Home
>
Vacation Rental
>
Italy with Kids ? Seven Ways to Get the Most from Your Family Travel in Italy

Italy with Kids ? Seven Ways to Get the Most from Your Family Travel in Italy

Italy is a popular vacation destination for families because it offers something of interest for everyone. The land of gelato welcomes children in general and, more specifically, has sights and foods that most kids love. Whether your family is visiting monuments or relaxing in the Italian sun, here are some ideas on how to organize your vacation for fun and savings, too.

1. Rent an Apartment or Villa

For less than the cost of a hotel room you can rent a comparably comfortable and well-located apartment or villa in Italy. You will get more room for people to spread out and keep out of each other's way. You won't have adjust your schedule to hotel restaurant hours and maid service, either. You will have to make your own beds and settle for a weekly change of towels.

You can save on restaurant costs by eating 'at home' in your villa or apartment. We suggest having breakfast and dinner at home and dine in a nice restaurant for lunch. For your home meals, elaborate preparation isn't necessary, you will find excellent pre-prepared selections in supermarkets, small grocery stores, snack bars, pizzerias and "tavola caldas," cafeteria-style restaurants. Shopping for your food in Italian grocery stores and open air markets is a super cultural experience for the whole family, too.

2. Get the Best from Restaurants

The fixed-price menu of the day, often called the tourist menu, offers a full meal with savings over a' la carte. Menus are always posted outside the restaurant door so you can browse the price and selection. To choose your restaurant, use Michelin's Red Guide (restaurant guide) that profiles even moderately priced establishments. Few American tourists carry the Red guide, so the restaurants don't become mobbed with consequent price increases.

When ordering, request the house wine and tap water "aqua naturale." The tap water in Italy is drinkable.

A $15 plate of pasta for a small (or not very hungry) child may be hard to swallow, so ask for a half-portion or an extra plate to split big portions. Italians love children and waiters are usually happy to indulge their appetites. And when the children finish, promise them an ice cream at snack bar around the corner where you can also get an after dinner drink and enjoy people watching at a fraction of the restaurant price for coffee and dessert.

You can spend $20 for a coke on Piazza San Marco in Venice or on the Via Veneto in Rome and find the people-watching worth every bit of it. Or, if refreshment and budget prevail, wander a few piazzas removed from these famous spots and order your coke or, better yet, a typical Italian beverage made with flavored syrups and fizzy water.

Tip Wait for the waiter to collect your signed credit receipt from the table. Don't just sign it, get up and walk away because in most Italian restaurants, your credit card number is printed IN FULL on the ticket -- an easy way for someone to cruise by the unoccupied table and snag your receipt and obtain your credit card number.

3. Laundry

Stay in an apartment with a washing machine to do your own, but don't expect a clothes dryer, so allow enough time for clothes to air dry. If you're at a hotel, don't pay for the expensive hotel's laundry service; instead, find a local laundromat and people-watch while you wash. Always bring a travel laundry line and, whenever you spend more than one night in one spot, hand wash easy-care clothes.

4. Exchanging Currency

Buy your local currency at ATM machines, called Bancomats, using your debit or ATM card. The exchange rate will be the most favorable and the transaction fees the lowest. Save on transaction fees by withdrawing larger amounts each time. Don't use your credit card for withdrawing local currency -- big fees. Before traveling, check with your bank on the fees they charge for overseas transactions; a few have exorbitant charges.

Tip Make sure your PIN code is only four numbers; that's all Italian machines will take.

5. Telephone Calls

Buy local phone cards for making calls which is cheaper than investing in a rental phone, or bringing one from the States. They are a terrific value for calling back home, too.

Check in at home and reconfirm future reservations by stopping in an internet point where you can surf and pay by the hour at, usually, a very reasonable rate.

6. Strike a Bargain

In Italy, many stores now have fixed prices "prezzi fissi" which you'll often see on a little sign near the cash register. The days of negotiating the price of everything are gone. But, if you're buying directly from the proprietor and are selecting multiples of something, or investing in high ticket items such as antiques or jewelry, you can politely ask if there is anything that can be done to help you with your decision, like, ahem, a discount. Then you must pay in cash! Don't dicker over the price and then pull out your plastic. It is understood that the discount depends on saving on the credit card transaction fee and, possibly, discreetly keeping this cash sale off the books.

7. Museums & Monuments

Research free days at museums and, thinking of the children, consider smaller museums for shorter attention spans.

Reserve your tickets for popular spots ahead of time; the fee is worth it. Nothing dampens a visit to a popular site like standing in line for an hour and a half in the blazing sun. For any attraction, find an up-to-date schedule; even call ahead; hours change. Please remember that you are in Italy where punctuality is sometimes sacrificed for more important things, so be prepared to wait a few minutes for something to open. Adjust to "dolce vita" time.

Some sights are best seen with a guide who can whisk you past lines and bring history and art alive, for example, the Vatican Museums with the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo, the catacombs in Rome, and the Uffizi in Florence.

Enjoy your travels in Italy with your family. When in doubt, have a gelato or a glass of wine and stop doing anything, just relax and let Italy come to you.

Pat Byrne is the president of Excellent Europe (http://www.excellenteurope.com) a company that selects exceptional vacation rentals in Italy with families in mind. She is also the author of the Kids Europe Italy Discovery Journal (http://www.excellenteurope.com) a resource book, journal, and guide just for kids traveling in Italy that has over 500 ideas for free and fun activities in Italy.

Ancona limousine airport .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

Recent reports show many common passwords can be cracked in literally seconds. Kurt the CyberGuy explains how to strengthen your passwords.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Iron, a robot that stands 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 154 pounds, combines advanced artificial intelligence with human-like movement and exceptional vision.

Hertz, the rental car giant, recently confirmed that customer information was exposed through a cyberattack on one of its software vendors.

There are a number of features with AirPods you may or may not know about to take your listening experience to the next level. Kurt the CyberGuy explains.

These 35 Chrome extensions have privacy and security concerns. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says to delete them now.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says 329,000 mph fusion rocket promises to be fast, disruptive and enable deep-space missions.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a new autonomous AI is a game changer that also raises privacy risks. Is your data safe?

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says robots and drones are revolutionizing fruit farming with faster picking and smarter handling.

Landmark Admin revises May 2024 cyberattack scope to show twice as many people were affected. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives tips to help stay safe from an insurance data breach.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how Yamaha’s hydrogen outboard motor could revolutionize boating with zero emissions.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals how to memorialize or remove a deceased loved one’s Facebook account and protect their digital legacy from misuse or scams.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says an Apple Watch saved psychiatrist Amanda Faulkner by detecting deadly leukemia early.

Scammers and fraudsters are increasingly targeting the most vulnerable, especially nursing homes and the personal data of their residents. Kurt the CyberGuy has safety tips.

Infected USB flash drives can spread malware among multiple organizations in ways that can easily bypass traditional security systems.

With a fully automated warehouse system and AI-powered robots, Ocado's Hive picks, packs and delivers grocery store orders in just a few minutes.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Recycling robots are using artificial intelligence to learn how to sort recyclables by recognizing patterns in colors, textures, shapes and logos.

The Reachy 2 robot is designed to be friendly and approachable, inviting natural interaction and is perfect for research, education and experimenting with embodied AI.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson shares several easy ways to keep your credit cards safe from digital thieves while you're traveling this summer.

Arcturus sets up cameras around the edges of baseball stadiums to capture real-time action and generate a 3D digital clone of the game.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

The CyberGuy explains why healthcare organizations are vulnerable to hackers after there have been a half dozen data breaches this year.

Developed at two California universities, the innovative technology combines brain-computer interfaces with advanced AI to decode neural activity into audible speech.

Italy with Kids ? Seven Ways to Get the Most from Your Family Travel in Italy

Vacation Rental