikes along the walls of the city.

Posted by
16239 posts

How about letting a GPS navigator do the navigating part?

Although a car is not mandatory to go from Civitavecchia to Viareggio (both are on the Rome-Genoa rail line), however you want to do much more than that. You want to swing well into the interior (Umbria/Tuscany) by some thermal springs (lots of them all over Central Italy and none of them really near a station), go to a farm, etc. For all of that, you need a car, especially considering your parents must not be spring chickens anymore and you have two small kids with you.

So, in reference to your question no. 2, I would rent a car, and take a GPS navigator with European maps (or use a smart phone with an international data plan, and use Google maps).

The Amalfi coast is a major detour to the south if your starting point is Civitavecchia and your ultimate destination is Venice. It's a nice destination, but not a 'good stop along the way'.

I'll let others answer no. 1 and 3. Those are open questions with thousands of options.

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