Tips for Enjoying Tuscany with a Toddler

Tuscany is touristy for a reason – fabulous food, incredible scenery, warm people that love children, fascinating histor. The list goes on and on. When it comes to travel with a toddler – arguably the most difficult age range of all, touristy is a good thing!

Since there is infrastructure to handle all of those visitors, parents have reliable resources to ensure travel goes as smoothly as possible. English is spoken almost everywhere. Unless you speak Italian, the value of this cannot be underestimated as it ensures your needs and/or your kids needs are understood.

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Tips for Traveling with Kids

There are a few planning basics that should be in place to fully enjoy the region and Tuscany with a toddler.

Stay in the countryside for a week or more

Keeping logistics to a minimum is key. Nothing creates stress faster than packing and repacking multiple times during a relatively short trip. You’ll want accommodations that are truly family-friendly with kitchens and private living space. These types of lodgings have week-long stay requirements running from Saturday-to-Saturday.

While most Italian cities have parks and piazzas that are great for running around, the countryside is ideal for young kids. In warmer summer months swimming is a prime activity. Overall regional sightseeing is easier when you start from outside of the bigger cities. If time permits, plan on staying in Florence for 2-3 nights in addition to the week-long countryside stay.

Select appropriate accommodations

I wish there were as many great accommodations for families in other destinations as there are in toddler-friendly Tuscany! What makes them work so well? For one thing, there are many different options to choose from. You’ll find different quality levels and price points with room configurations that support families.

Apartments with kitchen facilities, multiple bedrooms, plus a living room are easy to find. The key is to determine what other kinds of amenities you want. Most properties have pools, other things that are worth considering when in Tuscany with kids are an onsite restaurant. You may be interested in a fitness center, kids program, tennis, playground and/or staff that can help you do things.

Independent villas are wonderful for a few families traveling together. But, I prefer what we call “resort” options on Ciao Bambino for smaller groups. They are priced better for the quality than villas and families are not isolated from support and services.

Comprehensive amenity lists are outlined on every Ciao Bambino property profile page. To access an easy list of applicable accommodation options, search for “resorts” and Tuscany on our home page or you can sort by the accommodation category on our Italy Destinations page.

Set realistic goals for sightseeing with kids

Main highways run through Tuscany and are efficient for getting across the region. However, most of the charming hilltop villages you will want to explore are down windy, narrow, and very slow roads. Things look like they are in close proximity on a map but actually take quite a bit of travel time due to the condition of the road.

A classic example is exploring the Chianti towns of Gaiole, Greve, and Radda. The roads between these towns are incredibly slow but definitely worth it. Visiting just these 3 relatively nearby villages will take all day when you include lunch (not a fast affair in Italy), potty stops, parking, and of course, getting lost. A good map is a must – Touring Club Italiano has excellent, detailed maps (the key is maps that show small roads).

Favourite excursions

Italians are the best loiterers in the world and this is one of the things I love most about traveling in Tuscany. Travel in this region doesn’t have to be about “activities” or structured things to do.

Our best experiences in Tuscany when our son was very young are those where we explored an area or town without a particular agenda. Simply sitting in one place and letting our son run in a piazza around us, gave us an amazing opportunity soak in the environment.

The reality is that toddlers will not appreciate Italian culture in a meaningful way – with the exception of gelato! Therefore, the things on this list are about open space combined with something of interest for parents. Active toddlers are happy toddlers!

Things to do in Tuscany

Siena

Once you get through the stress of parking in Siena, the reward is significant. The Piazza del Campo – the main public space in Siena – is one of the most beautiful, dramatic squares in Italy. You will be pleased and your toddler will be pleased by the enormous space with hundreds of pigeons to chase.

Lucca

The historical center of Lucca lies within walls that are hundreds of years old. Locals and tourists love to walk, run, and bike on the wide road that extends along the top of the walls. You can use a stroller or consider biking, as there are a number of bike rental shops that offer baby seats

Forte dei Marmi

Beachy upscale Forte dei Marmi is located on the border between Tuscany and Liguria. It’s unlike the better-known Cinque Terre which is not optimized for a toddler with cliffs, steps, and hazards. Forte dei Marmi has a broad, sandy, flat beach with little surf. The beach clubs are open during the summer months and allow families to enjoy the coast Italian-style with good food, coffee, and wine

Chianti Towns

The sad fact is that visiting hill towns in Chianti are a bit like visiting churches. They may all be extraordinary and different, but at a certain point they start to look the same. That said, there are many wonderful, small towns to explore and appreciate.

Greve in Chianti is the one my clients raved most about over the years. The main square is picturesque and home to one of Italy’s oldest and most famous butcher shops, the Macelleria Falorni. Not to mention excellent there is wine tasting everywhere. Most of the towns are comprised of a center (centro) without cars, making exploration toddler-friendly. Note that some towns are hilly with many steps.

Pienza

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pienza is in the Val D’Orcia, part of Tuscany where the landscape is unspoiled and dramatic. Pienza is a Renaissance town famous for pecorino cheese production. The views of the countryside from here are spectacular and cheese tasting is at every turn – fun for every age.

Florence is one of my favorite places on the planet, but it is not optimal with a toddler. It is very crowded and many of the top attractions like museums and shopping are challenging with an impatient child. It is also worth noting that I intentionally left things off of the highlights list that do not work for toddlers. Pisa and San Gimignano would be great for school-age kids.

One thing that is very kid-friendly about all of Italy is the food. The very things that most kids love – pizza and pasta – are plentiful there. Restaurants do not have kid’s menus per se, but many will prepare whatever you want for your children (assuming it is Italian). The result is that finding kid-friendly restaurants is relatively unimportant. Note, parents should travel with a me-too type seat, since not all restaurants have high chairs.

Thanks for this guest post on enjoying Tuscany with toddlers to Amie O’Shaughnessy of Ciao Bambino, the travel site that brings you accommodation reviews and travel tips for enjoying your travels with the family. Buon Viaggio!

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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