Italy with kids - Pitstops for Kids

Why you should tour Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome with kids

March 18, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

While visiting Rome with kids, the time will come when you’ll face a full-on mutiny if you suggest even one more museum. This is the moment to head to the Castel Sant’Angelo. This underrated and overlooked site in Rome is a must-do. We are so glad we tried it!

Unlike the Colosseum, Vatican, and Forum, kids are let loose at Castel Sant’Angelo. This mausoleum turned fortress dates back to AD 123, when it was used by Hadrian’s time, then later used for defense of the bridge to the Vatican and as a refuge for popes. You enter right along the Tiber, and almost immediately go across a steep bridge that once opened and closed. Inside, kids can run along the fortress walls, checking out battlements, a catapult, cubbies from which to shoot arrows…the works. Further inside, you can walk the interior hallways and imagine guards and knights, torches and prisoners in chains. Not much has changed, really. Even the flooring is original. There’s a huge hole in the floor where kids can glimpse the dungeon, and up higher, you can tour through papal rooms still decorated for the popes who hid out here over the years. This interior section is actually quite amazing.

At the very top of the Castel, the views of the city are stunning. Be sure to allow time to take photos and use the view to pick out landmarks you’ve visited during your time in the city. There’s even a small cafe where you can pause for hot chocolate and espresso along the battlement one floor below the top (they don’t let you linger here at the tables if you haven’t ordered, however). Near this cafe are the interior rooms housing armor and weaponry through the ages. Unfortunately the descriptions are in Italian only, but let’s face it…by this point in a trip to Rome, kids are done reading things.

We spent several hours here, and loved the freedom to run around and explore at will. Afterward, we walked across the pedestrian bridge into Centro Storico (the old city) where we weren’t far from the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.

Pricing and hours:

Tickets at the time of our visit were €10 for adults and half that for kids 18 and under. We found no line when we visited a few hours before closing. Check opening and closing time, as it varies by season. During our winter visit, the fortress was open until 7 pm, with last ticket sales at 6:30 pm. I recommend touring around 5 pm in winter to be there for the sunset.

Tips for AirBnb Italy: Where to stay in Florence and Rome

March 16, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Originally thought of as only a step up from couch surfing, Airbnb has caught on with family travelers in the US. But what about using Airbnb while traveling abroad? We used Airbnb exclusively throughout Italy, and found the process to be just as secure and convenient as in the states. If anything, Airbnb Italy owners were even easier to work with, and the lodging savings were even better!

Airbnb Italy: Where to stay in Florence and Rome

When renting with Airbnb, it can be hard to know much about the apartment owner or manager. Will he or she be the type to welcome you with a bottle of wine and a binder of suggested itineraries, or be more hands off? You can’t be certain, but while reading reviews, look for information about the owner in addition to the apartment itself. The ‘best’ owners will receive glowing reviews of their own.

We had the pleasure of staying in this lovely Florence apartment, which was only steps from the central Ponte Vecchio bridge. Tucked away behind a pottery shop, this apartment was absolutely ideal. (The photo above is the actual entrance to this apartment.) Better yet, no one was using the owner’s second apartment rental, and she graciously offered our family both. For the first time in a week, our family of five was able to spread out. Our owner was the ‘bottle of wine upon arrival’ type, and even scoured the neighborhood for Christmas Day restaurant reservations for us. Truly, this was above and beyond.

The apartment we rented had a living room, bedroom with extra day bed, and pull-out bed to sleep five. There was a full kitchen (without oven…just stove top) and a dining table. All the little things were there: a hair dryer, shampoo and soap, detergent, and kitchen staples such as olive oil and coffee filters. A grocery store was located just around the corner.

We had a small patio and air conditioning and heat, plus the second apartment with all the same amenities. In fact, the apartment layouts are almost identical. The only exception: the bedroom is bigger in the lower apartment and the living space is bigger in the upper apartment.

In Rome, we rented from Airbnb again, and again, we had a great experience with the owner in terms of the accommodations, communication, and ease. We rented this unit, which was located in an upper middle class neighborhood directly on the Tiber. We were in easy walking distance of the Vatican area, a ten minute walk to Piazza Populo and Villa Borghese, and only meters from the Metro station where we could grab a train to other points in the city. Our longest ‘commute’ was to the Centro Storico (old city) where we spent a lot of time. It was a thirty minute walk without much in terms of metro access, but the entire way was scenic.

This apartment was by far the roomiest we had in Europe, with two bathrooms (a luxury!) and three bedrooms (one of which could be a living room space instead). The kitchen is very small, but we used it for snacks and breakfasts, opting to eat out for dinners. The grocery store is just around the corner, though it does close early and open late by American standards. We felt very secure here, as the apartment building had a doorman and a very elegant lobby. We loved all the space we enjoyed here; our only complaint: the street noise could get loud. I used ear plugs.

What to expect with any Airbnb rental in Italy:

Communication from the owner. You should hear from them within a week of your check-in date, with detailed instructions for finding the apartment and asking about your arrival time. Download the AirBnB app for the easiest communication.
Personal greeting. You will be met at the apartment by the owner or manager and given a tour.
A per-night, per-person lodging fee. This is paid in cash to the owner (usually at the end of the stay). It’s 2,50 euro per person, per night in most cases.
Feedback left for you after you depart. Remember to leave the owner feedback as well. This helps both of you for future trips.

What to expect only sometimes:

Some apartments require a deposit, usually in cash, which is returned before your departure. It will be disclosed whether this is required in the apartment description on AirBnB.
Some will have a bottle of Italian wine ready for you to uncork. Others won’t even have a bottle opener in the house. You just never know!

The Rome you may have missed: Why book a Walks of Italy tour

March 9, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

For anyone who can say, “I’ve seen the major sights of Rome, what next?” the answer is Walks of Italy’s Hidden Gems and Ancient Wonders tour. Perfect for adults and teens, this 3.5 hour tour dips in and out of the city and suburbs or Rome to hit upon a somewhat arbitrary yet completely fascinating bouquet of small stops. None of the sights on the tour take more than thirty minutes to view, and with stops ranging in topic from Jewish history to cannon fire to aqueducts, there’s something for everyone.

What to expect on a Walks of Italy tour:

Before the tour, we honestly thought 3.5 hours might be a little long. In fact, the time flew by, no doubt due to our funny and passionate guide, Andrea. It also didn’t hurt that unlike every other day in Rome, we were mostly off our feet, hopping in and out of a luxury van.

We only had eleven people in our group (three of which were from our family), which meant we were not one of the massive tour groups walking around the city. We started at Piazza Venezia, where we learned about the history of the buildings there and glimpsed the second century ruins that most overlook (away from the Forum). We then walked the short distance to the Jewish Ghetto and Jewish colosseum, where we learned about the history of Jewish Romans from the time the ghetto was established in the 1500s to the Nazi occupation.

We got in our van, and drove past the Circus Maximus and Palatine Hill to view something I’d been hoping to see in Rome: the view of St. Peter’s from the keyhole of the Knights of Malta. This brotherhood swore to protect the Vatican, hence the symbolic placing of the keyhole. It really is magical to peek inside this unassuming keyhole and see St. Peter’s dome perfectly framed there…like looking into some secret porthole. And while I’d read about this wonder in a guidebook, no way could I have found it on my own!

We then headed out the Appian Way, passing the Baths of Caracalla and stopping at the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella. While I’d been on the Appian way in the past, I’d never known there was so much in this area besides the many catacombs. We learned about the road, stopping to walk along it, see the chariot groves in the stone, and learn about the purpose and use of the road. From here, we went to the Park of the Aqueducts, which is actually just a large space with well preserved stretches of aqueduct. In other words, had we gone out here on our own, we really wouldn’t have known what we were looking at, precisely. In fact, each stop Andrea took us to was something we’d never be able to navigate or learn about on our own.

We finished the tour with a few more ‘drive by’ views and a stop at Janiculum Hill, where every day at noon, a cannon blast is set off to let the churches know when to ring their bells. Today, traffic obscures the cannon shot in most neighborhoods, which is why we had not heard it once in our five days in Rome! We certainly heard it from the hill! This is great place to take photos of the city, too. Finally, we drove down a particular street with a view of St. Peter’s dome that creates an optical illusion due to the street’s size and curve of its sidewalk: as you drive closer to the dome, it actually appears to grow smaller. This is yet another small tidbit of Rome I never would have discovered on my own.

We stopped several times for bathroom breaks and/or food breaks along the way, each time at a nice cafe with a friendly staff and great atmosphere. Snacks were on our own; our 11-year-old had the best pastry he found in Rome at one next to the Jewish Ghetto. Again, this tour should not be your first activity in the city, as it won’t hit the headliners, but is rather the perfect thing to do with your last morning in the city, or during repeat visits.

How to book:

It’s easy to book your tour directly through Walks of Italy. We booked online, and printed our confirmation email, which also listed our meeting time and location (just look for the person holding a Walks of Italy sign). They also do tours of the biggies, like the Colosseum and Vatican. They do offer lower prices for kids. Grab breakfast before you go, bring water, and try to be at your meeting point about 10 minutes before the tour time listed.

As we disclose whenever applicable, Walks of Italy offered us a media rate for this tour, for the purpose of review. All opinions remain our own.

How to See a Family-Friendly Italy on a Budget

April 29, 2015 By Sharlene Earnshaw

First off, I want to thank Amy and Kate for hosting me on this blog. There’s a ton of great information on here for everything from summer trips to ski vacations, and I love that. Hopefully this post is a good complement to Amy’s post on day trips around Rome—Rome has some neat history for sure, but so do so many of the nearby towns!

Travelling with your family has its challenges, but it’s a great bonding experience and a great way to instill a love of travel in your children. Italy is a special country chock-full of history, food, and fun—but as you probably know, a visit to Italy typically comes with a pretty hefty price-tag. Footing the cost as even a single traveler can be rough, so how can you do it with a family? Don’t worry—it’s entirely possible! Here are some tips:

Getting There

Flights and accommodation will typically be the most expensive parts of your travel. Start cutting costs before you even arrive in Italy by shopping around for the best deal. Try to pack light so you don’t have to pay as much in baggage fees. Also remember that your cheapest option may not always be to fly directly to Italy—even though Rome is a huge city, you might find that it costs less to fly first into another city in Europe, like London or Paris, and then take a separate budget flight to Italy from there.

Of course, if you have a layover to kill, you’re going to have to keep the kids occupied. The thing is, an airport is just another world for your kids to explore; take a walk and look out the windows. When they get bored of that, sit them down with your smartphone or tablet and get them watching movies using the airport Wi-Fi. If it’s a foreign airport, you may have to use a VPN to circumvent Netflix’s geo-restrictions, but with a VPN hiding your true location, you’ll be good to go!

Figuring Out Where to Go

In general, the further south you head in Italy, the cheaper the prices are. And although many of the northern cities of Italy are beautiful, there’s no lack of charm in the southern parts of the country either. You’ll find plenty of fascinating ruins, sweeping landscapes, and wonderful glimpses into the culture of the country—and by sticking to one region of the country, you’ll also minimize your transportation costs. It is entirely possible to do a grand tour of Italy on a budget, but you won’t lose anything by staying south.

If you do decide to travel around, you may want to look into taking the slower trains rather than the faster (and more expensive) Eurostar trains. If you’re a bit flexible on the days, you may even find that budget airlines like EasyJet and Ryanair offer flights that are cheap enough for your budget.

Sightseeing

Many cities in Italy offer free walking tours, which can be a great way to get oriented and learn something about the history of the cities. However, children will often get bored during these tours, especially during tours with longer stops and more detail. Instead, it may be worth grabbing a guidebook or getting a map and printing off information from online. Have your kids take turns navigating to the next stop and being the tour guide (reading out the information from the sheet).

Once you’ve chosen your cities, do a web-search for something like “free things [CITY]” and you’re sure to come up with a list of activities that you could do on a budget. Seeing museums will add up, so if you plan to see a lot of them, you may want to look into getting a museum pass. Be realistic about how many museums you’ll see, though: if your kids get bored with the museums, you’re not going to learn much about the history anyway as you’re trying to keep them from going bonkers.

One way to keep kids occupied is to play a scavenger hunt game throughout the trip. Make a board with things they’re likely to find and see and do along the trip (eg. “Eat a slice of pizza”, “Hear an Italian man singing”). Have a competition to see who can collect the most “Italian experiences” throughout the course of the trip.

Eating

Eating out for every meal can get expensive, but there are a couple tricks you can employ. First of all, look for accommodation that offers a complimentary continental breakfast—even if you’re stuck eating boring cereal or toast for the whole trip, at least it’s one meal a day that you don’t have to worry about. You can also look for cheap bakeries that offer breakfast goods to cover you on that front. As for lunches, many Italians frown on tourists eating wherever they like in the cities, but find a park or a spot in the countryside and you can have a nice family picnic. You might also want to pick up some snacks and drinks from the local supermarket to keep you going throughout the day.

When eating at restaurants, you’ll want to head a little bit outside the touristy areas of the city and keep your eye out for cafés serving cheap Paninis and pastries—these are numerous all around Italy. And hey, your kids will never complain about another slice of delicious Italian pizza!

Despite its often-hefty price-tag, Italy is a bucketlist country for any traveler—and the younger you can expose the kids to some of the magic of this country, the better! You may not be able to see everything with them on the first visit, especially not if you’re trying to keep costs down and only visiting some of the museums and attractions, but hey, that just means you’ll need to go back again soon!

Hi, my name is Jess Signet. My parents were travelers since before I was born. Even in the womb, I was able to travel all over the place! Boy, did things NOT change as I grew older! Knowing there’s more to the world than the bubble I live in made me want to travel even further. Traveling is my drug and I’m addicted. (Please, no intervention!)