Best Places to Visit in Italy with Family

Italy offers an incredible family vacation experience with its rich history, breathtaking landscapes, ancient ruins, and welcoming culture. Whether you’re interested in cooking classes, museum adventures, gelato tasting, or experiencing life as a Roman gladiator, Italy creates unforgettable memories for families with children of any age.

Here are the top 10 places to visit in Italy with your family:

1. Rome, Lazio

2. Florence, Tuscany

3. Venice, Veneto

4. Siracusa, Sicily

5. Cinque Terre, Liguria

6. Lake Garda, Lombardy

7. Naples, Campania

8. Matera, Basilicata

9. Bergamo, Lombardy

10. Milan, Lombardy

Explore the Best Places to Visit in Italy

1. Rome, Lazio

Rome captivates the imagination with its perfect blend of ancient history and modern excitement. The Roman Forum’s ruins and Vatican Museums’ masterpieces bring history to life for kids and adults alike. Your family can become amateur archaeologists, historians, and chefs while exploring this vibrant city.

Children will love training like warriors at a Roman gladiator school or touring the massive Colosseum to learn about ancient Roman life. Kids from age five through teenagers can enjoy cooking classes where they’ll make pasta or gelato, connecting with Italian culture through hands-on activities.

Personalized experience: Book a private family tour of the Colosseum with guides who specialize in engaging children through storytelling. They’ll adapt the information to your children’s ages, using interactive games to keep them fascinated while learning about gladiator battles and ancient Roman life.

Kid-friendly activities: Biking through Borghese gardens, exploring Christian catacombs, climbing Michelangelo’s dome, participating in Vatican Museums scavenger hunts, taking cooking classes, attending gladiator school, and discovering ancient archaeology

Recommended stay: 3-4 days

2. Florence, Tuscany

Florence delights children with its sensory feast of delicious food, colorful palaces, amazing art, and friendly atmosphere. Getting lost in the winding Renaissance streets becomes an adventure, with each turn revealing 16th-century castles or the cathedral’s magnificent dome.

Walking through Florence feels like a treasure hunt for historic sites, perfect gelato, or delicious pizza. The city showcases iconic Italian culture through fascinating churches and famous artworks including Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.

Personalized experience: Arrange a family-focused art workshop where local artists teach your children Renaissance painting techniques. They’ll create their own masterpieces inspired by the city’s famous artworks, with the lesson tailored to your family’s interests and artistic abilities.

The medieval architecture of Palazzo Vecchio creates a dramatic backdrop while gelato shops offer mouthwatering Italian flavors. Children of all ages don’t just see Florence—they experience it through cooking classes, gelato-making, or dressing in period costumes like the Medici family.

Kid-friendly activities: Wearing period costumes at Palazzo Vecchio, taking cooking classes, participating in Uffizi Gallery scavenger hunts, visiting artisans on the Oltrarno, climbing the Duomo, exploring the Leonardo da Vinci Museum, and making gelato

Recommended stay: 3-4 days

3. Venice, Veneto

Venice enchants families with its magical atmosphere of colorful houses, unique architecture, and bustling canals. The city rising from the water amazes children and adults alike, while exploring at your own pace allows you to discover its beauty and history in a way that suits your family best.

Personalized experience: Book a private mask-making workshop with a local artisan who will share the history of Venetian Carnival traditions while guiding your family in creating personalized masks. The craftsperson will adapt the complexity based on your children’s ages, ensuring everyone creates a meaningful souvenir.

Riding a vaporetto along the Grand Canal creates excitement, while gondola trips through smaller canals reveal historic treasures. Young children enjoy chasing pigeons in St. Mark’s Square, while older kids appreciate the golden mosaics in the basilica, searching for winged lions throughout the city, or creating Carnival masks. Venice offers hidden charms perfect for children of all ages.

Kid-friendly activities: Taking vaporetto tours along the Grand Canal, exploring Doge’s Palace prisons, hunting for Venetian lions, enjoying gondola rides, making masks, watching glass-blowing demonstrations, taking cooking classes, and touring antique mazes

Recommended stay: 2-3 days

4. Siracusa, Sicily

Siracusa fascinates children aged 5-18 with sites that can claim titles like “oldest,” “biggest,” and “best-preserved.” Founded by Ancient Greeks, the city enchants visitors with its timeless beauty, where ancient ruins sit beneath citrus orchards and café tables spread across Baroque piazzas.

Personalized experience: Join a local Sicilian family for a private cooking lesson in their home, where children can help prepare traditional dishes using local ingredients. The family will share stories about Sicilian traditions and history while adapting cooking tasks to match your children’s abilities and interests.

The flat, easy-to-navigate city connects ancient architecture to medieval alleys leading to views of the sparkling Ionian Sea. Traditional shops and enticing aromas of gelato and granitas await around every corner. Castello Maniace inspires stories of knights and pirates, while traditional puppet theaters bring epic sword fights and fantastic creatures to life. The Archaeological Park features one of the world’s largest Greek Theaters, and boat rides offer exciting panoramic views.

Kid-friendly activities: Touring ancient Ortygia, visiting Mount Etna, taking cooking classes, enjoying food tours, exploring the Papyrus Museum, discovering the Greek Archaeological Park, browsing local markets, watching fishermen at the harbor, and wandering Castello Maniace

Recommended stay: 2-3 days

5. Cinque Terre, Liguria

Cinque Terre creates lasting memories with its natural beauty and unique heritage. The five towns along the Ligurian coast offer an active destination for families, with charm stretching from cliff-top trails to colorful houses and sparkling waters.

Personalized experience: Arrange a private boat tour with a local fisherman who can show your family hidden coves and beaches only accessible by water. The captain will share stories about growing up in these isolated villages and can customize swimming stops based on your children’s ages and swimming abilities.

These small towns feel completely immersive with their old-world wonder. Isolated from greater Italy until the late 19th century, cars remain prohibited, making the cobbled lanes perfect for family exploration. The most famous attraction isn’t the towns themselves but the coastal trail connecting them.

Each town maintains its ancient roots and medieval atmosphere connected to the sea. The scent of basil often mingles with citrus from the cliffside orchards. Rather than elaborate churches or grand galleries, Cinque Terre represents the natural grandeur of Italy and family adventure opportunities, perfect for children of any age.

Kid-friendly activities: Hiking the famous coastal trails, visiting Monterosso’s beach, exploring ancient towers, discovering Castello Doria, riding the scenic train between towns, and taking cooking classes

Recommended stay: 2-3 days

6. Lake Garda, Lombardy

Lake Garda perfectly suits families with children of all ages. Italy’s largest lake extends from alpine foothills to the Po Valley, offering calm beaches, charming towns, and fascinating historic castles against a stunning natural landscape.

Personalized experience: Book a private sailing lesson where instructors will teach your family basic sailing skills on Lake Garda’s calm waters. The experience is tailored to your family’s previous experience and confidence levels, with children actively participating in sailing the boat under expert guidance.

Roman ruins establish the area’s rich history, complemented by more recent World War II stories. The shorelines embody Italy’s famous “la dolce vita” with excellent museums, mountain biking trails, lakeside promenades, and delightful cafés.

Views from Monte Baldo spread across the lake, while the private Isola del Garda reflects the former Venetian Republic’s grandeur. Whether your family wants to relax on beaches, sail on the water, visit castles, or explore mountains, Lake Garda provides a wonderful base for all activities.

Kid-friendly activities: Visiting Sirmione Castle, climbing clock towers, taking cooking classes, sampling local cuisine, enjoying famous amusement parks, exploring Roman villas, taking scenic ferry rides, swimming in the lake, hiking, and mountain biking

Recommended stay: 3-4 days

7. Naples, Campania

Naples offers an excellent mix of ancient insights, captivating atmosphere, and accessibility to fascinating legends. Though appearing chaotic at first glance, the city has a pace families love, with authentic exuberant lifestyle, delicious food, and enchanting history.

Personalized experience: Participate in a private pizza-making class with a master pizzaiolo who will teach your family the authentic Neapolitan techniques. Each family member gets to create their own custom pizza with favorite toppings while learning about the history of this famous dish in its birthplace.

Taking children of all ages to the preserved cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii creates an unforgettable experience. Mount Vesuvius’s eruption in 79 AD covered both cities in ash, preserving streets, houses, and sometimes people, offering a unique window into daily Roman life.

While museums might sound boring compared to visiting Italy’s first pizzeria or nearby archaeological sites, the National Archaeological Museum of Naples houses one of Europe’s best collections of ancient artifacts. Whether making pizza in Naples or exploring ancient ruins, your family will create lasting memories.

Kid-friendly activities: Taking pizza-making classes, touring Pompeii and Herculaneum, climbing Mount Vesuvius, participating in National Archaeological Museum scavenger hunts, and sampling gelato

Recommended stay: 3-4 days

8. Matera, Basilicata

Often overlooked, Matera captures the imagination of both adults and children. The Old Town’s unique scenery looms over Gravina Ravine, leading to cave homes that residents used from ancient times until the 1960s.

Personalized experience: Take a private guided tour with a local who grew up in the sassi cave dwellings before they were evacuated in the 1960s. They’ll share personal family stories about daily life in these ancient homes, customizing the historical details to match your children’s understanding and interests.

Medieval architecture decorates the city’s upper levels overlooking rugged cliffs and the ravine edges. Medieval streets crown the plateaus with stairways leading down to the ancient sassi (cave dwellings).

Families can explore the city’s different levels, becoming archaeologists, historians, and explorers while learning about ancient history and medieval life. Expeditions through the caves bring life to the ancient fresco of Cripta del Peccato Originale and churches carved from soft volcanic rock.

Kid-friendly activities: Exploring cave houses, descending into Palombaro Lungo, discovering Parco della Murgia Materana, visiting the Museum of Contemporary Sculpture, and touring Casa Noha

Recommended stay: 2-3 days

9. Bergamo, Lombardy

Few cities bring castle and knight fantasies to life better than Bergamo. Standing in the shadow of more famous Milan, the medieval walls protect streets and residents, preserving Italy’s prestigious past.

Personalized experience: Book a medieval-themed family tour where children can try on replica armor and learn about the life of knights. A guide will customize historical stories based on your children’s ages, bringing the city’s medieval past to life through interactive activities and games.

The city lets families step into the preserved atmosphere of medieval life and the Venetian empire’s reign, fulfilling children’s dreams of knights and castles. The Old City (Città Alta) offers fantastic views of the lower city and surrounding mountain peaks.

Trace Bergamo’s evolution along routes originally established for spice trading, exploring city walls, watchtowers, four city gates, underground passages, and former noble apartments.

Kid-friendly activities: Exploring medieval castles, visiting the Civic Museum of Natural Sciences, wandering the city walls, riding the funicular, sampling local food, discovering public gardens, climbing towers, finding secret passages, hunting for Venetian lions, and exploring Palazzo del Podestà

Recommended stay: 2-3 days

10. Milan, Lombardy

Despite its fashion and glamour reputation, Milan offers wonderful family experiences. Founded by Romans over 2,000 years ago, the city evolved into a powerful Renaissance city-state.

Personalized experience: Visit the San Siro Stadium with a private guide who can arrange for your family to tour areas usually closed to the public. Football-loving children will be thrilled to walk through player tunnels and visit locker rooms, with the tour adjusted to focus on the aspects most interesting to your family.

The streets provide an exciting scavenger hunt with coats of arms decorating churches, castle walls, ceilings, and mosaic floors. The impressive Duomo features more than 3,400 statues and 135 gargoyles.

Sforzesco Castle houses several museums, with ramparts and underground cellars fascinating both children and adults. Milan maintains its sense of majesty, allowing kids to imagine knights and princesses roaming the scattered ramparts and former royal apartments.

Kid-friendly activities: Shopping in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, experiencing royal history, exploring castles, taking cooking classes, cruising the Naviglio Grande canal, visiting the Library of Children, exploring botanical gardens, sampling chocolate, and joining art museum scavenger hunts

Recommended stay: 3-4 days

Plan Your Family Trip to Italy

Italy inspires families with endless options for creating special memories together. Discover ancient history, learn about traditional foods, or experience Italian fashion and culture.

To truly personalize your family’s Italian adventure, consider:

• Booking accommodations with family-friendly amenities like connecting rooms or apartments with kitchens
• Arranging private guides who specialize in engaging children of your specific ages
• Scheduling activities during your family’s peak energy times, with adequate downtime for rest
• Connecting with local families through cooking classes or cultural exchanges
• Selecting destinations based on your children’s specific interests, whether history, food, art, or outdoor activities

For more ideas on planning your customizable family vacation in Italy, consider researching Italy Family Vacations and Italy Family Travel Guides to make the most of your experience.