Adventure Awaits Your Family

 We took an overnight flight direct to Venice. Our kids all slept pretty well on the flight, and we arrived at 11:30 a.m. the next day in Venice. We landed at Venice Marco Polo Airport and took a public boat called Alilaguna BLUE line ($15 EU per person). We took the boat direct to the San Marco boat stop and met the host of our Airbnb. 

Our Airbnb in Venice was totally different than any hotel we have ever stayed at – and that was on purpose! I wanted something authentic and memorable for the kids. They loved how different it was and it had plenty of space while being centrally located. Highly recommend a stay here. It was also very affordable.

Dinner: We at dinner at Al Nono Risorto which was a 15 minute walk from our rental. A cute little courtyard and really good pasta dishes. 

 8:00 a.m. – we grabbed pastries from Rosa Salva which was a two minute walk from our rental 

9:00 a.m. – we visited the Campanile de San Marco bell Tower. The kids fed the pigeons here and fair warning – they can get pretty aggressive and land right on you! 

10:45 a.m. – Two hour guided tour of Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica. 

1:30 p.m. – We had lunch at Conca D’Oro which was some of the best pizza we have had! We enjoyed a table outside. 

3:00 p.m. – We walked to the famous Rialto Bridge for some shopping, gelato and of course, amazing pictures!

We headed back to change and rest and then pushed through some jet lag to have dinner at Trattoria da Johnny. This place was NOT a tourist restaurant and a bit off the beaten path. We had an amazing server who was great with our kids and since the restaurant was in a residential courtyard, there were kids playing soccer. 

 8:30 a.m. – we grabbed pastries at Pasticceria Machii which was 5 minute walk from our apartment.

9:50 a.m. – we arranged for a private gondola ride with ‘Lucky Lucca’. luckyluca6@hotmail.com. He was such a great tour guide of the city and even sang to us through the picture-perfect canals of Venice. 

After this ride we grabbed a quick bite to eat, headed back to our apartment to grab our bags and then headed to the train station. 

2:30 p.m. – we took a train to Florence Firenze Maria Novella station to Florence which was about 2 hours and cost a total of around $135. 

4:30 p.m. – we arrived and walked to our rental apartment. We probably should have taken a taxi as there were cobble stone streets which made our walk longer. After we checked into our rental, which I would absolutely recommend – it was clean, modern and beautiful - we headed to dinner. 

7:00 p.m. – we headed to Il Guscio  for dinner.

8:00 a.m. – we headed to S. Forno bakery which was on the way to the Duomo (about a 10 minute walk). 

9:00 a.m. – we headed in to the Duomo Cathedral which is free to the public. We did have to wait a bit but the cathedral was beautiful. After we ate lunch at Gustapizza. You cannot go wring with any pizza or pasta place in Italy! My kids were in heaven. 

After lunch, we shopped at Ponte Vecchio and visited Boboli Gardens. And of course, stopped for gelato at Gelateria la Carraia right near the Ponte Vecchio bridge. 

7:45 p.m. – we at dinner at Osteria de Pazzi which was only about 15 minutes from our rental. They are known for their thick spaghetti-like pici con le briciole (fried breadcrumbs. It is a must order when you go. This is a no frills, authentic restaurant, but food was fresh and delicious. 

We grabbed a quick breakfast and headed to the train station. We took the train to Rome, which took about an hour and a half and cost us around $20 per person. 

2:30 p.m. – we arrived at Rome’s Termini Train Station and took a taxi to the apartment we stayed at. The apartment was a family friends who graciously let us stay there, but we had an amazing location right be the Trevi Fountain. We dropped our bags and headed to the famous Trevi Fountain – and of course, we threw a coin over our shoulder ensuring our return one day.

That night we treated the kids to a cooking class and would highly recommend this if you visit. We did a class with Cookly Cooking Class booking@cookly.me and made homemade pasta and tiramisu. It was one of the best dinners ever and so much fun to do with kids.  

We grabbed breakfast and coffee at Sant’Eustachio II Café. It was packed and with good reason. Delicious pastries and coffee.

9:30 a.m. – we walked to the Pantheon. We did bring scarves in our backpacks as it is custom to cover your shoulders and knees when entering (it was summer so we were all in tank tops). 

11:30 a.m. – we grabbed a slice of pizza and then indulged in gelato at Grom Gelato. After, we walked to Piazza del Popolo and then finally to the famous Spanish Steps. The view from the top is worth the walk up! 

4:00 p.m. – we had a drink at the Hassler Hotel and then stopped AGAIN for gelato. You will be doing this as often as possible as the flavors are so fresh and delicious. Gelataria Valentio is known to have some of the best gelato in Italy!

7:00 p.m. – we had dinner at Spiriti e Forme which was recommended by the person’s apartment we stayed in. It was cozy, quaint and delicious. Unfortunately, it appears to be closed but there are a ton of restaurants within walking distance. 

8:00 a.m. – we grabbed breakfast and walked to the Colosseum. This was a further walk so you may want to take an uber or taxi. Took us around 30 minutes. We pre purchased tickets for a guided tour here which was very helpful to understand the rich history and stories. 

1:15 p.m. - we had lunch at Trattoria Romana La Taverna which was delicious and then spent the afternoon shopping and exploring. 

8:30 a.m. – we hired a private tour guide to visit the Vatican. It was the best decision we made. Not only did she know so much about the Vatican as she worked there, it was a private tour with just our family. It afforded us access to areas we would not have been able to go if we did a public tour. You do have to cover your shoulders here too. 

We saw the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basicilica as well. Plan for this to take around 4 hours, although you can certainly spend more time if you like. 

We traveled  back home. We took a taxi back to the airport, which took around one hour.