Italy for Families

Welcome to the Eternal City. After a long flight you will want to head to your hotel. After you've dropped your bags and freshened up, stretch your legs and explore your neighborhood. There is no shortage of great areas to stay in the historic center of Rome and all of them are full of sites, stores and fantastic food. Depending on where you are traveling from you, the amount of time you have to explore will vary.

Travel tip: Jet lag can be an issue for anyone, but when traveling with small children it can be more of a concern. I have found that if you can arrive mid day or later and then push through to the evening is the easiest way to have the kids well rested and adjusted to the time change by day two.

Start your morning with a skip the line tour of the Vatican Museum and Peters Basilica. Booking in advance is key here, as tours can sell out fast during summer months. With the skip-the line tour you will be able to enter the museum before the crowds, which you know is key with kids. After you exit the museum you will be able to skip the line and enter the Basilica. The Vatican Museum including the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peters Basilica, will take anywhere from two to three and a half hours depending on crowds and your interest level.

After a break for lunch and naps if necessary head to the historic center. Start at the Pantheon, one of the best preserved monuments of Ancient Rome. Entrance tickets can be purchased at the door, but the line can be long and I would recommend purchasing in advance.

Once you have left Pantheon, grab some gelato and walk a few blocks to Piazza Navona. Not only is Piazza Navona home to a breathtaking fountain by Gian Lorenzo Bernini; its origin as a stadium makes it a perfect space to let the little ones run around a bit. Then head underground to explore the ruins of the Domitian Stadium, an Unesco World Heritage Site. This 2000-year-old stadium built in 85 AD was home to races and athletic competitions.

Start the morning with another skip the line ticket, but this time to the Colosseum. Like tours to the Vatican, these ticket/tours can book up quickly so you will want to book in advance. From the Colosseum you will want to visit the Roman Forum. (Depending on your tour, this may be included with the Colosseum.)

Continuing on your tour of Ancient Rome walk Via Del Corso at your own pace. You will want to give your self-ample time to stop for shopping and some yummy treats. While walking keep an eye out for the signs to take you to Rome's most famous fountain, the Trevi Fountain and Piazza de Espagna.

On your final morning in Rome I highly recommend an early morning trip to the Trevi to snap a few pictures without the crowds. If you were lucky enough to visit the fountain on a day when it wasn't crowded then after a leisurely breakfast its off to the train station. While there are other ways to get to Florence, the train is by far my favorite. The whole family can relax while enjoying the view and if your little ones aren't fond of having to sit still, there is plenty of room to move around.

It is likely that you will be in Florence by lunch time and can head to Piazza del Duomo to have lunch and take in the heart of this gorgeous city. While you can't go wrong selecting any of the cafes lining the piazza. I highly recommend you check out Pizzeria Il Taglio.

Book an afternoon entrance to the Academia to see David. The museum is a manageable size for kids and the statue is sure to have a big impact.

Start the day with the perfect activity for the whole family to enjoy, Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. After you have viewed the palazzo walk out into the gardens where the kids can get out all of that energy. The gardens are so beautiful and you could easily spend hours walking through them. My daughters are all between the ages of 1.5 and 12 and they all loved them.

Tip: Grab paninis from Bar Pitti across from the entrance and you can have lunch in a picnic area where the kids can run around.

On your way back over Ponte Vecchio make sure to leave time to stop and shop; you wont be disappointed.

If you have young kids you'll want to make Piazza Republica your next stop, there, your kids will be able to take a ride on a carousel.

Spend the rest of the day visiting the following sites based on your families interests.

Capella Medici: The private chapel of the medici family, filled with impressive renaissance art.

Santa Croce Church and the Leather School: A beautiful cathedral a short distance from the duomo. My favorite thing to see at the church is around the back at the leather school. You can see how artisans hand-make fine leather goods as well as do some shopping.

Tip: Visit La Strega Nocciola for the best artisanal gelato.

Get and early start to the day and arrange a sunrise tour of Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, "The Duomo". If your children can make the grueling trip to the top, it is well worth the 463 steps it takes to see the view from the top.

Once you have made your way back to the ground, take the five-minute walk to the train station and allow your legs to recover on the hour train ride to Pisa.

You will likely arrive in Pisa around lunch time. There will be no shortage of places to eat. You can either arrange a tour or explore on your own.

If you chose to fly round trip out of Rome you will likely take an early train back to the eternal city where you then can transfer to the airport or you can fly out of Florence. If your schedule allows, you can do a little more shopping and have one last gelato.