Two centre holiday in Italy (pretend COVID isn't a thing!)

[RubyFowler]

I'm daydreaming about taking my DC to Italy potentially next summer (or whenever realistically possible) so this thread isn't about travelling with COVID restrictions.
DS is nearly 14 now and quite into history so I think he'd love Rome (I've been before so have a good idea about staying there), but it would be great to pair that up with a more beachy/resorty type place for traditional rest and relaxation.
Anyone any experience of something like this? As well as DS there is DD currently 9 and not so fussed about sightseeing so it'd need to be a balance. Perhaps the hotel in Rome would need to have a pool etc for her.
I would be the only adult.
I know when I went, getting the train across the country was quite easy, is this still the case?
Anyone got any ideas?
Budget maybe 2 to 3 thousand including flights from UK?
Thanks 😊

I'm in Italy.
The trains are brilliant- I'm in the south and went up to Rome for 4 days last week. Cheap, efficient, super-comfortable. On the way back there was a delay and I got a message on the app saying "as the delay has been longer than 39 minutes, we're refunding you 25%".
You could do Rome followed by one of the Lakes or down to Amalfi/Sorrento coast.
Rome was also as cheap as chips. As a capital city, a tourist trap etc etc and me coming from the deep south I expected it to be so much more expensive. We ate magnificently for 25 euros for 2 people.

There's a Holiday Inn just outside the Vatican iirc with a pool. We stayed in a Best Western a 5 min walk from the Vatican which was great, but no pool.

After Rome head to Tuscany - check out Argentario /Orbetello - easy by train, but might be able to so more if hire a car.

As you've been to Rome before what about going to Naples instead and visiting Pompei/Herculaneum? Personally I preferred this to Rome. Then you have Sorrento and the Amalfi coast right there close by.

Personally I'd go north rather than south busy because of how hot it gets.

Fly into Rome and out of bologna? So take in Rome and then get the train north and stop off maybe one place and then finish off with a trip to Pisa and fly home from Bologna. The coast near to Pisa is lovely if rather expensive. Can't remember the name but sure someone here will know

I did Rome and Milan with train. When I realised it stopped in Florence I wish I'd stopped there. Milan was pretty but we were bored.

Yes Naples to take in Pompeii etc and then either the Amalfi coast or you get a ferry over to the island of Ischia for a few days which is stunning.

@ChocolateHelps

Personally I'd go north rather than south busy because of how hot it gets.

Fly into Rome and out of bologna? So take in Rome and then get the train north and stop off maybe one place and then finish off with a trip to Pisa and fly home from Bologna. The coast near to Pisa is lovely if rather expensive. Can't remember the name but sure someone here will know

Why would you fly from Bologna if you were in Pisa? Just fly back from Pisa.

I’d fly to Pisa, get the train to Florence and spend a few days there, then another few in a hotel with a pool in Lucca and back to Pisa to fly home.

Trains are excellent in Italy -we went from Rome (loved the history, not many hotels had pools) to Florence (very arty and OK but preferred other places) to Pisa for the day (great to see leaning tower and need to pre book it) but a day is enough. Loved Venice and stayed on Venice Lido (there are lots of lidos so check its the Venice one) and there is a beach, as well as lots of history and boat rides.

Loved Amalfi coast though didn't do that by train. Sicily might be worth considering as well - Taormina has quite a lot of history and you have the beaches.

Ooh answers thank you!
Yes I'd thought of somewhere other than Rome but thought it might have more of the 'big ticket' attractions considering DS hadn't been before.
Me and DS could happily go city to city, all sightseeing but DD would hate that for too long. So I do need to balance it up. And we are all happy with beaches as well.
In my last trip I also went to Milan and Venice. Happy not to see them again as lovely as they were.
I'll start researching based on these suggestions thank you so much.

Wow - I knew this was the place to ask! Great suggestions.

I know the area a bit and would suggest Sperlonga or Terracina both lovely beaches a little bit off the beaten track. I have caught the train from Naples to Rome (it's easy) and also the ferry from Sicily to Naples which takes in the Almalfi Coast all highly recommended.

Rome and Naples is a combo you can’t go wrong with and very easy by train.

Nice beach places I’ve been to in Italy are the beaches near Ancona, Tropea in Calabria and, going the other way, the Ligurian coast. You can do day trips to Genoa and the cinque terre from the latter and to Sicily’s aeolian islands from Tropea.

You could pair any of those with Rome or another city like Florence or bologna.

Wish I could go now! Still at least its nice to start planning and looking forward to when we can go with a bit more freedom.

I've done Rome and Naples by Train. Also Sicily - Catania/Syracuse, which was great. Also by train.

Can't wait to get back again.

Lake Garda and Verona.

God I’m feeling so nostalgic for Italy right now! I’d holiday there every year if the choice was just mine
We had a lovely family holiday a couple of years ago in Tuscany, none of us are particularly good in big crowds, we found an apartment which had its own pool (the apartment was incredibly basic, I can’t stress this enough!) but it was at least very cheap! The staff around the place maintaining it were really friendly and there was a bread/pizza oven and shared outside seating facilities as well as a few bbqs. Evenings we stayed in we ended up meeting other families all sat round their bbqs cooking up their own food and we all shared stuff we’d cooked, the kids all ran around playing together, it was just blissful. Barely anyone spoke any English, we don’t speak much Italian, everyone just rubbed along together having a drink and a laugh regardless.
Rome and Florence are beautiful but come with crowds. I’d go back because I fell in love with them both but I’d not want a week in either place with my family.
While we were in Tuscany we did go to Pisa and up the leaning tower and also visited the gorgeous Cinque Terre (again very busy but phenomenally beautiful).

Rome and Florence were perfect. Included day trips to Pisa, Luca and Sienna.

Pompeii and Positano were wonderful too.

You can’t really go wrong in Italy, except for the prices. We are in Malta at the moment - amazing weather, food and people, plus very cheap. And lots of history, although not as beautiful and well known as Rome etc. One to consider in the future maybe.

Hope you get to go to Italy!

We did 4 nights in Sorrento, then took the high speed train from Naples to Rome. The trip wasn't too bad at all - an hour to Naples and then the high speed train to Rome was about 1.5 - 2 hrs I think.

We stayed at the Rota Suites in Sorrento and had access to a posh hotels outdoor pool and swimming deck into the sea, so that was nice.

Loads of sightseeing from Sorrento - we did an amazing day trip to Capri - but DS 12 seemed to much prefer Rome.

I saved this thread ages ago to dream my dreams

Italy - 6 Weeks? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4135742-Italy-6-Weeks

6 weeks, oh if only!

Important to remember that summer temperatures can make sight seeing challenging. We went to Rome and Sorrento in the October break and temperatures were in the 20s - although apparently that was a bit unusual.

I also went to Bologna in September with some friends for a weekend and temperature was about 34 degrees. Luckily most of the streets have cover, but it was unpleasant to walk around in and meant we didn't take the day trip to Florence we had planned.

If you go to Rome you could then go out to Sperlonga for a beach stay. It's not far at all so wouldn't lose too much time travelling. Latina itself is an industrial town, not very exciting but Sperlonga beach is famous throughout Italy for being beautiful and great fun. Alternatively most Italians go East for the beaches, so you could go across to Pescara, Portonovo or Ancona etc.