ITALY
Italy might be my favorite country to visit because there are just SO MANY INCREDIBLE THINGS to see (and eat!!)! It's really amazing how you can just walk through the streets and come across ancient Roman ruins everywhere you go. Because I've traveled through most of Italy, this recommendation page is best organized by city.
ROME:
Stay at the Rome Marriott Park Hotel near the airport for cheap rooms and a shuttle that brings you into the center of the city.
Update 8/10: We stayed at the Rome Marriott Park Hotel a few weeks ago and were disheartened to see its declining condition. It is sorely in need of a remodel. The breakfast staff is kind and the buffet options are quite good, but unfortunately, everything else can use a major overhaul. I think they are overwhelmed with customers and airline staff due to its close proximity to the airport. If you're in a pinch and need a cheap room, consider staying here. If you value cleanliness and ammentities, I recommend searching for something else. Also important to consider: While the hotel is on the cheaper end, it does cost about $80 each way to Uber to the city center. Transportation costs add up and might be better applied to a hotel room closer to the center.
Another great option is the Navona Luxury Apartments! Great location and housed in a 15th-century historic building. Elevators are teeny tiny, so we had to leave our double stroller in the lobby (not a problem, just an FYI). Rooms were very spacious and had vaulted ceilings covered in frescos. You basically feel like you're sleeping in a museum! So cool.
Vatican Museum: All the lines you suffer through (even with a stroller!) are completely worth the opportunity to enter the Sistine Chapel and see Michalangelo's The Creation Of Adam in real life. Incredible experience, not to be missed. Tickets are available to purchase in advance.
Colosseum: Purchase tickets in advance and visit early in the morning. This is one place in our travels that I wish we had booked a tour for, as there is not much info displayed throughout the Colosseum to really appreciate its significance.
Presepi Pampa: The place to go if you'd like to purchase an Italian nativity set! We visited Rome for Christmas and loved seeing all of the nativity scenes displayed throughout the towns we visited. Italian nativities are unique as it seems like everyone has a place in the scene...village people, farmers, and even pizza makers! At this store, you can actually pick out the individual pieces you'd like for your nativity, as well as a crèche to hold them in. Even after visiting several Italian Christmas markets, I still preferred the selection at this store over the market shops.
Moma: Child-friendly fine dining!
Frigidarium: Yummiest gelato near Piazza Navona.
Roma Sparita:
Trattoria Da Enzo:
Osteria da Fortunata:
Lenari:
Testaccio market:
Eataly:
Explora il Museu Del Bambino Di Roma: One of our favorite children's museums! This museum has so many fun activities including water play, mini grocery store, a chance to drive the electronic train circling the museum, and more. Great rainy day activity. We love visiting children's museums when we travel! It gives our kids a chance to run around in a controlled environment and also allows them to interact with local school kids who are often visiting these museums with their classes. Great experience to meet children from other cultures speaking other languages.
Area Archeologica Di Ostia Antica: If you're into archeology, take a train to Ostica Antica, located about 30 minutes away from the center of Rome. Ostica Antica is an old port city which is now well-preserved Roman ruins. We've seen many ruins in our travels, but these just might be the best. You can see columns still standing, buildings, an old bar, Roman baths, and even mosaics. Rick Steves has a great free audio tour here that is worth listening to on your visit. The tour can be found via the Rick Steves Audio Europe Travel App.
FLORENCE:
Duomo: Tickets are kind of weird to get, but visit the box office across the street to receive a ticket from their ATM kiosks. We rolled up to the Duomo with our double stroller and had no idea that there were almost 1,000 steps in tiny corridors with barely enough room for passing traffic. This was not a super ideal situation to carry young kids up through, but it was completely worth it. The stairs take you up close to the gorge paintings on the dome ceiling and then eventually to the top of the roof when you can enjoy the best views of Florence. Again, might not recommend for families with little kids but #YOLO. You'll be so glad you did it.
Gallerie degli Uffizi: Lots of famous pieces here including Botticelli's Birth of Venus.
Galleria dell 'Accademia: See Michelangelo's David up close and personal. Gorgeous and larger that you ever imagined it to be.
Teatro la Fenice: Gorgeous and ornate opera house.
Edoardo gelato: Really yummy organic gelato place made with exceptional ingredients. Loved the banana and cinnamon flavors!
La Prosciutteria: Great place for charcuterie!
Osteria all'Antico Vinaio: Great spot for a quick and super delicious bite on the go (and one of the highest rated restaurants in Florence with over 26,000 reviews and 4.5 stars).
*We made Florence our base camp and took day trips by train to nearby cities (incredibly easy to do and train tickets can be purchased at the station):
Day trip to Pisa: Pose with the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Children under eight years old cannot climb to the top of the Tower. This is basically all there is to do in Pisa and can really be done as a half day excursion. Such a cool experience to see this in real life!
Day trip to Bologna: We traveled to Bologna *just* to visit the FICO Fabbrica Italiana Contadina, more commonly known as Eataly World. This is an all-day experience with rides, educational activities, delicious restaurants, gelato and pasta cooking classes, shopping, and a kids club that offers fun classes and activities. And they'll watch your kids so you can enjoy a quiet dinner at one of the many fabulous restaurants. This is basically like a large shopping mall solely dedicated to everything related to Italian food...what's not to love?
Day trip to Cinque Terre: Beautiful place to see colorful villages built into the mountainsides. Try to visit Cinque Terre at the start of the tourist season. If you visit from October to April, you risk finding many restaurants and shops closed for the off-season.
AMALFI COAST:
If you want to explore the Amalfi Coast, I recommend staying in Sorrento and taking day trips along the coast. In July 2024, we stayed at the Hilton Sorrento Palace; it's a beautiful hotel, super clean, connecting rooms, and perfect location. According to locals I spoke with, the perfect time to visit Amalfi is June and September...right at the beginning and end of their busy tourist season. The summer months can be so hot and crazy busy with people, but the Fall/Winter months are the off-season when many restaurants and shops are closed.
Getting around: Every morning we would walk or taxi to the marina for our ferry to Capri, Positano, or Amalfi. Ferry tickets can be purchased 30 minutes before departure and do not need to be reserved far in advance (I think it's cheaper to buy tickets at the marina rather than online). Ferry companies have paper schedules of the routes and departure times that you can take with you to reference. Also, children under 12 are charged a discounted rate.
After a day out in the sun, we would then walk from the marina to the lift. The lift is about $1 each way, which is much quicker than walking up the mountain in the sun. You can buy tickets on-site and the queue is quick and efficient. Once we arrived at the top of the mountain, we would eat dinner, shop around Sorrento, and then walk back to the hotel. It was a smooth process and worked well for our family.
The shops on the Amalfi Coast are really nice and it's quite easy to pick up some locally-made souvenirs here. You'll find many lemon products, olive oil, and ceramics.
Eat at Seraphina! This is where I had the best meal of my ENTIRE LIFE. Seraphina's is a farm-to-table restaurant where you just show up and they serve you course after course of the most delicious and fresh Italian food you've ever had in your life. It costs 33 Euro (!) and lasts about 3 hours. Honestly so amazing and run by a cute family. I will go back to Amalfi just for the chance to eat at Seraphina's again! Call in the morning for a reservation.
*Note that dinner at Seraphina's is at 8PM and finishes long after the ferry departs back to Sorrento. You will need to arrange a private transfer back to the hotel, which will cost ~$100.
Raki Gelato (Sorrento):
Da Vincenzo:
Storico:
Porta Marina:
VENICE:
Rossopomodoro: Delicious Italian food and fresh burrata.
Dal Moro's: Fresh pasta served in to go boxes. Perfect for a quick bite on the go.
Gelatoteca Suso: Great gelato spot with unique flavors like cinnamon caramel ginger with gingerbread chunks. Say my name!
Stay at the Hilton Molino Stucky Venice: Great rooftop pool and if you're lucky, you can see passing cruise ships at eye level. This hotel is in a historic building which adds to the overall character of the place. The best part is the Nutella stand outside of the lobby! Important to note that the Hilton has its own shuttle boat that leaves right outside of the hotel and across to San Marco (center of Venice). Save money on the tickets for public transport (that takes you alllll around the bay before you get to San Marco) and take the direct route with Hilton instead.
Rose Douce: If you're in the market to purchase authentic Murano Glass (which you should be!) this shop is a definite must. Rose Douce carries beautiful glass with the authenticity bar code stickers attached and at reasonable prices. Except for maybe that 400 Euro bowl I fell in love with and my husband did not find it "reasonable" at all. Ha! This store also carries beautiful Italian jewelry. Most importantly, the shop owner is incredibly nice and passionate about glass. A must see!
Trattoria Al Gazzettino: Fantastic food and many of the tables have a view looking right into the canal. We could have reached out and high-fived a gondolier passing by, we were that close!