Italy With Kids (Open Road's Italy with Kids)

 (9 customer reviews)

Using this guidebook, I think you'll have a trip memorable not only for the tips that allowed you to enjoy your own travel, but also as a journey that became that much more interesting because you had the little ones along. Enough of the poetic antipasto, let's tuck in.The book was written by two obvious parents; they refer to their children throughout the book and include their kids' comments and suggestions. A couple of parenting examples: whilst Mom and Dad gazed upward at the Sistine Chapel ceiling, it was their daughter who pointed out the work of art in itself that was inlaid in the floor (intarsia).Suggestions on places to stay include the needed price ranges and contact info, but also note which hotels are near noisy piazzas, which have laundry service (the three coins in the coin washer joke will get old fast), which offer a non-smoking room (rare) and which seemed to welcome children instead of merely tolerating them along with the pets and soccer louts.The book...Read more

Thank you, Barbara and Michael Pape, for doing the research and sharing your insights in this book that was constantly at my side during our recent trip. We read, and carried along, a few of the best guidebooks recommended, but Italy with Kids is the one that was the most helpful. Without repeating the well-deserved praise heaped on this book by a previous reviewer, I want to add some comments from our own experience:First, the book reveals information about many places and activities that we would never have found on our own. For example, instead of carting the kids through Milan, we chose instead to visit Vinci based on the authors' discussion of this tiny town nestled in Tuscany where da Vinci was raised. Our visit to the Museo de Leonardino in Vinci which is housed in an old castle, was enchanting to the kids who could come up very close to many of da Vinci's inventions and notes. The museum was small, extremely child-friendly, and best of all - uncrowded (and for Italy in...Read more

I bought this book prior to a trip to Italy with my 3-year-old son and was highly disappointed. The authors stick to only the most obvious siteseeing destinations and didn't provide the nitty gritty that a traveler with children really needs. For example, the chaper on Venice of course describes St. Marks, but makes no mention of the playground right near the train station. The Milan chapter mentions "The Last Supper" but overlooks a park we discovered that has a collection of dinosaur statues and a carousel. Another major omission: the authors made no mention of the fact that many youth hostels offer accommodations for families, and the YH in Verona was a real gem -- gorgeous grounds to run around on, a spacious room, and cheap meals. It was also about one block away from a playground. None of the accommodations listings mention the hostel option. Bring Lonely Planet and leave this book behind -- the luggage space is better used by a spare coloring book or...Read more