Having fully relaxed at the campsite (sort of) it was time to see what Tuscany had to offer. Florence, capital of Tuscany, birth place of Leonado Da Vinci and Pinoccio; and with an international reputation for unsurpassed beauty seemed like a sensible first destination choice.
After the airport driving disaster, we decided on park and ride options for touring anything other than the doorstep. The trains were fabulous, with old fashioned wooden interiors, ticket machines in English and costing only £20 for an intercity journey. Toilets were the European adventure kind, much to the outrage of the children. Cultural bonus.
Florence fact: The Ponte Vecchio has crossed the river in Florence for a thousand years, (barring a post-flooding rebuild in 1300) surviving the fate of all other Florentine bridges which were blown up in WW2, as ‘Hitler himself deemed it too beautiful.
We checked out the famous bridge and marvelled at the abundance of statues . Squares were literally filled with them, like a set of frozen Narnia characters. Florence, I knew from my History A level days was the epicentre of the Renaissance art and architecture. I did not know that Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s birth of Venus could both be found right here. In fact Florence holds one third of the world’s art heritage, a tall order for one afternoon’s visit.
Tuscany looks like such a beautiful destination. I have always wanted to go to that part of Italy and your post has inspired me to try to make it happen this year!
Hope you get there! It is amazing. We are going to try to get to Venice this year. We’ll see…
I grew up in Rome so this made me extra nostalgic! 🙂 Would love to see Lucca one day though. Haven’t made it there yet! Wine under the stars sounds amazing 🙂
What a place to grow up! A trip to Lucca was definitely one of the highlights.
A great read as always and packed full of information.
I absolutely love Tuscany and loved all the places that you included in this blog post! It looked especially fun for kids and that pool looked so refreshing!
The pool was great! Hadn’t seen one like it before – hills in the water but it totally entertained all of us.
We did a similar trip with our kids a few years ago and they enjoyed it too – especially the gelato!
You can’t beat an Italian ice cream!
That was quite and adventure for your family. We’ve had those driving on roads and going the wrong way on a few places also, and with tolls makes it even more a pain.
Yes Italian driving was the low point. Not looking forward to that part on our next trip. All worth it in the end though!
I’m so glad that the rocky start to the trip didn’t impact the kids love of Italy. And it seems like you had the order mix of kid activities and culture. Although jellyfish soup does not sound fun!
You have to take the low to appreciate the highs.😊
This was a sweet post! Even though I don’t have kids I can definitely do some of the things in here on my next trip to Italy! And your kids are so lucky, jet setting from a young age lol
Thank you! Yes it was a very enjoyable trip as an adult too. They are lucky aren’t they? I keep telling them but I’m not sure they believe me.😊
We took our boys to Rome and they loved it Italy is perfect for families
Coffee, culture and ice cream hat trick. Fun for all the family.
Tuscany is such an amazing part of Italy and this looks like the perfect itinerary for taking Kids, they will love it!
It was “best holiday ever” according to the kids.
I absolutely love Tuscany, it’s so beautiful and filled with culture and history. It’s so lovely that the kids can get that experience and that they loved it as well.
Was an all round winner! Can’t wait to go back.
You got me with your bravery! Bravo! Tuscany looks wonderful!!
Tuscany looks so beautiful, I have wanted to visit Italy for so long! I didn’t realise there were so many great activities for kids there too, Pisa looks gorgeous and the campsites look like great fun
Pisa is gorgeous. I think we surprised ourselves at the number of activities we managed to fit in as I am also more than happy with a lazy day. So glad we did though. Hope you get there soon!
What a wonderful compilation of attractions and memories! I feel like I’ve been a stowaway in your travels. You covered a lot off ground—with little ones in tow, too! You’ve inspired me to add several points of interest to my next trip to Tuscany, whenever that will be. I didn’t get to see Rome or Pisa. And I’m totally checking out Park Albatross!
All 3 are great! You will love them. Feel like there is so much more to see too. Sienna next for us (kids are very keen to stay at Park Albatross again, as are we all).
Tuscany is such a wonderful destination, so I’m not surprised if kids loved it too! I think it’s so important to visit historical places like these soon enough as a child, they will definitely open their minds more thanks to it!
I think they may have inherited the travel bug. They keep talking about Japan. Will have to get saving!
What an amazing experience for your family. It looks like camping was the perfect idea for your kids. You all did such great day trips also!
I can’t believe we haven’t been to Italy yet! I absolutely love the day trips because it would be a great way for a first-timer like me to get introduced to the country! Also love the practical advice for travelling with kids. Thanks!
Love this guide! I am hoping to grow my family soon, and it warms my heart reading guides sharing fun family-friendly activities! Also, the slide at the pool and so many of these ideas would be tons of fun without kids, too. 🙂 Thanks for such a variety of activities – historic architecture, camping and poolside suggestions!
I loved visiting Tuscany when we went in 2014! We stopped in Milan, Florence, Pisa, Siena, San Giamangno, Vinci, Voltera and Monteriggioni on the trip. All so unique and beautiful and I can’t wait to go back one day!
This has so much helpful info! Thanks so much!
Ive been to Rome but I am dreaming of getting back to Italy to see the Tuscany region! Beautiful post!
I was supposed to be in Italy this summer, but due to the quarantine the trip had to be canceled. I’m upset because I’m still in the “red” zone …
hope you get to go soon! We managed to fit a visit to Venice in in August, it was strangely and beautifully crowd-free. Was always conscious in the back of my mind what would happen if we failed one of the many temperature checks at airports/restaurants/ museums etc. Let’s hope next summer sees a return to some semblance of normality.
I loved the lessons learned! That’s hilarious!! There’s nothing like travelling with kids to open your eyes to a few things…(or see the world a little differently!) Also bonus that most 2 year olds love pizza and pasta so eating out is easy too! #CulturedKids
great campsite as it seems! I love Tuscany, especially the smaller cities.#culturedkids
I have travelled to lots of places in Italy (pre-kids) but have never been to Tuscany. It is high on my bucket list though. I’m glad there is plenty to do with kids, as when I think of Tuscany I immediately think wine, ha! #culturedkids