traveling with 4 kids

Hi Julie - it might help if you narrow it down to a city, but regardless my suggestion would to be to look into getting an apartment/vacation rental. With 4 kids, you can have more space, you can try to get a place with a kitchen to make meals and store snacks, and it can give you a more "home"-y feel. Try the usuals suggested on this board: homeaway.com, venere.com, vrbo.com, airbnb.com, homelidays.com, and my new favorite, sabbaticalhomes.com (someone on this board just introduced me to that!).

When we planned our trip to Italy with "only" two kids I tried to use RS books to find accommodation - and nothing worked out. Should have skipped it and looked into appartment rentals right away. Check out the websites mentioned. The place we used in Tuscany would be great for a family with 4 kids but you do need a car. Where are you going?

OOOPS! Sorry! We are visiting Rome, Florence, Venice and Cinque Terra. We don't want to do a car because we would have to get 2, and found that public transportation is more than adequate. Yes, we are looking at apts, which is why Rick's book is not as helpful as it was last time when we were booking hotel rooms.
So... looking for recommendations for good neighborhooods to look for apts in Rome, Florence, Venice and best chance for something in Cinque Terra...don't have any particular town in mind there.

I highly recommend the Slow Travel website - http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/index.asp - for apartment recommendations and reviews. I have been a poster there for a few years and it has been a great help. Italy is a very popular forum. Venice is quite small and I don't think that there is really a bad neighborhood. But I have stayed in the following area: San Marco, San Polo and Dorsoduro. The Castello, Santa Croce and Caravaggio (but not too close to the train station) are great as well.

How old are the kids, and can they share beds? I ask because La Marina Rooms in Vernazza has a 2-bedroom apartment with a double fold-out sofa bed in the living room, sleeping 6 in total in 3 double beds. The apartment is built into the sea wall so you are directly over the ocean. http://www.lamarinarooms.com/apartment.htm The Slov Trav website is a good source for apartment recommendations. I found our Lucca apartment there and it was very nice.

Kids are 18,16,13 & 8... yes, they can share beds.

www.vrbo.com has a lot of Venice and Rome options. Also try www.cross-pollinate.com. In Rome, you will save money by staying out of the center, but you will want to be near the Metro if possible. No matter where you stay, you will be walking a lot in the big cities.