We are planning a trip around Tuscany at the beginning of April with our son, who will be 11 months at the time. We have been several times, but this is our fist time with since our little one arrived :) I'm planning to bring a front carrier and wondering if I should bring the stroller also or if it will be impossible with the cobblestone streets? I'd love some advise from anyone with experience with strollers in Italy. He may be walking by then, but definitely not well enough keep us from carrying him all day. We live in an area with many pavered shopping centers and I hate to see him bobbing around, so I usually take him out and carry him, forget napping with all the bumping! So, I'm thinking the stroller isn't worth the hassle, but I'm curious what others with little ones have done? Thanks, we are so excited to take our Luca to Lucca!
Posted by
Atlanta
97 posts
I did the cobblestone streets with a Maclaren stroller that had small hard wheels and it was a problem. I thought my little guy's teeth were going to rattle right out of his mouth. The next time we brought a jogger stroller and that was MUCH better. The jogger was big, but you could quickly take the wheels off so I could fit it into a large duffle bag. The airline (Delta & KLM) treated it as a stroller = free, not as an oversized bag. It really made a big difference having the jogger stroller, enabled naps while we were on the move. Enjoy the trip! We have been to Europe multiple times with our two little boys and it is great and they LOVE it.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
If your stroller has the really big wheels you'll be fine. If it's an umbrella stroller with those tiny wheels you could have problems. The cobbles are usually very uneven and I always caution friends to take their time in order to avoid twisting an ankle. Donna
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23268 posts
We were with our two year old granddaughter last year. Fortunately our DIL had a stroller the size of a small VW with wheels to match and a suspension system equal to any car, and it worked fine. Anything less would have been a problem.
(Edit - she is now two and was one last year)
Posted by
OP
Florida, USA
53 posts
Thank you for the help! I do have a nice stroller with air filled wheels and suspension, but it still seems so bumpy on cobblestone like surfaces so I'm still not sure. I might look into a jogging stroller with bigger bike like wheels and see if that works better. I hate to buy another stroller as the one we have is great and was expensive, but I'm also considering leaving the stoller and purchasing one there if we feel the need. Thanks again for the advice!
Posted by
phoenix
52 posts
We used a bugaboo when in Tuscany: you are right than the cobbled streets don't work well with the light and flimsy strollers. I would advise bringing the stroller. How else will your son sleep when you are out and about?
Posted by
Houston
86 posts
We just got back from Siena, Pisa, San Gimignano and Florence and used our Maclaren Volo everywhere. We used it is Edinburgh on a prior trip and it was wonderful. We alternated our two sons in it and the larger guy is three and a half and we had no trouble. Benefit of a fold up travel stroller vs an American style "system" stroller is it stows easily on the bus and train. We didn't have a car so that was important.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
If you have a good stroller ,, with decent air filled tires like you say you do, then a bit of bumping isn't going to kill the baby, in fact my kids slept well when things were a bit bumpy,, sort of like when you put a car seat on top of a washer or dryer. some kids find it hypnotic. I would not even think of travelling without a stroller for a child under 3. ( have had three kids)
Posted by
OP
Florida, USA
53 posts
Thanks for the replies, I think we wll have to bring the stoller and hope for the best. We are panning full days out around Tuscay so we need a place for our little guy to nap. He's a great sleeper but tends to startle awake if things get too bumpy.. But we can always stop for a gelato while he sleeps for a while if nessesary :) we have a baby jogger city stroller which we love, but I'll look into the Maclaren to see if it might be better for travel. Thanks!