italy 2010

[Ankou]

hi all, thinking of a holiday to italy this year and looking for some hints and tips from you lovely people.

we have 2 young children (3 and 1). i have been to italy many times (rome, venice, florence etc) but this time, we are looking for somewhere central to tour around a bit, maybe visit a nice beach, hilltop towns and soak up some history/culture with some kiddy fun stuff in the mix as well. i would like toi get to rome at some point in the holidy as my wife has never been.

i was thinking self catering (apartment/villa ?) in umbria as central base, hire a car and then plod around at leisure.

i really would be grateful for hints and tips anyone might have.

cheers

[Ankou]

ps - i'm not looking for you to plan my holiday for me ! just some suggestions and personal knowledge/experience sharing.

ta v.much

[grasscarp]

We have usually been to Tirrenia for beach holidays when the children were small. The Hotel Golf has appartments there. (swimming pool, their own bit of beach, and bicycle hire close by). It is very close to Pisa airport, and Pisa has history - and if you are that way try to get to see the ancient ships exhibited at San Rossore. This is not too far from Collodi where we went to see the Pinocchio park. A good hilltop town is Pescia. The autostrade del sole goes from Florence to Rome.

[Mosaic]

Don't forget the excellent train network - you see so much more of the countryside and arrive right in the middle of towns without experiencing Italian urban driving quirks

[jno]

no particular suggestions but one comment: the Italians luuuuurve children; their presence invariably makes holidaying in Italy easier, not harder.

Re hiring cars, I notice people protesting on the Telegraph's travel pages that in some towns - Pisa seems to be the one most often mentioned - there's some sort of parking zone you have to pay to enter, but it's poorly signposted for foreigners; people keep finding huge fines taken off their credit cards without apparent warning, months after they've got home. You might want to inquire closely about this if you plan to drive anywhere.

[crisgal]

hi, i used to live in a small village north of rome called formello. it's absolutely beautiful and steeped in history. there is breathtaking scenery, mountains a gorgeous little friendly town. About half an hour from rome in the car (or an hour by bus) it's not touristy at all and I'm sure you would enjoy it.
there are also lots of similar villages nearby - sacrofano,campagnano. we used to holiday on the coast at Ladispoli, this too was really where italians holidayed, rather than many foreign tourists.

[crisgal]

http://www.belvilla.c...ages/IT-00060-02.html

[spudqueen]

Last year we went to Cattollica which is near Rimini on the Adriatic coast. It is a lovely family friendly place for a beach holiday. We enjoyed it so much we've booked to go again this year. It was a lovely relaxing holiday, we went on the beach a lot but had some day trips out, including San Marino which we loved.
Self catering in Umbria, hiring a car and plodding round and then visiting Rome sounds lovely, but with a 3 year old and a 1 year old in tow? Personally I'd go with the beach holiday and then try to fix up a babysitter for a few days (grandparents?) whilst you take your wife to Rome for a few days as an extra holiday just for yourselves. I don't think you could do justice to Rome in one day anyway.

[crisgal]

i wasn't suggesting a self catering holiday at all - my idea of hell! I put up that link because the map is clear and there are some good reviews of the area. :)

[jno]

Self-catering's no bad thing when you have young kids, crisgal...

[Ankou]

thank you for all your little pointers, certainly some food for thought and research leads.

grasscarp - sounds lovely, i have been to pisa, and will deffo look up your suggs.

mosaic - we may try a train trip to somewhere picturesque - if only to have a break from the car !

jno - i remember something a bit like this when i went to florence, will watch out for that, thanks.

crisgal - thanks for the suggs and the link, we will investigate. is ladospili far from your village ?

spudsqueen - we will look into cattolica thanks. i am aware that rome needs more than just a day, but i just wanted my wife to see part of it at least. with 2 young children we wouldnt want to spend time trawling round the city and its wonderfuil sites too much, but a babysitter in a foreign country is an absolute no no.

crisgal/jno - we don't mind s/c in this sort of holiday as it gives us the freedom to come and go as we please and eat where/when we like (e.g. some of these hilltop towns have lovely family restaurants and cafes to explore). we did all inc beach hoiday last year which was great but you are tied to the hotel and do get a bit fed up of the clockwork, restarant & food no matter how good the hotel.

once again, thanks to each and every one of you.