Italy Beyond the Obvious

Family amusement in Italy: 15 excellent parks

Whether you love roller coasters or are just looking for something to balance a few days of museums and churches, you'll find what you're looking for at one of the outdoor parks below. Note that these parks are excellent for kids, but most of them are fun for any age. All the parks are included on the map at the end of this post. Let me know if I've missed any of your favorites!

 
  

 Sculpture parks (blue on the map). Explore outdoor sculpture while walking through the trees. Let the kids run around or even climb on the sculptures.

• Monster's Park. Stone sculptures in the wooded area around a Duke's house, this is one of my favorites.  http://www.parcodeimostri.com/ (website in Italian)

• Tarot Garden. Giant whimsical mosaic sculptures sparkle in the sunlight as you explore French artists Niki de Saint Phalle's creations in this garden. We have some incredible photos of the kids with Niki's sculptures.  http://www.nikidesaintphalle.com/  

• Chianti Sculpture park. Located just 12 km from Siena, visitors can walk through this park and admire the big sculptures by various artists, or let the kids run through the glass labyrinth, pictured below.  http://www.chiantisculpturepark.it/en-index.htm. Or visit the contemporary art gallery: http://www.solartgallery.it/. You can even stay in one of the on-site apartments if you wish: http://www.aiolina.it/eng/home.html. The park also has an amphitheater with concerts between June and August.

 

 

• Pinocchio Park. Follow the Pinocchio path and you'll come upon sculptures and exhibits from the story. Make a puppet, or visit the butterfly house. http://www.pinocchio.it/uk/homeuk.htm

• Italia in Miniatura. Visit a park dedicated to the main sights of Italy, in miniature. Combined passes to the amusement park Mirabilandia are also available.  http://www.italiainminiatura.com/index2.html?ID_lingua=en 

 
 

 Amusement parks (pink on the map) with roller coasters and rides a la Disneyland. 

• Cavallino Matto. This is a pretty traditional amusement park with rides. http://www.cavallinomatto.it/english/

• Gardaland. Probably Italy's most famous amusement park, and some would argue that it compares to Disney.  http://www.gardaland.it/en/home.php

• Mirabilandia. People who have been to both Gardaland and Mirabilandia often say Mirabilandia is better. Go to both and form your own opinion!  http://www.mirabilandia.it/

• Minitalia. This park has fewer rides than Gardaland or Mirabilandia, and has more animals, including a small aquarium and even a Leonardo Da Vinci museum.  http://www.minitalia.com/en/home/

 Animal parks (yellow on the map) One of Italy's most visited animal parks is the Bioparco in the center of Rome, but there are many other places to see animals in the country. Have a look at the yellow markers on the map to see whether you'll be anywhere near them.

• Parco zoo della fauna Europea.  http://www.parcozoopoppi.it/ (website in Italian)

• Citta' della Domenica. This park is geared towards smaller children, with a section on Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, and Little Red Riding Hood. A little train takes visitors around the park to see the animals. There's even a reptiles tower.  http://www.cittadelladomenica.it/home.php (website in Italian)

• Bioparco (zoo in Rome). This zoo is in the center of Rome and is one of Italy's most visited museums.  http://www.bioparco.it/en/bioparco-in-rome.html 

• Zoosafari. http://www.zoosafari.it/index.php?art=news1 (website in Italian)

• Parco Natura Viva. This is right next to Gardaland.  http://parconaturaviva.it/

 

 Water parks (light blue on the map) On a hot Italian summer day, nothing beats a good water park! There are actually quite a few smaller water parks in Italy, and many of the parks above have a water component, but I wanted to include only the best of the best in this list.

• Acqua Village in Maremma. There are 2 locations, one in Grosseto and one in Cecina, just to the north.  http://www.acquavillage.it/index_eng.php

View Italy Parks for kids in a larger map

Tarot Garden photo by Taslair, Monster's Park photo by Andrea Marutti, Gardaland photo by Simone Ramella, labyrinth photo property of Chianti sculpture park, used with permission.

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Lake Maggiore with kids

 

Boats, trains, cable cars, beaches, and castles: I wrote about all this and more, plus restaurant and accommodation suggestions over at ItaliaKids.com, so go read about what to do with kids on Italy's Lake Maggiore.

Photo of Cannero castle by Fiurix, used with permission

 

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Five impressive trompe l'oeil in Italy

Trompe l'oeil is a French phrase meaning to trick the eye, so artists have used this technique for centuries to create the illusion of space or depth. The seaside town of Camogli is famous for its trompe l'oeil windows, but there is a lot of significant trompe l'oeil art in Italy, so I've picked five of Italy's most famous. Take note, because you could easily walk by any of these and not realize your eye was being tricked.

These are especially good to add to an Italy itinerary when traveling with kids, because they're quicker to visit than a museum, and because kids love trying to figure out the trick.

 

1. Ceiling of Sant'Ignazio in Rome is full of trompe l'oeil done by Andrea Pozzo. Both the dome (photo below) and the ceiling (photo above) were created to give the eye the illusion of depth where there is very little. There are even marble markers on the floor of the church so the viewer knows exactly where to stand for the best perspective. 

 
 

2. Palazzo Spada, Rome This trompe l'oeil sculpture was done by Francesco Borromini. The floor is actually inclined, and the columns decrease in size, making the distance between the viewer and the sculpture seem 37 meters (121 feet) long when in reality the distance is just 8 meters (26 feet). The statue seems life-sized to the eye, but it's only 60 cm (23 inches) tall. 

3. Villa Farnesina in Rome's Trastevere neighborhood is famous for its art, including some by Raphael. But it also houses a well-known trompe l'oeil done by artist Baldassare Peruzzi: standing in the correct spot, you'll see a window with pillars at the end of the room. Move a few inches away and you'll change the perspective and realize it's not a window at all, but a painting. 

4. Mantua's Ducal Palace houses a trompe l'oeil oculus done by Andrea Mantegna, in the Camera degli Sposi (Bridal Chamber).

 

5. House of the Vetti in Pompeii has three trompe l'oeil windows.

Any I've missed?

Church of San Ignacio dome from Wikimedia commons; ceiling by Xuvira; Palazzo Spada photo by Anthony Majanlahti; Villa Farnesina by @@@@@; Mantegna in Mantua by Kilo'; Photo of Pompeii by Callicrates2003. 

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Castles with kids: How to choose a castle and ensure the kids love it

Most of the trips I plan for families include a castle, because every parent knows that kids love castles! If you'd like to put a castle on your Italy itinerary, here are some tips on finding the perfect castle, and making sure the kids get the most out of the visit.

 

Choosing your castle

• Italy has hundreds of castles, so unless you have a specific one in mind, you likely will not need to rearrange your itinerary to include a castle - just pick one of the ones near where you're going anyway. Check this list of castles in Italy, or if you're going to be in Tuscany, consider doing one of the six Chianti castle routes (each with several castles).

• Then do an internet photo search to narrow down your list.

• If you want to visit the inside of the castle, check that it's actually open to tourists, and its opening hours. Expect to pick up the phone: many castles don't post a lot of information online. If you can't get through to the castle itself, call the tourist office of the biggest nearby city or town. 

• Once you're in Italy on your way to the chosen castle, give them a call to double check the castle is indeed currently open.

• If the castle allows it (ask), bring a picnic.

How to make the most of your family castle visit

The key to making sure the kids enjoy the visit is to ask them lots of questions. When I worked as a tour guide in an art gallery, we always used this approach with our elementary school tours. When I did guided tours - for adults - of castles and forts (both in Italy and Canada) we told people what they were looking at, with lots of information. We adults like facts. Kids, however, like to imagine, so make the most of it. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Ask the kids why they think the castle was built. Do they see a moat, or is the castle built on a hill? Do the kids think they could climb those high walls? (and if they did, what might happen?) Help them conclude that it was built for protection, then ask why did the people who built it need protection? Were they protecting money, their horses, their video games, themselves? Ask the kids what they might want to protect in their lives. 

• Ask them who they think built the castle. Would someone have to have lots of power or money to build a castle like this or could anyone do it? How long do they think it would take to build a castle like this (you just want them to realize that it would have taken a long time).

• Ask them to find the parts of the castle. Is there a moat, a ditch or a drawbridge? Why would those be useful? Are there towers or lookout "holes" in the walls and what would those be used for? How do you think they defended their castle? Here's a diagram of the parts of a castle if you want to learn proper terms before you go, and here's an interesting list of Medieval weapons.  

• If you visit the inside, ask them to keep an eye out for where the stables might have been (look for iron rings on the walls used to tie up horses), where the living quarters or kitchen might have been, where the guards would have stood, and where the bathrooms are :) Do they think it would be fun or comfortable? Ask them whether they'd like to live here.

• If you can climb up to the castle's highest point, ask them how far they can see. Ask what they think the watchmen would have been looking for (and did they have binoculars)? Can you see other castles from here? (often castles communicated with each other if they saw invaders). If so, ask the kids why people had to protect themselves from their neighbors (history lesson: Italy has been a unified country for less than 150 years, so castles protected themselves from "foreigners".) 

Keep a pen and paper handy because sometimes their minds come up with the most incredible ideas! Have you visited castles with kids or have additional questions to add (or disagree)? Please let me know in the comments!

Photo of the Castle of Fenis in the Aosta region by Elizabeth Buie

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What to do with kids in Rome

 

One of the great things about taking kids to Rome is that many of the city's main tourist attractions are ideal for kids - and are sights you'd want to see anyway. I'd skip the big museums with smaller children, but with a few days in Rome, the whole family can see incredible art, get close to Ancient Rome, eat well, and most importantly, have fun. 

I've shared my Top 10 List of things to do with kids in Rome with David at My Little Nomads so enjoy! 

Photo of the Trevi Fountain by Zugaldia. Kids: did you know half a million Euros worth of coins are thrown into this fountain every year? The Euros go to the Catholic Church and the foreign currency is donated to the Red Cross.

 

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An Easy and Scenic Bike Ride from Italy to Austria

You'd never guess from looking at the photo below that any cycling path in the Dolomite mountains could be easy. But the paved route from San Candido, in the Sud Tyrol region of Italy, to Lienz, Austria, is 42km / 26mi of gentle downhill. It's ideal for kids, rollerbladers, or anyone who wants to focus on the scenery and breathe fresh air - and maybe not get much exercise.

San Candido, Italy - Lienz, Austria

You'll need about half a day for the whole trip, after you get to San Candido. If you need to, rent a bike in San Candido, then just follow the well-marked, well-maintained path. Take a break at one of the many playgrounds or small towns en route, or continue to the very pretty town of Lienz. Allow some time to explore the town before loading your bike on the train back to San Candido. 

Useful To Know...

• The path is busiest on Sundays.   

• Not recommended to ride in reverse because most of the bike traffic is heading the other direction. You'd be dodging a lot of people, some pedaling as fast as possible and assuming nobody's coming in the opposite direction.

• Here's a map of the route.

  

The Trains

• San Candido is 2 hours by train from Bolzano, 3 hours from Trento, or 5 hours from Venice. 

• Trains back to San Candido run about once an hour.

• If you are traveling in a group of 4 people or more, it's less expensive to buy a group pass (person + bike) on the train from Lienz to San Candido.

  

 

What's Nearby?

Add this bike ride to a week of hiking in the Dolomites out of Ortisei. Or, if you're comfortable driving in Italy, add it to an itinerary around the Veneto countryside. Or add another couple days to the Italy Beyond the Obvious sample itinerary from Milan to Venice, but instead of heading down to Venice on Day 2, drive up to San Candido.

Photo of Monte Baranci, Dolomites, at sunrise by Pier/?

Photo of scenery along the bike path by Nico.P

Photo of the bike train by Guido Allibrante

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Art in Italy: Prioritize In Situ

What do the Sistine Chapel, the mosaics in Piazza Armerina or Ravenna, Coreggio's masterpiece in Parma, and Milan's Last Supper have in common? The art is all in situ (think on site), meaning it was created for a specific place. And lucky for us, it is still there.

Art inside Museums vs. Art In Situ

Museums can be great, and Italy has a lot of fabulous ones: a temperature-controlled, properly-lit museum space preserves the art and allows the visitor to see a lot of different pieces in a limited space. All good things. 

The problem is that when art is moved from its original spot, the context of the work is lost. So when you're trying to decide which art to spend your time on, consider prioritizing art in situ. I highly recommend going on a guided tour or at least bringing along a detailed guidebook, but start with the five considerations below to maximize your experience. Kids are fantastic at this by the way. When I worked in an art gallery as a tour guide, I often started with a discussion about the culture, circumstances, and original scene around the work - but when the art is still in its original spot, it's much easier to understand the bigger picture.

Five Things to Consider to Better Appreciate Art In Situ

1) Start paying attention during the approach. This was the artist's workplace. These are the streets he walked down to get to work. He may have tied his horse to the iron ring on the wall you just walked past. He and his team came to work here every day for years: it's where they took their lunch breaks, and probably pretty close to where they had their studio and where they lived. 

2) Locate the light source(s). The art was created pre-electricity for this precise spot, and was designed to be lit by sunlight. So notice where the windows are, where the door is, whether the work is lit from below, above, the sides, or all three. Is the light direct, reflected, or diffused through a stained-glass window? For example, Correggio's Assumption of the Virgin, below, gets its light through round windows on all sides of the dome, and throughout the entire day, because the dome rises into the sky. 

3) Look around at the space. Is the work high up, low down, or in the middle of the space?What other works of art, if any, were chosen to be close by, and how is the entire space "framed" by all the works? Think about the working conditions during the creation of the art. Michelangelo is known to have complained brutally about painting the Sistine Chapel while lying on his back, and when you visit it - and hear that it took 4 years - you can see why. Somebody was also probably pretty uncomfortable sticking all those tiny pieces of glass high up on the walls of the church of Sant Apollinaire in Classe in Ravenna through both the heat of the summer and the chill of the winter.

4) Consider the materials used. Why did the artist choose to use fresco, or oil, or mosaic, or marble, or terracotta (were the materials mined or created nearby?), and how has it held up over the years? Does the work look the same as it did when it was first made or has it faded or disintegrated or been restored, or been covered up on purpose over the years? For example the mosaics in Ravenna have not faded much in 2000 years because pigment trapped between sheets of glass lasts a long time. You can easily brainstorm ideas for this one, but a guide book or a tour guide will help with definitive answers.

5) What's the Big Deal? Think about what could have made this piece of art famous (or ask your guide or consult your book). It has lots of competition in Italy, after all. Was it done by a famous artist and that was enough to go platinum? Or was it because of its location? Was it commissioned by an influential famous benefactor? Maybe it used a new or cutting-edge technique of the era (like Canova used in his gipsoteca), or showed something radical, like The Last Supper. Or maybe it didn't become a big deal until much, much later.

I hope the guidelines above will help maximize your Italian in situ art experience, and feel free to add other suggestions for a great on-site visit.

Photo of Sistine Chapel detail by ideacreamanuelaPps; Da Vinci's Last Supper and Correggio's Assumption of the Virgin images from Wikimedia Commons

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Top 15 Ways to Experience Family Friendly Italy

Traveling with kids can be a challenge or it can be a delight. 

Expect to: move more slowly, not accomplish as much in a day, maybe go back to the hotel after lunch for nap time, and not stay out late. But you can still see a lot, eat well, and have a fabulous family vacation in Italy, starting with the suggestions below.

#1: Meals are Easy. Italians love kids, and welcome them everywhere, including restaurants. Think pizza, pasta, gelato, and look at the restaurant's offerings in the contorni, or side dishes part of the menu. Restaurants rarely have childrens' menus, but are happy to oblige if you ask for a half-portion. 

#2: Beeline to Piazza Duomo, or the main square in any city: an open space with no cars, where the kids can run around or hang out and play around the fountain while you sit and people-watch with an espresso, while you discuss the day's plan. Photo below is Parma's Piazza Duomo.

#3: Set up a treasure hunt based on a theme. For example ask the kids to try to spot angels, fountains, words, or different animals. Rome is a great place to do a "fountain" walk: visit several and ask which one they liked best (give them each a handful of Euro cents for tossing in). Venice is ideal for identifying favorite bridges or boats. Have them take photos if they are old enough. In Florence, ask them to keep an eye out for David sculptures. The "angel" or "halo" theme works well if you're visiting lots of churches with frescoes. 

Or ask them to keep their eye out for written words. The list could include: via, cappuccino, espresso, bar, senso unico, duomo, piazza, pizzeria, trattoria, osteria, ristorante, saldi, gelato, aperto, chiuso, orari, albergo.  If you've found pizzeria, gelato, and saldi, this activity alone may take the whole day.

#4: Beaches: incorporate a day or two of sandy beaches, such as: Elba, Rimini, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, or Lake Garda, or on the island of Ischia off Naples.

#5: Plan short museum visits. Do a bit of research ahead of time and pick a few paintings from the museum you're planning to visit. Then beeline to those paintings and ask the kids questions that force them to really look at the art work. 

When I worked as a docent at an art gallery, I'd ask my group of 5-year olds: what are the people in the painting/sculpture doing? Do you think that person is happy? How do those people know each other? Where do you think they live? How old are they? Do you think they are having fun? Would you like to be their friend? 

Allocate an hour or two, maximum, for museums, and afterwards go find a gelato.

If the kids are misbehaving, visit one of Italy's numerous torture museums to scare the kids into being good for the rest of the trip. ;o)

#6: Head for the pedestrian-only streets which are, in most cities, a low-stress area for kids to amble, and great for window shopping or paying attention to detail. My favorite pedestrian streets are in: Venice (of course), but also Bologna (photo below), Turin, and Siena.

#7: Visit a grocery store or market and discuss the different types of food you don't have at home. Don't miss the dairy and pasta sections! Have the kids help pick out food, then head to a green space - see #8 - for a picnic.

#8: Let them run around in a large green space, such as Rome's Villa Borghese, the Boboli gardens of Florence, the Parco Sempione in Milan, the park of the Palazzo Reale in Monza (a 10-minute train ride - see #15 - from Milan), the Parchi di Nervi outside of Genoa, any of the Villas in Lake Como or Lake Maggiore, or the Botanic Gardens in the city of Parma. To name a few of my favorites.

#9: Visit Childrens' Museums. There's a children's museum in Rome, and it's worth checking the MUBA website for childrens' exhibits around Italy (current exhibits in Milan, Treviso, Florence). There's also a children's museum in Siena,

#10: Climb up churches or towers to enjoy the views. Rome, Florence, Venice, Bologna, Lucca (photo below), and Milan are great ones. Best of course, if kids have the stamina and are not afraid of heights, and of course if you're not carrying them in a baby carrier!

#11: Rent bikes and ride around the walls of the Tuscan town of Lucca or go up to the Dolomites and ride the one-way, downhill bike path into Austria. Then take the train back.

#12: Ask the kids to look at the "pictures" and tell you the story when looking at mosaics in Palermo, Ravenna, or Piazza Armerina (Sicily), or at frescoes or stained glass windows. For example, looking at the stained glass window below: What do you see in the picture? What is happening? 

#13: Amusement parks and attractions: consider spending half a day at Gardaland or another amusement park on Lake Garda; Il Cavallino Matto in Tuscany; Italia in Miniatura near Rimini; the Pinocchio park in Tuscany; Zoosafari in Puglia; Citta' della Domenica in Perugia. Visit the Genoa acquarium, Citta' dei Bambini (Children's museum), or Museum of the sea.

#14: Castles & Bridges: Kids love castles and bridges, and making up stories about them. And there are many in Italy. Some of my favorite castles are in Tuscany and Umbria, as well as the castles around Parma, one in the town of Sirmione (photo below), the castle Sforzesco in Milan, the 3 castles in San Marino. There are so many amazing bridges in Italy, and you can talk about which ones are longest, getting them to count their steps or count the arches across. I've written about my favorites in the north and south.

#15: Use public transportation: kids love (short) train rides, trams, buses, subways, and boats. Great boat rides include the Cinque Terre, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, the Amalfi Coast, the trip from Naples to Capri or Ischia. And, of course, Venice. I usually recommend people avoid the gondolas in Venice, because they are overpriced and because the gondoliers exude a tourist-friendly  - but not authentic - persona. Instead, ride a vaporetto or water taxi. But: with kids, a ride in a real gondola may be worth it.

p.s: For finding family-friendly accommodation around Italy, Ciaobambino is a great website, though not as extensive as the more time-consuming website Venere. Or, contact me, and I'll put together a trip that meets everyone's needs.

Ladybugs photo by Pier Luigi; All other photos by Sanjay

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Lago Maggiore

Take the train or drive from Milan to the town of Stresa, on the Lago Maggiore, and spend the day enjoying the scenery of the Alps and of course the lake itself. Hop on the boat to visit the islands: Isola Bella, Isola dei Pescatori, and Isola Madre.

The Isola dei Pescatori or Fisherman's island is indeed just that: an island of fishermen. When I was there guiding a hiking trip with Butterfield & Robinson we almost got stranded on this small island because it started raining and the ferries stopped running. We did find a nice fisherman to take us back, though. The photo above is the Isola Pescatori with the Alps in the background.

On nearby Isola Bella both the palace and grounds are open for visiting.

And here's a view of the gardens behind the palace on Isola Bella: 

On a boat ride keep your eye out for some of the incredible villas along the shores of Lake Maggiore.

 

 And More

• Take the Lago Maggiore Express, a journey with spectacular views, done by train and boat, that goes through the Centovalli (one hundred valleys).
• Relax on a sandy beach with views of the Alps (kid-friendly!)
• Drive up to the Swiss town of Locarno at the northern end of the lake, and take the lift up to Cimetta to enjoy the fabulous view (photo)
• I've done several half-day hikes around Stresa and Verbania, but for more strenuous or longer hikes, head north into Switzerland (Val Verzasca, Valle Maggia)
• take the 20 minute cable car ride up from Stresa to Mount Mottarone, at 1491 meters. Stop at Alpino partway up to visit the Botanical gardens.
• Visit the Villa Pallavicino and enjoy the villa and the flowers and animals (kid-friendly!)

Logistics

The Milan - Stresa roundtrip by train or car plus island-hopping can easily be done in a daytrip. Check the LeNord train timetables here. Best for trains from Milan, otherwise check trenitalia.it. Check the boat schedule at www.navigazionelaghi.it

Photos by Sanjay

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