Help needed for traveling in Tuscany with kids

Jules

New member
Hi, We are planning our first trip to Italy in June. We are flying into Rome and plan to stay four days there, then go onto the Tuscany area for four days, and then head to Venice for the remaining four days. I am having a hard time deciding where to stay in the Tuscany area. We are a group of 8, and we will not have a car so we will be relying on buses and trains. I am looking for suggestions on what would be fun for teenagers to do. I thought of staying in Lucca, and going to Pisa one day, Cinque Terre one day, and maybe Florence one day. I don't want to over museum the kids though so Florence is iffy. I would like to get a wine tasting in one afternoon for the grown ups as well. I thought it would be nice to find a place with a pool for the kids too.

I am really open for suggestions on the best area to stay for first our first time in Tuscany and other itineraries for the area. Also,are there any resort type villas that have that Italian feel while offering a pool and other amenites for kids while being in walking distance to public transportation? Thanks!
 
Ciao Jules and welcome to our forum!

The hardest part about your plan so far is just reconciling being in a town to have easy access to trains and buses as well as having access to a pool. That'll be the hard part, but not impossible.
And you definitely want to be in a town so you can move around easily with the trains because if it is really hard to stay in the countryside without a car to move around.

Lucca is a good base for the day trips you're planning - you'll be closer to Cinque Terre making the trip there and back much quicker. Florence does not mean just museums - you can spend a day here without going inside a museum and still get to see a lot - all of the historical center is a big attraction just seen from the outside. You'll see once you're in Rome, Italy is like that :) Plus, Florence is a definite must see in your first trip to Italy along with Rome and Venice!

Take a look at this page of accommodation in Lucca with pool which shows a list various options - the Villa Corte degli Dei and the Casale di Nanni both look particularly promising since they are south of the walls (and thus close to the train station).
Others are further out making them more of challenge to get to although buses might make moving around easy enough.

Another real possibility is to stay in the hills right around Florence - in a villa with pool and use the bus to get into downtown into the train station for your day trips. Look at this villa with pool - buses run near the villa that take you into Florence.

Feel free to post any other questions you might have - hope you're having fun planning the vacation! :)
 
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