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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Italy 2023

36 replies

mac1974 · 12/06/2022 11:24

I know it's a while off but I'm considering doing Italy in 2023. The problem is I've always wanted to go so want to see it all! We could do 7 days in May or 10-14 days in August. We have kids who will be 8 & 12 when we go and they love beaches & swimming but my eldest would also like to see some of the sights. If we go in August we could do a bit of a road trip & im but thinking of booking through trailfinders as we have a deposit outstanding with them due to covid cancellations.
Anyway, long story short, any thoughts on places to visit? I'd love to do Florence & Rome, interested in Venice but not overly fussed. Lake Garda sounds amazing but is it till of tourists? Be great to find some hidden gems

OP posts:
AnnaMagnani · 12/06/2022 15:46

Venice is a nightmare in August but you only need to look at it! Arrive at station, see canals, go round on a vaporetto, done.

I was warned, I didn't listen, I fainted on the vaporetto. Was more fun in cooler weather - again for children it probably has limited sightseeing appeal.

Quartz2208 · 12/06/2022 15:49

Just driven around Lake Garda in May and it was fine - there were a couple of times the roads were congested (luckily the opposite direction) and one day that parking in Sirmione was difficult but other than that it was fine.

TheDogsMother · 12/06/2022 15:59

If you went to Venice-Verona-Lake Garda (one of the southern towns) you could do it all by train. If you didn't mind adding a short bus or ferry hop you could go to Bardelino which is lovely. I previously went to Venice in early September and was bracing myself for tourist hell but honestly step away from St Marks Square and it's easy to escape the crowds. Verona is lovely and a really manageable size to see the whole place on foot. I'm at one of the northern Lake Garda towns right now where it's current 33 degrees but you can bag a bit of pebbly beach and sink into the lovely Lear lake.

countrygirl99 · 12/06/2022 16:23

Rome is amazing and my DC loved it. We stayeda few miles outside Sorrento and used public transport. It's good and much easier than finding a parking space in the hotpots (also parking was £££). In that area it's better to save on a hire car and spend the money on gorgeous food.

Notoironing · 12/06/2022 17:27

I’ve done a train trip in Italy before starting from Rome and taking in Siena and Orvieto. Both of which are fantastic. More accessible than the bigger cities and Orvieto has a funicular which is quite fun.

Notoironing · 12/06/2022 17:29

Lucca is also a nice city which isn’t as busy as some of the others. You can have day trips in Viareggio which is also nice.

Fitterbyfifty · 12/06/2022 18:53

If you stay in Rome you could easily take a day trip on the train to Florence.

livingonpurpose · 13/06/2022 17:10

In 2018 DS (then age 7) and I did Venice, Florence & Rome, travelling by train between cities. DS absolutely loved Venice and would go back in a heartbeat. We also had a great time in Florence - he didn't find it boring and we used the Mission Florence: A Scavenger Hunt Adventure book to help us explore in a kid-friendly way. Rome was a bit of a wash-out as there was torrential rain and all our clothes and shoes became soaked and made the time there pretty miserable, so we ended up not doing everything I'd hoped we would do.

QuitMoaning · 13/06/2022 20:23

Melassa · 12/06/2022 14:06

Lol at the driving concerns. I drive in Italy, albeit in the north, and I find the driving a lot worse in France. That said I would avoid driving anywhere in Campania (Naples, Sorrento etc.) as it really is survival of the fittest there. Everywhere else is fine although road quality can vary in the more remote areas and mountain areas quite often have lots of scary hairpin bends that I hate and avoid. The motorways are better than the U.K. although pricey.

alternatively get the train, the high speed trains are cheap and efficient. I would avoid August as not only is it very hot (or else the excessive heat in weeks prior has brought on storms), everything costs about 10x as much. May is usually nice temp wise, although this year we did have a heatwave with temperatures a lot higher than normal.

if you don’t like heat go for the mountains, either Alps or Dolomites. Or else the lakes nearby (Garda, Como, Maggiore, Orta). From there it is usually easy to pop to a town for the day for a bit of culture.

I drive in Campania regularly and whilst it is interesting it is doable. You just have to be very alert and keep your wits about you. I have never driven in the Amalfi Coast as it just seems to much of an effort, I stick to the Cilento region which is fantastic.

However the lakes in Italy are incredibly beautiful and take my breath away.

it is very hot in August, normally around 40 degrees. May is beautiful time of the year for Italy.

Keladrythesaviour · 14/06/2022 23:34

@mac1974 look at Sperlonga beach - it's about an hour from Rome I think and a really lovely beach. No idea about public transport though I'm afraid.c

Keladrythesaviour · 14/06/2022 23:35

Oops, just checked and more like 2 hours. Still worth a look!

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