Northern Italy Family Holiday

Welcome to Venice, Italy. This watery wonderland of bridges, towers, piazzas, canals, churches and gondolas – practically unchanged for 600 years – is literally sinking under the weight of its sights. Your Italian adventure will begin with a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight. There are no activities planned before the meeting, but if you arrive early there are plenty of things to keep you and the family busy. Take a walk around the maze of streets behind Piazza San Marco and begin to understand the complex canal system of Venice. The Grand Canal is a great place to start, as you can stroll over the Rialto Bridge and browse the endless amounts of boutique shops that sell Venetian masks and handmade Murano glassware. After the meeting, enjoy dinner with the other families at a local restaurant.

After breakfast, venture out and explore Venice on an orientation walk. There are only two ways to get around this city – on foot or by boat. Wander around at the Doge’s Palace, the Piazza and Basilica di San Marco and the Bridge of Sighs, taking in the views of the waterways as you go. Once the walk comes to an end, take a quick gondola ride over to Rialto – the heart of the city. Take some free time to explore the city, and consider catching a vaporetto (water bus) to San Giorgio to climb the bell tower for a panoramic view of Venice. Otherwise, travelling down the Grand Canal via Venetian gondola is a great way to immerse yourself in the waterside culture, or the Palazzo Ducale overflows with paintings from Italian masters making it well worth a visit too. Meet up again in the afternoon at the private workshop of a professional mask maker, where you’ll learn to make your own mask using traditional working methods treasured by the people of the city.

Take a morning trip to the Italian Riviera – a region studded with tree-coated mountainsides and colourful townships sitting in the background of the tranquil Ligurian sea. The first stop on this trip through is Levanto – nestled between a thickly wooded valley and the ocean. During your stay here, chop and blend up basil, olive oil and other ingredients as you enjoy an authentic pesto making class with a local family. Once you’ve got a grasp of these traditional Italian culinary techniques, cooking at home will no doubt become that much better.

Venture out on the footpaths of Cinque Terre – a region of Italy famed for its coastline and pastel villages on sharp cliff faces. These paths weave between the villages past olive groves, vineyards and onwards to idyllic, breathtaking vistas. You can choose to walk just a few sections if you like – all of the available paths offer excellent views of the majestic scenery. Otherwise, you’re also more than welcome to take a train from village to village if you’d prefer to put your feet up and relax.

Spend some time relaxing on the beautiful Cinque Terre coastline – perhaps go for a dip in the waters or source out some fresh local seafood. Afterwards, travel on an early afternoon train to Pisa (approximately 2.5 hours). Once you arrive, take a bit of time to explore the Field of Miracles while taking in the intricately structured architecture of Duomo Cathedral, Piazza Del Duomo and of course, the World Heritage-listed Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Today you will take the train from Pisa to Rome but not before you get the chance to try some of the city’s famous gelato and snap some family photos with the iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa, or, if you’re daring enough, scale up the 300 spiralling stairs to get a better view of the field below (own expense). After you arrive in Rome, the evening is yours to enjoy your way. You may like to settle down to a traditional Roman dinner in a trattoria – known to be simple but full of flavour.

Vatican City is the smallest country on the planet yet holds many of the Catholic world’s most significant sites. Today you’ll get to explore some of its highlights including the St Peter’s Basilica, The Sistine Chapel, and Piazza San Pietro. Explore the wonders of the Vatican Museums using an audioguide so you and your family can go at your own pace. Tonight is free for you to eat the best Roman pizza and gelato in town – it’s not hard to find them, but it takes local knowledge to eat away from the tourist traps and in authentic places. Luckily you’ve got a local leader to show you the way and give you all suggestions!

Your Northern Italy Family Holiday comes to a close today and there are no further activities planned. That doesn’t mean your adventure has to end! If you would like to extend your stay in Rome, we’ll be happy to organise additional accommodation (subject to availability).