Traveling to Italy with a 4 and 7 yr old.

Our daughter first visited Europe at age 11, and she remembers it all so well.
Up until then, we left her with her grandparents--and they loved it.
I'd just find it difficult to fully take in the European experience with small children. They really don't remember such things at ages 4 & 7.

Unfortunately we don't have grandmas or family close by to leave the kids at home, so if they don't come, we don't go. I figure we will be back again many times over the next few years so as long as we are taking them with us, what is the best way to make it fun for us. Not too worried if they will remember too much about this trip as long as we can have fun as a family traveling abroad. Should we stay in one place? Would visiting 2 or 3 cities in two weeks be manageable?

Children have an amazing capacity to enjoy travel and your two are at a great beginner's age. I clearly remember my first visit to new York when I was 5 years old. Up on top of the Empire State Building, walking across the UN Plaza, having dinner and seeing the show at the Copacabana - when it was a night club! Children do remember, especially when they share the experiences with a sibling.
If outside play is a something the kids love than time in the Tuscan or Umbrian countryside would be great for them - new views, older and different types of buildings, some of the older farms are very interesting to see and climbing olive trees is great fun.
One suggestion if you are going to visit a gallery or two or a few churches - and it is a great time to introduce kids to fabulous artwork -before you go try to find pictures of some of the paintings/statuary that will be in the gallery - if you can get copies to take with you even better. Talk to the kids about the picture - especially if you can find ones which have something they are interested in such as animals,flowers, princesses etc. Then when you get to the gallery you can have a bit of a scavenger hunt for the pictures - you may not get to see all of the gallery work but the kids end up being involved in the visit.
I think the important thing when traveling with children is to let their clocks/needs direct the pace. Snacks, drinks and rest stops at the right time can help make travel a wonderful experience for the whole family.

I first visited Italy with my parents at age seven and I remember a lot of it, cities, sights, experiences, food, views - it was magical.

Don't you remember things that happened or things you did when you were seven?

they would certainly remember Venice!!

Give the kids a cheap camera and let them have fun taking photos. Take them places where they can move around or climb a tower. Gelato is a winner. In Florence, there is a carousel in Piazza della Republica. Feed the pigeons. For two weeks, I recommend Rome, Florence, and Venice if Venice is a must-see and no more. You can day-trip to Siena from Florence. If Venice Is not a must see, then I recommend Rome, Assisi, Florence, and Orvieto. 2 weeks is a good amount of time - but not enough to include everything. I would skip the beaches. If you really want beaches, then something else needs to get chopped out.

Remember to take their kiddie transport carts with you, a cart for each child with places for drink cups and snackies. If you take buses, kiddie carts go in thru the big middle doors, and I've seen plenty of locals help get the carts onto the bus. Oh and be sure the carts have sun canopies!

Italians love children so you should not have problems going to restaurants etc.
In very busy places let them wear a necklace with their names and hotel or apartment address with a contact no. just in case they get lost.
If hot always have enough water with you, children des hydrate very quickly. Sweet drinks make thirsty, so no coke or Fanta or only after you are sure they have had enough water. Stop time time to rest and drink.

I travel with kids frequently. My youngest is now 7 but I remember 4 well :)

Ignore the naysayers here - people seem to think traveling with kids is some insane task. It's really, really not. The key is planning well and minimizing your stops. For 2 weeks I would pick a maximum of 4 different hotels. 3 would be better. So somewhere in Tuscany, Venice OR Verona (can visit one from the other) and CT if those are your tops. Stay in apartments so you have more room and a kitchen for snacks or simple meals for kids so they can just snack on cheese or bread at restaurants if they are picky.

I don't know what a "kiddie cart" is. Stroller? I wouldn't bring one unless the 4 year old uses one at home a lot. 4 and 7 don't need a lot of supplies when you're out and about - the diaper years were much worse! Just bring some paper and crayons or some other small entertainment for a restaurant and be done with it.

The "they won't remember it" argument drives me nuts. Life isn't about remembering. It's about experiences. Experiences shape kids even though they don't remember it. I firmly believe that my kids are good travelers because it is a value in our family and they know this because they have been traveling since birth. And one is gluten free and ADHD (NOT an easy kid). It's totally doable if you plan and think things through.

I do leave tge kids and go on a "grown up" trip sometimes - there are things you can't do with kids like hours in museums or fancy restaurants and bars. But in some ways the kid trips are better because you interact with people more and feel more like you're living there

One more thing - my personal holy grail is a 2 bedroom apartment with its own terrace with a view. Completely unaffordable some places, surprisingly cheap others (I've had ones in Spain for under 100E/night when no quad room in any hotel was under 150!). Kids can go to sleep in their room and you can go up to the terrace with wine and watch the sunset over the cathedral.

We did not travel to Europe until our kids were a bit older, but travelled domestically a lot when our kids were super young. To them it is a big adventure, so if you can justify and afford it, take them for sure. Minimizing stops is a good thing. Giving them some choices and control is helpful too. Mixing some calm time outside the big cities is good if they are not used to it. Things like taking trains to them are an adventure, not just transportation. A farm stay could be good but make sure there is enough to keep them entertained. A beach/pool/lake day is always good to mix in. Old buildings/castles/forts and thing to climb like church towers are a big hit. Our kids also like markets. Have fun

I would head down to Puglia avoiding cities, spend time on the beach, and stay in a trulli which would probably be great fun for children.

I could not agree with Mira more... drives me crazy when people try and tell me to leave my kids at home, that they will not remember it, that we will have to change out itinerary etc.

Take the kids, watch them take in all the new sights and you will make unforgettable memories as a family .

My only rule is always to be open and flexible. Yes, there are things that we have changed along the way on trips, places that we have stayed at longer or shorter etc. You know your kids best.. do what you think makes sense and will work for you.

If you google Italy with kids, you will come across a wealth of information.. there is a site, ciaobambino that has great recommendations for Italy with kids and breaks it down by age..

Most of all Enjoy!!!

I agree with Mira and Joni. I loved traveling with my daughter at all ages. Children are smarter and more engaged than a lot of people give them credit for (sorry dangling participles drive me nuts, but...) Experiences, whether remembered or not, help shape a person. I did adjust my days to the schedule and interests, largely, to those of my daughter. From the age of three she loved the sculptures in museums so I would get a quick look at the oils, etc. as we moved from sculpture to sculpture. One has to be adaptable in life. As an elementary school child she particularly liked sites that were gone; i.e.,ruins, massacre sites, etc. So I learned a lot as well as I would have skipped quickly over imagining the towns, etc. I enjoyed being with my child on her level, which was much higher than adults give kids credit for (again the DP... I'm still having my morning coffee.) I love the scavenger hunt idea in the churches, etc. I wish I'd thought of that one at the time. I'll save it for my grandchild(ren?). I love every minute with my daughter (well, age 8 isn't the greatest for any of them, IMO, lol, but travel helped...) so why wouldn't I want to do something interesting with her? She ended up living for 7 years in Europe...so far, age 31, so maybe I had a little something to do with that? She's an interesting and extremely kind and good person. One can only hope to be or have been a good influence for our kids and I think travel is an important part of that influence. We never really know. So go and have a great time! YOU will remember even if they don't consciously remember. Wray

PS. Oh, and she always had responsibilities. The one she always had was counting the luggage to make sure when we moved nothing was left behind in case I became distracted. And it was the type of responsibility I could back up without her knowing that I too was counting the bags. :)

Viareggio in Tuscany would be a good place to stay. It is a beach community near Pisa, Lucca, Florence and Cinque Terra. The water is shallow. This is good for little ones. Lucca is surrounded by a wall and you could rent bikes. There is so much opportunity for exploring from this location. I am sure you as well as the kiddies would enjoy it. You might even be able to take a cooking class. The kiddies might find this fun. Also there is a boardwalk where you could take a walk in the evenings. Have fun! I have seen many little ones in restaurants. Little ones seem to be ok when they are included, kept busy and not tired or ill.

I realize this is an old post and hopefully you have all your travel arrangements made by now. We have been traveling to Europe at least once a year with our three kids since the oldest was an infant. On our last trip to Germany I bought the two older kids (3 and 5 at the time) a blank spiral bound water-colour/sketch notebook to use as a an art journal to document their trip.

I bought a plastic 4X6 flip top photo box for each of them and filled it with crayons, small markers, a glue stick, kid scissors (those were packed in checked luggage on the plane) and some stickers - they could pull these out on the plane or in a restaurant to work on their journal or just colour without things rolling all over the place. I also brought along a pencil case for myself with special markers, a small set of water colour paints, washi tape, special stickers and a few other things for special touches and unique pages. I also bought a Fujifilm Instax Polaroid Camera with enough film for 2 pictures of each kid per day (the washi tape was the only thing that worked to keep the pictures in the journal).

We worked on our journals each day ... drawing pictures of things that happened that day, cutting up brochures and maps, adding stickers we found at souvenir shops, coasters from restaurants, boarding passes, postcards of memorable places, etc. Clearly I did a lot of work on the 3-year old's myself but it was still based on her experiences and ideas. Each day I would ask them what the best part of the day was and write it in the journal. During and again at the end of the trip I asked them other questions about their favourite experiences and memorable things. All these things I noted in the journal for them.

When we got home they were so excited to take their journals to show their Granparents and other relatives. We have been home for several months now and they often ask to look at their journals. I keep them in a safe place but bring them out to flip through whenever they ask. The journals have really helped solidify the memories of our trip for the kids and have become very special keepsakes. We are planning our next trip now - Italy this time - and I am already thinking about what I might add to their journal kits.

Have an amazing trip. You will never regret traveling with your kids.

chris....excellent post! my parents took us camping every august & included lots of sight seeing...i had the mixed blessing of being 9 years and more younger than siblings.....so lots of hands to distract me until food was ready for lunch etc. i remember museums, national parks, etc. unfortunately i also remember crying in exhaustion in the car at nite when we were staying out way past what my little body considered reasonable

Go! Our first trip, our baby was 10 months and oldest 7, second trip, 22 months and oldest 8. Kids in italy were rock stars! In most restaurants, someone from the restaurant came out and played with or fed the baby. We received so much extra food for the baby it was incredible. My wife commented that we had more interaction with locals because of our babies that when we left them at home.

We did have to cut back our itinerary for each day. We needed to head back for the baby to nap in the middle of the day so important sites were scheduled for the morning and the afternoon was more of a walk and less scheduled. We surprised our 7 year old with a beach trip one day and she loved it. Plan for parks every day or every other day. Gelato goes a long way for enticing a child. The scavenger hunt is a great idea. We pick out several pictures had have her find them in museums or churches. If she finds them she is rewarded with extra gelato. Sometimes it is as simple as asking how many horses are in the paintings in a room or floor and she will look and tell me a number. I agree and give it to her, I did not count. But it gets her involved. I will ask her for her favorite painting or scuplture and ask her why. If she gives a good reason, she is rewarded. Our smallest loves swinging in swings, so we found them. We asked the big one to be on the lookout for parks. Days went better when the oldest was involved in looking for something, even if it was made up. Sometimes, I would tell her we would stop at the fifth Gelato shop while walking. I would get her involved in the using a map to get from one place to another and let her lead some times. She loved it! Especially in Venice. Let them sample the food you will find on your trip, like spaghetti carbonora, or mussels. Sometimes in museums, one would take the smallest and head to the lobby when they got too loud for the paintings.