My husband wants to visit Italy this summer. Besides Rome what other places are good to visit?

Question

We want to take our kids with us. What is the weather like? Do they have bed and breakfast places in Italy?

Thanks so much. I wanted to ask someone who has actually been to Italy. I thank you all for your suggestions.

These are all such great answers I don't know which one to pick as best answer. All of the places sound great to see. We have two weeks so we'll try to see some of the places you've suggested. Thank you!

Isn't Venice where the Spanish Riding acadamy is? I would love to see the horses! Guys, I don't think I can choose a best answer here. Help me.

Answer 1

It gets very hot in Italy and I would avoid the big cities in August. This is when the Italians go to the coast as its too hot in the city.

Milan - The Refrectory of Santa Maria del Grazie to see The Last Supper (Tickets in advance)

Venice - Saint Mark's Square, The Doge's Palace, Rialto bridge, Bridge of Sighs, Arsenal, The Accademia, Giacomo Cassanova's house, The Grand Canal and Murano.

Rome - Vatican Museums which include the Sistine Chapel, St Peter's Basillica, Castel Saint Angelo, Forum, Colosseum, Palatine, Circus Maximus, Via Appia, Gallery Borghese, Capitoline Museums, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon and many many churches.

Florence - Uffizi Gallery (tickets in advance), Accademia (Michelangelo's David is there, Bargello, Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio and the Loggia with its sculpture, various churches and family chapels, Palazzo Pitti, Fort Belvedere.

Vinci in tuscanny to see the birthplace of Leonardo da VInci.

Naples- Pompeii, Herculanium.(1.5hrs from Rome)

Padua, Verona, the lakes, the Dolomites etc etc.

I can only list a few things here or I'd be going on for days

If you're pushed for time then train travel in Italy is very cheep and efficient.

Great guide books are the Eyewitness Travel Guides. They have photos, every attraction you can think of, opening times and great maps.

Take a look at these web sites and enjoy your trip.

http://mv.vatican.va/3_en/pages/mv_home....


http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/englis...


http://www.whatsonwhen.com/scripts/query...

www.venere.com

buon fortuna

Ps The Spanish Riding School is actually in Vienna, not Venice.

Answer 2

I'm Italian. If this is your very first visit to Italy, then I recommend to see at least Rome, Venice, Florence, the Amalfi coast and Palermo - these are must! -. As regards other places, it's very difficult to make a choice, 'cos Italy is literally FULL of wonderful places to see...
Our weather is very hot in summer, so take care if you're not used to it - in this case June or September would be preferable .
oh yes, there are many B&B places in Italy; we also have a particularly characteristic kind of accomodation, which normally is not expensive and where you can live the most genuine spirit of Italian people and traditions - especially good food. I'm talking about a sort of country/farm houses (the Italian word is "agriturismi")... well, just have a look at the following web sites to have an idea, ok?

have a really nice holiday in Italy!

Answer 3

Hi. Just went to Italy this August. And like Irish Wander said the service level goes down. Some days, it seemed like the cities were empty.

I visited four cities: Florence, Milan, Venice, and Rome. Of these cities I would say that Venice is a must. The city is beautiful and compares to nothing else. Florence is very nice too. Besides visiting the Vatican and seeing the ruins, (which took all of two days combined) Rome didn't offer much else, in my opinion. Milan was not worth the stop. That's my advice anyway. I'm sure there is plenty to offer from each city for another traveler.

Have fun!!!

Answer 4

Bed & breakfast is not always so cheap, you can also decide for a convent.
There are plenty in Rome and Florence.
Remember, though that during the summer in Rome and Florence it does get hot and muggy.

The best time would be May or September or during Spring break.
However, in Rome you should visit the Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel, the Borghese Gallery(you need reservations for this museum) www.galleriaborghese.it
Colosseum, Roman Forum, there are so many Basilica's , the Capitoline Museum, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Spanish steps etc...
For Firenze I suggest that you reserve in advance for the Uffizi Gallery www.florenceart.it
Watch at all times for pickpockets, keep your documents, cash and credit card inside your shirt. When in crowds, inside a museum, church etc... they work in groups and you don't feel it at all!!!!! Not dangerous but sneaky!!!!
In Churches no shorts or sleeveless tops(atnk tops)
Since it is very hot I suggest that you bring a pair of sweat pants with a t-shirt that you can put on before entering in a church.
Remember, that on a Wednesday, (I don't know if you can be interested in this) the pope has an audience in St. Peter's Square or in the auditorium. He then gives a blessing to all and if you have a metal or rosary or a holy statue or picture of someone it will be blessed. You need tickets to attend the event!!!Don't need to dress up be decent. Jeans are fine.
Let me know if I can be of further help. Have a great day!!!

Answer 5

Hi!.... Rome is a beautiful place and even were you jsut go there it would be a fantastic trip, however in Italy there are many other interesting points as well.. IF you are going during the Australian summer naturally it will be Winter In Italy... so unless your very rbave i wouldnt be looking at swimming in aby beaches although there are some real beautiful beaches especially in Sardinia and Sicily......

Florence is a beautiful place to visit, and if you are in Tuscany have a look at Lucca, and Siena,... which are smaller but really beautiful places... and easily accessible by train as are most things in Italy..

Venice, Turin are also very nice places in the North. And if you like big cities and Fashion Milan is worth seeing... Anyway havea good trip..

Answer 6

Rome is a great city to visit

Try to avoid going in Aug. It is hot and all of Europe is on vacation. Rates go and service levels go down.

Try and take the trains between cites whenever possible. It bets driving and the kids will be less confined.

Florence is an excellent side trip
Pompeii if your kids can understand what happened there.
Venice is very nice but expensive and hard to get around with little kids.
Tuscany is a must see, time permitting.

I think their rainy season is before March so April, May, June are great choices

Cannot talk about bread and breakfasts but I am sure they have something like it. But they may contain various surprises you would to be ready to deal with.

There are usually some good hotel deals.

Answer 7

Trieste: Friuli Venezia Giulia, north east, Freud's favourite city, international culture, italian, austrian, slovenian, great liberty architecture.
Milan: it's one of the most clever and eclectic cities in Europe, and the definetly the most attractive and vibrating place in Italy.
Camogli, and the estern riviera in Liguria, Portovenere and cinque terre: in spring it's simply amazing.
Bergamo: close to Milan, the higher city is a jewel.
Arezzo in Toscany is also very interesting.
Bolzano, Trento (Trentino Alto Adige)
Verona, Vicenza, Treviso, Padova (Veneto)
And anyway it depends, I think that a lot of american tourist (and not only) are not actually interested in the real Italy but just in the few backwarded postcards they already have in the mind before leaving, that's why some wonderful places like Florence and Venice are selling their souls away and slowly loosing their identity..

Answer 8

5 terre, florence, pisa, milan, genova, and venice! you could also see the small towns in the way. for the kids you could go one day to gardaland (www.gardaland.it) which is a theme park and it is lots of fun for kids and adults to! the weather is hot and the days are loooong (the sun sets at ~9pm). i dont really know about bed and breakfasts because i have a house, but for rome and other places that are not close to my house there are some hotels that dont cost a lot. remember: you will go to the hotel only to sleep, the rest of the day you will be out, so as long as it has the basic stuff (and maybe breakfast, if you wish) its ok! bed and breakfasts do exist though! :-D

Answer 9

What about renting an apartment in a villa for a week? it is surprisingly affordable. all over Italy this is possible.
We rented a great place in Tuscany - it had a pool, olive trees, grapes, etc.. great place for kids to run and play and for adults to relax

try http://www.vrbo.com

or
http://www.lafornella.com

I happen to think Venice is fantastic for all ages (but avoid the whole Rialto bridge area too touristy)
September is the perfect time of year to go.

Cinque Terre, the Lake Como region, Florence, Lucca, these are all amazing places - can't go wrong. Near Lucca is the whole lost corner of Tuscany region - the Apuan Alps. Gorgeous!

Answer 10

You can get all sorts of info such as what you are looking for from www.lonelyplanet.com as they are the ones that produce so many of the wonderful travel videos shown on the travel channel and available at most major libraries as well. Some fantastic suggestions for places to go as well as local customs, currency etc. Also the Frommer's travel guides are good places for more info as well. And the Travel Channel's own website is full of info such as this. Italy is a combination of regions that were only combined into what we know as Italy in the early 1800's. Therefore there is a big difference between them as to what is available and what is there to highlight. Wish I was going myself. ! :-)