Where to go in Italy with a three year old

[tokajlover]

We just returned from a holiday in Lake Garda with DH and DD(2) and it was a resounding success! We had a wonderful time and did loads of beaches but still managed to do cultural/touristy stuff like Verona, Trento, museums and galleries and my little one was happy to do it all and more easy-going than we thought she’d be! (Not to say it wasn’t at times more complicated/difficult but overall it went as well as it could with a two year old!)

We love Italy and it’s just the best destination for us, and we are already looking to book our next holiday for next summer to try and save money, but we’d love to try a new place/region.

We were thinking maybe of Puglia, ideally we’d get a little villa with a pool and split our time between that/beaches and cultural stuff but I know it’s very important to choose a place that’s not too far away from everything, so any recommendations on that, as well as on any other parts of Italy that work with a three year old probably still using a buggy would be appreciated!

We visited the area from Genoa round to Cinque Terre and La Spezia with small children. In Genoa (where we flew into), dc enjoyed the aquarium, Biosphere, The City of Children and we found a fenced, open-air playground filled with multiple jumping cushions and climbing frames in the old harbour.
Monterosso is the most family friendly town in Cinque Terre, as it has a flat promenade and beach and an enclosed playground surrounded by lots of cafes and restaurants. There was a fabulous playground in Manarola, but it’s a steep town.
We spent an afternoon in Levanto and found an amazing play area right on the main town square. You reach it easily from both the station and the port and it is super well equipped. It even had an enclosed trampoline and merry go round.

We went to Sorrento & the Amalfi Coast when DD was 2 & had a great time.
Stayed in an apartment in Sorrento; bought food from local shops & supermarket for breakfast, some packed lunches & mainly ate out at night.
We used public transport to get around - it's a hub for both buses & trains.
We visited Amalfi & Ravello; Pompeii, Herculaneum, explored Sorrento & found a fab local playground.

Umbria is lovely and we really liked Perugia. We stayed here , it was a great base for exploring and equally just chilling at the cottage. You’d need a car though.