My mum and brother-in-law celebrate their 70th and 40th birthdays this year respectively.

We're planning a family holiday and everyone is keen on Italy. But none of us have been before so we don't know where exactly.

There will be six adults and a baby of nearly a year old and we'd like to go in September.

Good weather would be nice but none of us are sun-worshippers. A private villa near to stuff to do (town, market, walks, beach) would be our ideal.

Any recommendations.

Venice is beautiful, been twice in the past year. The first time was for work and the second time I took my wife as a surprise for her 30th birthday.

Lots to see and some great places to eat.

I went in September last year and it was still very hot.

Never been Venice but really would like to go!

Palermo is nice and simple also with a beach, so great for the little one!

Rome is also nice but a city so probably not as much fun with a young baby

I am the sort who likes to just wander and stumble across stuff as opposed to following an itinerary of must visits, so my way would probably not be suitable for a party with a baby!

No idea about private Villa's but im sure there are plenty about!

Last time i was in Sicily i know work is quite scarce and i think prices have come down unsure of Mainland as i have not been for a while but when i was in Rome thought it was quite expensive and a mainly Cash culture but this was in 2007 i think!

If your pretty relaxed about it all most places should be fine as the Italians are very family orientated so would accommodate pretty much anything within reason

Hope you have a nice time!

I would steer away from the cities, and go for a smaller town or village in the south.

Tuscany or Umbria if you Like visit ancient cities.

I worked with an Italian exchange placement and she(28-32 ish)recommended that coming to Italy for the first time as a UK tourist Florence was the place to visit.

Listen to him ^^^

Maybe fly to Pisa, then work east to Lucca, Montecatini Terme and Alta (by funicular ) and Florence, well, just because it's Florence

The San Gimigniano thing is all very pretty but rather touristy imo.

Venice is great by boat, otherwise all walking and not particularly cheap.

Yes certainly that's a Tuscany and Umbria thumbs up from me too.

We have been visiting for the 4th year running and its absolutely beautiful part of the country and we spent 10 days touring and can't wait to return this year hoping.

We got some great advice last year from the forum for that trip around Tuscany and Umbria so could be worth while looking back at that thread.

Agree with Rosso. We spent 5 weeks in Italia Oct/Nov 2014 which included over a week in Tuscany/Umbria.

Even found some workshops with some interesting Fiats in them.

Santa Margherita Ligure was also great and close to Portofino (a ferry ride) and Cinqe Terre.

Another vote for the north east, with a side trip to Florence and perhaps Sienna. Lakes, mountains, interesting roads, old towns and cities... we've wombled round there a few times, most recently the 20th anniversary Coupe trip.

After the 2014 event in Turin we visited this area and took the ferry ride to Portifino. All very beautiful. We stayed in Turin and explored the Piedmont region by car and train. There are some really nice small towns in the region and great food and wine. One of the best meals we've ever had was found in the town of BRA.

We plan to return in 2016, heading further south, so we'll be watching this thread with interest

We found our Holiday rental through the Trip advisor website. There were plenty of Villas, many with pools, which were tempting but we chose to be in the city.

We go to Italy nearly every year - mostly Umbria but also Tuscany and La Marche.

Lucca's a good shout - its a nice town with a great walk/cycle around the city walls. It has big market days and September is their main month for festivals, so they'll be quite a bit going on. Its also close to a string of beaches. There are plenty of villas in the hills to the north, and the airport at Pisa is easy to get in and out of.

One thing to be aware of though is the tafani, these are horseflies about 20mm long and have a big bite on them. They're mostly feeding around July - August, so September could be less of an issue, and are really only a problem around the swimming pool. If you avoid villas in very wooded areas it should be fine.

I have been there sevral times , Richione great is place to be , if you like good eating i know there a verry good restaurant runn by friends of ourse, cheap to stay in september,and not to boring . The flower rivieara is also nice, manny great places , also pretty close to Monaco , nice for an litte side trip.
Imola , was not to expensive also , and you can eat with youre whole familie at the Imola racetrack where there is an awsome restaurant.
Maranello, is if you order youre tickets by booking.com also cheap, the Ferrari hotel was awsome , and ofcourse a side trip to the Ferrari museum is great.

We go to Italy every year, we mostly do the lakes due to it being very reasonably priced and good access to some of the cities.
lake garda or that area is our normal go to place. Rent a car and explore the lovely area.

i'd also recommend Sardinia as an alternative to the mainland, if you stay in or near the main towns there's everything you need and it's a lovely place. Prices are fair and the food is awesome - i stayed in Alghero on my recent visit and i loved every second.

Have a great time wherever you go...

Travel to Italy many times in my life to visit family and friends, only returned few hours ago.

It's a beautiful country which has so much to offer all tourist of all ages.

If you want mountains try Cortina in the Northeast or Asota Northwest. Fantastic scenery, if you like walking there's nowhere better.

If you want cities; Venice which is beautiful but can be expensive. Do the tourist bit then venture off and explore for yourself, make sure you have a good map it's very easy to get lost. Don't eat in one of the tourist traps watch and see where the locals eat and take there lead.

I've visited Venice 20+ times and still find new bits. If you decide on Venice you could stay in Treviso which is about 15-20 miles northeast. Much, much cheaper and you can get a train straight to Venice, about 20 minutes, very cheap. Family have a house in Treviso, I love visiting that beautiful city.

Other cities worth visiting or staying; Milan, Verona, Ferrara, Florence, Pisa, San Marino, Rome, Sorrento & Amalfi (returned from both 2 months ago) both are beautiful but they can be very expensive.

Maybe the lakes might take your fancy try; Maggoire or Como, both beautiful and slightly cooler during the period you're thinking of.

If you want to head to a coastal resort you could try either; Rimini, Viareggio, Jesolo

Italian islands are also worth considering; Capri (very, very expensive but beautiful), Elba, Sicily or Sardinia.

If you plan to hire a car and travel around you could try Tuscany or Umbria regions

September would be a good time to go, it's slightly cooler particularly if you plan to head south. Other times worth considering June or early July.

Thanks everyone, some really good suggestions to research.

I'd love to visit Venice but my image of it is having to get a gondola everywhere and I'm not sure that's the best idea with an infant.

Nah, you can go *everywhere* in Venice on foot. Not my favourite place, mind, but worth a trip once. I feel they don't look after the place properly...

Many years ago, we got an agritourismo villa type think in Tuscany (Greve in Chianti I think it was).

I seem to remember it being reasonably priced, but not on the beach as it were.

We did trip to Maranello & Sant' Agata, Florence, Pisa, Siena etc which was a great break.

San Gimignano is a bit of a tourist trap, but if you know nothing about the place, seeing it for the first time is stunning.

Rome, Venice, the Amalfi coast are all good.


Had a long weekend in Palermo a couple of years ago and loved that.

I like to get the boat from San Feliciano over to the smaller island on Lago Trasimeno. When you get there, there's absolutely nothing to do but I enjoy the enforced idleness so much I keep going. I've been there loads.

And Cortona has a really good photography festival - Cortona on the Move - that pops up all over the town. Some in some really interesting spaces. I've tried to get something shown there a couple of times but no luck yet.

For a family first time trip I'd say Sorrento. Stunning location - bars/restaurants/nightlife........ Then theres the Amalfi coast / Capri/ take the ferry to Naples and trips to Pompeii/Vesuvius....all nearby

After all this mouth-watering talk about Italy we've just booked our summer holiday on Lake Como in an airbnb

The most astonishing bit was encouraging Mrs Ed to make a quick decision before the air fares went up

Interesting that she really almost prefers the planning process, changing her mind, etc. whereas I like to barge in and settle asap. I enjoy the travelling more and hate changing my mind

I hope to go this year to and hopefully with the Coupé, but the end of my contract is in june , and i have an Anniversary comming up , so we have to look whats left of oure funn budget.

the wife and I stayed in a superb Apartment/Hotel on the Hill north of Verona. A lovely city with I think the 2nd largest amphitheater in italy. It's a good base for other places. Hired a fiat 500 and drove partly round Lake Garda. (it's longer than you think!) Also Venice is a 1 hour drive down the motorway. We hadn't planned that day out. We woke up Sunday morning, and just decided to Drive there! Seemed quite surreal at the time.