Italy Tour with Kids: Discovering the Best of Rome, Sorrento & Amalfi Coast

Rome is a city that will captivate children of all ages, including adults with a sense of the whimsical. The ancient streets take you back in time as the historical architecture conjures images of gladiators and robed politicians that pose in front of pillared temples. The scent of savory pasta emanates from the numerous trattorias around the open public piazzas. Your family will land at Fiumicino Airport, and your private transfer will await your arrival. Your family will settle into the comforts of a luxurious hotel in the heart of the city that overlooks the red-tiled rooftops of the Rome, accentuated by the bell towers of the city’s various churches.

Your guide will meet you in the lobby and take your family on a remarkable introductory tour down narrow lanes and into hidden piazzas adorned with inviting gelato shops. The kids will marvel at the size and age of the Pantheon as the iconic Roman structure was rebuilt in the year 80 AD after a fire destroyed much of the original temple. The dome rises to a height of more than 140 feet with a hole in the center that allows natural sunlight to fill the interior. In the 7th-century, the Pope dedicated the former pagan temple to the Virgin Mary and Christian martyrs. The former King of Italy Vittorio Emanuele II has his tomb in the Pantheon to blend contemporary history with the ancient world.

Rome bursts to life in the morning as locals step onto the streets to work, and the cafes set out their umbrella-covered tables along the cobblestone piazzas. Painters venture to Piazza Navona to capture the trickling fountains as Baroque piazza glint in the natural light. After breakfast, your guide will meet your family at the hotel and escort you to the grounds of the fabulous Gladiator School. The instructor will greet your kids with tunics and foam weapons and send them out into the pit to learn the ancient trade.

Although the weapons are fake, the tools the instructor uses to teach the kids the tricks of the gladiators are based on real techniques and the training methods used by the ancient fighters. Your kids will swing their swords, jump over poles and work hard to pay attention. Their laughter will fill the training grounds and at the end of the session, your kids will get an official gladiator name of their own. Then set out to discover more of the ancient structures of Rome that continue to decorate the city, beginning with the impressive Colosseum. The kids will be even more excited to visit the historical structure after having gained their gladiator status.

Builders broke ground on this incredible structure in 72 AD. The columns on the outer wall support the height and weight of the stone structure, which reaches 187 feet tall. The kids can easily imagine the shouts and cheers from the 50,000 spectators inside the Colosseum during gladiatorial games, theatrical performances, and festivals. Your guide will lead you on a secret tour of the structure beneath the former wood floor of the arena to explore the labyrinthine walls that once held caged animals and gladiator warm ups before the official games began.

In the morning, the scent of espresso will bring you energy in the endless bustle of Rome. The sunlight glistens off the surface of the Tiber River as crewmembers set out in the water and row against the gentle current in the cool morning air. Your private transfer will meet you at the hotel and escort you southward to Naples to tour the eclectic southern city. Sailboats line the harbor and cafes set out tables along the elegant promenade as you approach.

Enter into the Royal Palace on the Capodimonte to visit the elegant 18th-century residence of Charles II of Bourbon. The palace encompasses more than 300 acres of farmland and was once used as a hunting lodge for visiting royalty. Your guide will give the kids a selection of items to find in the museum and send them on a historical scavenger hunt that keeps them engaged throughout your time of exploration in the opulent halls. The effect of the shade and light in El Greco’s painting A Boy Blowing on an Ember to Light a Candle will captivate you. The artist captured the simple act with ease to highlight the beauty and fragility of life.

After the museum, your guide will introduce you to your cooking instructor as your family will learn how to make proper Neapolitan pizzas. The city claims to be the birthplace of the world-renowned dish, and the streets are filled with various types of pizzerias, from classic to avant-garde. Your instructor will teach the kids the best way to make the dough before they set out the necessary ingredients for fresh-made tomato sauce along with delicious mozzarella cheese.

In the cool morning breeze, the relaxed pace of Sorrento blossoms with the rising sun. Fishermen venture out along the cobalt water eager to fill their nets with seafood. The peach colors of the palaces span the ages, from the 13th to the 16th-centuries, accented by Byzantine and Arab design. The kids will marvel at the fortified town walls originally erected by Greek settlers to the region and rebuilt after the Turks attacked the coastline in the 16th-century. You will pass the walls en route to the Marina Grande as you board the ferry to Capri. Your kids will love the boat ride to the island as they stare out at the water and the passing rock formations along the coastline. Capri stands less than three miles off the coast of mainland Italy with cliffs that soar to a height of 200 feet. The island has enchanted movie stars and Roman emperors alike, and your family will also fall under their captivating spell.

The ferry docks in the Marina Grande, where the fishing boats are framed by the colorful houses. A funicular will carry your family to the plateau and the lavish cobbled streets of Capri Town. The lanes lead to open piazzas that offer views to the placid Mediterranean Sea as limestone rocks rise out of the water near the coastline like karsts. Instead of walking the coastal trails, you and your family will board your boat and circle the island on a cruise excursion. The sea air swirls around you as water splashes up from the Mediterranean and mists your face. You will pass the sea stacks, the series of limestone rocks you had viewed from the vista of town. A large hole arches through the center of one of the rocks large enough for you to pass through and your kids will wonder how the door-shaped hole came to fit inside the rock-face.

Today the family will leave the tranquil and relaxed pace of Sorrento for the elegant and secluded beauty of the Amalfi Coast. Your private transfer will guide you through the hilly streets that lead to the beginning of the treasured region before you arrive in the town of Positano. The peach and pink homes glow against the cobalt sea as lush forests rise along the hills and open against the dark gray cliffs. The scent of citrus emanates from the thriving lemon trees that frame the town and the terraced streets rise along the slopes to provide dramatic views of the coastline.

From the water, your family will board a small rowboat and enter into the Grotta di Smeraldo, a famous cave that glows emerald. You will all lay down to enter the cave as you pass beneath the low-hanging rugged entrance. Once inside, the walls burst with green hues from the refracted sunlight that pierces the water. Stalactites drip down from the ceiling and resemble icicles of solid rock, and the water is clear enough to see down to the seafloor, which will captivate your kids. Outside of town, stop and visit the Crestarella Tower, a 16th-century fortification that overlooks the coastline to protect the village from pirates. Your kids will perk up at the mention of pirates and enthusiastically make their way to the tower as they pretend that the coastline is under attack.

In the morning, your family will travel along the scenic Amalfi Coast and venture inland to the heart of the Campania region.  Visit the oldest and largest Greek ruins in mainland Italy as Greek settlers built Paestum in the 6th-century BC and established three grand temples that remain today. The structures will fascinate you as much as the kids. Romans overtook the region and colonized Paestum in the 3rd-century BC, which added more infrastructures to the area, including roads and theaters. The Doric temples rise out of the lush plain to create a skyline of polished stone. The Temple of Hera is the oldest and largest of the three remaining structure and was erected in 550 BC. A dedication is inscribed on the altar where devout followers could attend rites without entering into the priests’ holy cella.

Wildflowers grow along the archeological site to add pockets of white and yellow to the verdant grass. Following your brief journey into the Greek colony, your guide will lead you to a celebrated Mozzarella farm. While at the farm, make your way through the dairy to learn the art of cheese making. The makers will glide a large tool through heated milk, similar to a strainer, before molding the curds by hand to stretch and shape the mozzarella. At the end of the tour, you will get to taste the creamy and flavorful cheese and quickly see why Campania is the known for its buffalo mozzarella.

In the morning, the family will wave farewell to the beauty of the Amalfi Coast as you make your way back to Rome. En route to the Eternal City, you will stop at the remarkable grounds of the Reggia di Caserta, a Baroque palace constructed in the 18th-century over nearly 510,000 square feet. A wide road leads to the entrance of the main façade, and the kids will remark on how this structure looks like a “true” palace. The Grand Staircase leads to the royal apartments, and the stairwell itself contains an extensive display of frescoes, tapestries, and crystal that add layers of grandeur to the entryway.

The palace consists of 1,200 rooms and was built with the specific goal of rivaling the palace of Versailles in France. The Throne Room contains gilded walls as lavish fresco decorate the center of the ceiling. Natural light spills in through the elegant windows and reflects off of the gilded accents. The gallery leads to the magnificence of the gold-leafed adornments at the far end of the room. Return to Rome after you explore the lavish rooms and gardens of the palace. You will enjoy an early dinner before you meet with a local gelato maker to create your own sweet dessert on your final night in Italy.

In the morning, you and your family will make your way to the Trevi Fountain to complete your Italian adventure. Stunning Baroque figures stand behind the flowing pool with Neptune at the center, and you and your kids will each take a coin in your right hands and throw it over your shoulder into the water. Local legend says that if the coin falls into the pool, you will return to Rome. When the family is ready, your private transfer will meet you at the hotel and escort you to Fiumicino Airport for your flight home.