For Families

Italy offers hundreds of attractions that kids enjoy. It is, in fact, the friendliest family vacation destination in all of Europe.

Most families that plan to tour Italy in a week focus on its three major cities: Rome, Florence, and Venice. Of the big three, Rome and Venice have far more activities for children to enjoy, because the true glory of Florence, the city of the Renaissance, is its art and architectural monuments.

Perhaps the main concern in traveling with children, other than safety issues, is pacing your museum visits so that you get a chance to see some of the world's greatest masterpieces without having young kids suffer a meltdown after too many paintings of saints and bambini.

Our suggestion for this tour is to spend 2 days in Rome, followed by a night in Tuscany (Siena), then 2 days in Florence (regardless of what the kids say), ending your trip in Venice, which most children think was created by Disney anyway.

Days 1 & 2: Arrive in Rome

Arrive in Rome as early as you can to get a running start on the attractions. With your brood in tow, have a good breakfast to prepare for a long day of walking. Wear comfortable shoes.

The ruins of the Imperial Forums do not depend on opening hours but can be viewed at any time. These ruins can be seen from the street along Via dei Fori Imperiali. Walk east along this broad avenue until you arrive at the ruins of the Colosseum, which should then be open. Spend at least an hour and a half wandering its ruins. Kids can let off a lot of steam here as they make their way over this monument, especially if they've seen The Gladiator.

It takes a good 3 hours to wander the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, so you might want to break these attractions into two parts, a prelunch jaunt followed by an afternoon visit after you've fortified your gang with bowls of Roman pasta. By 3pm you should have climbed every hill and inspected every classical ruin.

Cap the afternoon by exploring the Villa Borghese, a monumental park in the heart of Rome. Cold drinks are available here, and if your kid is old enough, you can rent bikes for rides in the park. There is also a small zoo in the northeast of the park grounds.

After rest and showers back at your hotel, wander into the Piazza Navona, where there is always entertainment. Pick one of our restaurants in the area. After dinner let your kid sample some of Rome's legendary gelato (ice cream) before calling it a night.

On Day 2, head for St. Peter's Basilica. Kids are generally in awe of this grand monument and the supreme church for the Catholic order. They find it spooky wandering the Vatican grottoes, and few can resist climbing up to Michelangelo's dome at 114m (375 ft.).

After time out for lunch, begin your descent on the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Even if your kids don't like art museums, they will probably gawk at the grandeur of this place, as they look up at Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and thrill at such art as the Lacoön, depicting a father and his two sons locked in mortal combat with serpents.

Later in the day head for the Spanish Steps before wandering over to the Trevi Fountain. Here, give the kids coins to toss into the fountain, which is said to ensure their return to Rome -- perhaps when they are older and can better appreciate the artistic attractions.

Day 3: Siena, A Medieval City

Leave Rome early on the morning of Day 3, driving north into Tuscany, arriving for a day at Siena, a distance of 230km (143 miles) northwest of Rome.

Count yourself lucky if you're here in July and August for the famous 4-day Palio celebration. The whole family can enjoy the colorful parades with medieval costumes and banners and the horse races around Piazza del Campo. Even if you can't come at those times, Siena remains a year-round attraction.

In the center of town, the whole family can climb Torre del Mangia, the bell tower of the Palazzo Pubblico for a dramatic view of the city and the enveloping countryside. Even kids are fascinated by the Lorenzetti frescoes in the Palazzo Pubblico's Sala della Pace -- this art is called "one big, long picture show."

The Duomo is jazzy enough to interest those children who are normally bored with cathedrals -- its black-and-white floors remind them of zebra stripes. Even the art here, including The Last Judgment, showing people squirming in the jaws of hell, holds a morbid fascination.

Spend the rest of the day wandering at leisure along the medieval streets, very evocative. One kid thought that all of Siena had been designed as the setting for some movie abut the Middle Ages. Settle in overnight in Siena.

Days 4 & 5: Florence, City of Stone

Leave Siena in the morning, driving north for 34km (21 miles) to Florence. Check into a hotel for a 2-night stay. As mentioned, Florence is more of an adult attraction, but there's nothing wrong with exposing your kid to some culture early in life. Begin the day on the monumental main square of Florence, Piazza della Signoria with its remarkable open-air museum of statues. The Palazzo Vecchio dominates one end of this square, another formed by the 14th-century Loggia della Signoria. It will all look like a stage set to kids.

Begin your descent onto the Uffizi. One of the world's great museums, this gallery has so much to dazzle the eye that only the most bored of children will find little of interest here. We've observed kids staring in fascination at a painting (especially the gruesome ones) when parents are eager to press on. Allow at least 2 hours for a visit.

After lunch at a Florentine trattoria, wander down to the stunning red-tiled Duomo. Kids will delight in climbing to the top of the dome for a classic panorama. Afterward, you, along with your children, can climb the 414 steps up to the Campanile di Giotto for another remarkable view. After you descend, spend some time looking at the doors to the Battistero San Giovanni.

As the afternoon wanes, stroll along the Ponte Vecchio, the city's oldest bridge, which is lined with fascinating shops vending mostly jewelry. To cap the day, head to the Piazzale Michelangiolo at sunset for a panoramic sweep over all of Florence.

On Day 5, cross over the Arno to the left side where you can view some of the treasures of the Palazzo Pitti, the second great art museum of Florence. There is much to interest visitors of all ages here, including a museum of costumes and the elegant private apartments once occupied by the Medici. Afterward, head to the nearby Giardini di Boboli for an hour or two of wandering around the gardens. Stop in a deli before your visit and pick up the makings of a picnic lunch for all the family to enjoy.

After your meal, visit the Cappelle Medicee to see the famous statues of Michelangelo. Afterward spend an hour or two of discovery, just wandering Florence's medieval streets -- which for many kids is more pleasurable than any museum. As the afternoon fades, walk over to the Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michelangelo's colossal giant, David. No visit to Florence would be complete without it. Take your entire family to one of the typical bucas (cellar restaurants) for a real Florentine experience before turning in for the night.

Days 6 & 7: Venice, City on the Lagoon

Leave Florence on the morning of Day 6 for the long 267km (166-mile) drive northeast into Venice. Venice is the great kid-pleaser of Italy, the fun beginning the moment you arrive and take a boat ride along the Grand Canal to the hotel of your choice.

After checking in, head for Piazza San Marco, where children delight in feeding the pigeons. Wander into the Basilica di San Marco, which dominates the square. After leaving the cathedral, you can take an elevator to the top of the Campanile di San Marco, the bell tower, for a panoramic vista of Venice. After lunch, visit the Palazzo Ducale and take your kids for a walk over the infamous Bridge of Sighs. Afterward, spend the rest of the time wandering with your brood through the narrow streets of Italy's most fascinating city.

On Day 7, visit the Gallerie dell'Accademia in the morning, saving some time for San Rocco, where kids view the episodic Tintoretto paintings like a picture book. After lunch go for a boat ride in the lagoon to the island of Murano, where you can see glass being blown. If it's summer spend time on the beach at the Venetian Lido.

If you're leaving the following day, Venice has both rail and air connections to Rome and Milan, where, chances are, you'll be flying out of Italy.