Suggestions for a four year old

Hi Nancy, My son is about to turn 4 and is about to embark on his third trip to Italy - thanks to his very generous grandparents! While there are not any specific "activities" that I can recommend, I will say that the hill towns and the countryside offer many simple pleasures that my son always enjoys. Fountains, gelato, farm animals, fields of flowers, small playgrounds, pizza & pasta the children love it all! There are always steps to climb and small alleys to explore. In addition, your villa will most likely have a swimming pool, which is our favorite way to spend the late afternoon/early evening, having spent the morning exploring one lovely hill town or another. We have always found Italy to be a very welcoming and pleasant place for children to visit, and your grandchild is certain to enjoy him/herself!

Does your villa have a swimming pool? If you are travelling between June and September that would be a must-have when travelling with kids. And yes, the promise of gelato does do wonders!

We have a 4 and 5.5 yr old and live in Italy. Here are the suggestions I have for what a kid might like in the area, however, I dont know your travel distance. Lucca (family bikes for rental are a hoot for the kids who get to sit in the front basket and eat gelato!) Piazza de miricale pisa has a LARGE grass area for running in circles Terme di saturnia/Cascate del Mulino a saturnia- shallow warm water thermal springs with blue/green (and a smell) perfect so they can play without have a lifejacket or a moms hand. Parco di pinocchio- full of creatures from pinocchio by the man who says he wrote the story. There is also a butterfly garden there http://www.discovertuscany.com/the-pinocchio-park-in-collodi.html Piazza del campo- kids enjoy the incline there for some reason it was hillarious to my kids (I'm sure you'll swin by in Sienna anyway!) I hope that helps somehow!

Thank you so much for all your suggestions. We leave in a week, can't wait!