My wife and I are fairly frequent travelers to Italy (6 times in the last five years). Our travel plans this year are booked and for the first time since our marriage, we will not be traveling to Italy this year. And add to that, we have joyfully adopted our baby boy a few weeks ago. Already missing Italia, we have decided to return to Italy next year, perhaps late May or early June, and we want to take our son with us. He will be 13 to 14 months old and we are wondering, as first time parents, what would be the ideal child friendly destination?

In our prior travels, we have seen Tuscany, Umbria, Basilicata, Amalfi and Rome. We have not visited Northern Italy, Venice (I should say that I have seen Venice three times, all before I met my wife) or Sicily. Before the arrival of our son, our intent was to visit a new destination, but I think we would be open to re-visiting familiar places. We both enjoy the country and the cities and usually mix it between the two.

While we are slow trav adherents, with the new addition to our small family, I think the dynamics of our usual travel pace will change. Any advice from more experienced slow travelers? Thanks in advance!

Mako

Have you checked, Traveling to Italy with Children in our Frequently Asked Question forum?

Hello Mako,

I am proud to say that I have traveled with my daughter to Europe (especially Italy) ever since was was a year-old.

I have found in the past (since she is 10 now) that Italy is very child friendly, so there are no worries there. I think staying in a apartment for a week works the best when children are that young . Especially if on schedule with naps and meals. Lunch was always the best time to eat-out as dinner was too late for our daughter. She was in bed by then!

Also, a good light-weight stroller that can navigate cobblestones is essential.

Please let us know what other type of info you are looking for with regards to traveling with children. The dynamics do change a bit, but traveling with children is a totally enriching experience.

Hello,
We have been to Maiori with our 18 month old, then last year we have done Rome and Positano when he was 2.5 years old. In Rome we used a 5$ stroller, same in Maiori. In Positano we had a baby carrier. No problem at all. We visited Pompeii, Herculaneum and Paestum with our son.
This year we are heading to Sicily for 3.5 weeks.
In any case you may want to read trip reports, I have published 2 and can be found under Traveling with kids under trip reports section.

Don't hesitate if you have specific questions.