Family Trip Planning

  Planning Our Trip To Italy 
  Originally uploaded by fredwilson.

We are headed to Italy (Venice, Florence, Siena, Rome) in a month. The flights have been booked for months and so have the hotels. But the rest of the trip's itinerary has yet to be filled in. We like to have our trip booked solid a good month before we leave.

So the Gotham Gal got everyone together yesterday afternoon and laid out poster boards on the dining room table. Each city got a poster board.

Then everyone got out their laptops, travel guides, articles torn out of travel and food magazines and newspapers from the past year and we went at it. I hit delicious, google blog search, and a number of other web services. Emily and Jessica wrote down all the recommendations on the poster boards. The Gotham Gal managed the process. Slowly but surely the itinerary is getting filled out.

I love doing it this way because when we actually do the trip, everyone will remember why we picked that particular shop, museum, art gallery, restaurant, or whatever it is we are visiting. It makes it that much more of a collaborative experience.

Comments

[Erik Schwartz]

You're going to Montalcino, right? Home of Brunello? It's best to go for the festival of the thrush (but you missed it this year). One of the finest meals I've ever had was sitting on the hillside of Montalcino, munching salty little roast thrush and drinking Brunello.

Orvieto is nice too.

[Giordano]

Hi Fred,

feel free to shoot me an email if you need any tip. Part of my family is from Venice and I've lived in Rome, so I can point you to some undiscovered gems.

Some restaurant tips for Rome:

Giggetto - in the Jewish ghetto, traditional Jewish Roman cooking - the fried artichokes are to die for.

Checchino ar testaccio - you cant go more traditional than this. Try the pajata if you are not easily grossed(pasta with cow interiors).

Bolognese - to see Rome's "oi polloi" and eat a mean "fritto misto all italiana"

[Giordano]

Ah... an alternative to Giggetto is Piperno. Pretty much the same food, a bit more upscale.

[adam]

Fred,
Just got back from a week's trip to those four cities. It was amazing. [http://www.flickr.com/photos/abrin]. Make sure to bring good shoes (and an extra pair); walked everywhere. It's amazing how short the distances are between things, and you see lots of things you'd otherwise miss on the back streets. When planning take into account that certain things are closed at certain times and days. There's a strong siesta tradition in Rome (most of the churches are closed from 12-4) and almost everything is closed on monday except the Vatican. In Florence, walk to the top of the Duomo's Bell Tower if you have to choose between that and the dome. The view's are worth it. If you can, do both. But, most of all, make sure to take some time and relax...

best, adam

[jeremy]

there is this gelato place in florence. can't remember the name right now, i will have to check on it-- it is unbelievable.

[Daniel]

I advise to not plan everything out but instead leave some time for adventure.

[Daniele]

Hi Fred,
I hope you'll have a great time in my country. I am from Rome, if you need any advise or any help just email me. Your blog has been so inspiring for my job that I will be delighted to be of any help.

Enjoy Rome!
D.

[Jernej]

Why not just go with whatever feels right at that particular moment? Where's the fun of discovering new places, getting lost, spontaneous grand ideas, going left when everyone else goes right and the rest of the exciting travel moments if you've already planned and booked everything??!

If there's one thing I learned while traveling - nothing goes down as planned and there's nothing as boring as a perfectly executed plan.

[Barnaby James]

My wife and I are heading to Florence / Siena around the same time. I'm hoping we'll miss the summer crowds but we're doing this on short notice so we'll be going the "spontaneous" route!

[Bosko]

With the exception of Florence, the remainder of Tuscan "little-cities" (Siena being the largest) are best accessible by car. In fact, you could very easily rent a car near Florence and drive to Siena (on your way down you can drive right through the chianti classico county and sample wines, honey, and olive oils). If you continue south from there you will reach Montalcino, as well as dozens of little top-of-the-hill fortified cities.

Not sure how tuscanny looks like in the winter, but you'll certainly have a blast once you get used to driving the windy roads and such.

[JayR]

With an itinerary like yours, you'll be doing a lot of driving (or at least traveling between cities). If you're driving, make sure to stop at the smaller towns. Lucca was our favorite; if you happen to be going towards Pisa, then it's worth a stop. San Gimignano is not far off the road from Florence to Siena, and it's a really neat place to walk around.

The place in Florence that is the best-known gelato place is Vivoli, near Piazza Santa Croce. It's hard to find bad gelato (or a bad meal, for that matter), unless you're eating within view of a major tourist attraction.

It should be a great trip. You should make sure to check ahead as to whether the places you want to go will be open.

[drew]

A few tips based on my trip to Italy a year ago. In Florence hire Carla (www.carlasway.com) to take you around for a day - she'll give a great overview of the city and knows art history quite well. In Venice eat at Al Gondolieri in Dorsoduro. Best meal I had in Italy. Read Brunellesci's Dome, a fascinating architectural history of Florence and the Duomo. You can book ahead at the museums in Florence and Venice, and should during peak periods. The reservation fee is just a few euros.

[Ben Tanen]

Lucca -- Ristorante Giglio -- there was a nice article about this walled Tuscan town in the NYTimes some months back. Definitely worth a stop especially for bikers in the family since the city wall is now a bike path 40 feet above ground level.

Rome -- Dar Poeta -- great hole-in-the-wall neighborhood pizza place in Trastevere with a feeling (local regulars, American college students abroad, families with little kids, exposed brick, amazingly delicious food especially for the price) much like a downtown New York place. Only other advice is we walked EVERYWHERE in Rome and the experience of stumbling on a huge ancient excavation site is unlike anything else in the world.

[Ben Tanen]

Oh one last thing, I assume this is over school vacation. Call NOW to confirm days that EVERYTHING is open. Some places, especially restaurants, close for a week between Christmas and New Years, some for the week beginning 1/1 (or 12/31, or maybe 12/30 this year). There is no way to predict and you'd hate to plan your time assuming you can make a visit someplace and then having not turn out.

[JayR]

How did I forget to mention the biking in Lucca? We taught my daughter how to ride there, on top of the the rampart there. Biking is a great way to see some of the smaller places. You can rent bikes in pretty much every city, and you'll have a lot of company.

You should also try to weave in a concert or two while you're there. Some of the venues are unbelievable.

[jackson]

My Italian trip (Venice, Florence, Rome Pisa)with Mom and Dad in 1980 is still the most memorable vacation I've had. I often dream of doing a re-create with D.

I will not bother or presume to tell you how to do it, or where to go. It is inevitable that you will eat good food and see cool old stuff.

[flintiger]

Hi Fred,

Have you ever thought that Venice was a great city to actually get lost (even with a family and and mostly during winter) instead of organizing a sort of Japanese tour bus ? But maybe this idea sounds too European and too romantic...
It's funny all those comments recommanding you different shops, restaurants or gelaterie. You really need to start a wiki !
(if you ever happen to read this comment which I think you won't :)

[Bill Brister]

Fred -

When you are in Rome check out ... www.driverinrome.com ... My wife and I honeymooned in Rome last month and only had 1 1/2 days to see the city. Daniele and Remo run Driver In Rome ... they are worth EVERY penny spent on a 1/2 day or full day tour of Rome. They will show you places you would not have normaly seen and they tailor the tour specific to what you want to see. Dawn and I saw in 4 hours with Daniele more than we would have seen in 2 days alone.

Tell Remo you want to taste some Gelato!!! He'll hook your family up!

Have fun ... Ciao'

Bill Brister

[Dustin]

Venice? I hear the roads are made out of water?!

[ack]

Looks like Italy is popular. I just got back from a week in Rome and Florence and had a fantastic time. Clear and cool in the high 60s. Huge amount of walking ("Trip of Stairs") but both cities were excellent.
- Best Gelato right SE of Ponte Vecchio in Florence
- If you have time, do a Chianti tour, a huge highlight for us. Some pics.

[David Beach]

Hey Fred,

Looks like we'll be there at the same time. My family and I are leaving tomorrow for Florence, then Siena for Christmas, and Rome for New Years.

Maybe we'll see ya around ;)

Have a great trip!

-beach

[carl rahn griffith]

just avoid the "see naples and die" bit ... ;-)

rome's a fabulous place - never done venice, is on our list for a future trip. i do hope you're not driving in rome?! if so, good luck!