Questions about southern Italy travel with kids

Hi everyone. Trying to plan a big trip, and I have been informed over my objections that it is reasonable to fly to Italy with a three year old and six year old. I’m not particularly worried about my 6 yo, but my 3 yo could get interesting on 15 hours of flights. That is neither here nor there however, let’s assume that it is a foregone conclusion. We will likely take a nanny as well.

So, I’m looking for advice on (a) where to stay; and (b) general advice on Amalfi Coast, the Thyrrenhian sea coast south of Sorento down through Basilicata, and even Calbria, as my wife’s family is Calabrian so there is a tie-in there. I have read here how Calabria is a bit rustic, but it does seem to have some nice beaches with affordable rentals, nice water, etc. The place I was looking at in Calabria was near Faro Capo Vaticano, which is basically near Tropea.

If anyone has taken a family with young kids to any of these places I’d love to hear thoughts. I’m also open to thoughts on alternatives on the Mediterranean, if anyone has taken a seaside trip with family in the area and strongly advocates for it.

Thanks!

Took my kids at 11 and 15 to Amalfi. It is an amazing area. I think it might be tough on younger kids. The travel around the area to and from the airport is tough. If your kids get car sick even a little it would be really, really tough. Lots and Lots of stairs too. Lots of restaurants on the beach where you could eat and your kids could play… at least maybe the 6 year old.

If you decide to go I would rent a villa with a pool. That is what we did and it worked out great. Saves having to eat every meal out also.

George

If you stay in Sorrento then it makes for a nice base camp with kids. From there you can day trip to Amafi towns, Pompeii, Capri, and Naples (not at the top of my list)

You’re gonna need a stroller or two as there’s lots of walking anywhere you’re going.

Italians still very much love kids and engage with them and this seems to bring out the best in the children.

My Sister and Brother in Law took their 1 year old to Ravello (Amalfi Coast) with us and had a wonderful time, including having a little boy present the 1 year old with some wild flowers (wow, they’re trained young!). Amusingly, the B-I-L is a very good cook and had been trying to get his daughter to eat pasta, without success. In Cumpa Cosimo, being made to feel like a princess, she wolfed her pasta down.

The Amalfi coast is wonderfully scenic and breaks the stereotype of the South being a bit rough and neglected.

Sorrento is indeed very lively, not my favourite place on the coast (by some distance) but it’s easy to get to, has lots going on, has decent connections - in short a good choice. However if you wanted something more chilled, then Ravello is it, and the kids can happily play in the pedestrianised square with the Italian kids whilst you have a glass of wine, grappa or coffee at the outside tables. It is a wonderful place in the evening.

Amalfi is another place worth looking at, more central for the Amalfi Coast proper (Sorrento isn’t technically on the Amalfi Coast) and again with lots to do including beach, paper museum, the great short but surprisingly strenuous walk to Atrani, the harbour to eat overlooking or hire a small motorboat from, the ferries up & down the coast & to Capri, but also as a gateway bus connection to Ravello and a couple of other locations. Some of the Amalfi hotels aren’t in the centre of Amalfi, but a short (hotel provided) minibus ride away. This is not necessarily a bad thing as it usually puts you up the (steep) hill and thus gets you fine coastal views.

If looking for hotels, there are quite basic to ultra fancy. With young children I’d see the appeal of a pool to allow them to cool down, chill out and allow you a bit of peace. Alternatively if you prize your own schedule, L’Altracostiera travel agency in Amalfi have some decent value holiday rentals to choose from, and they are long-established and I’ve found them very fair to deal with. They also do organised excursions.

Memorable things for 3 & 6 year old to enjoy?

• A fun pool to splash around in
• Sight of a real Volcano (Vesuvius)
• Pompeii (but remember this is a vast exposed place and hence can be very tiring). Herculaneum is an easier alternative - and there is also a roman villa at Minori well worth a visit.
• The distinctive horns on the SITA buses & regular chiming of church and chapel bells
• Ferry boat trip
• Getting to play with Italian kids, who are often very friendly
• There may be special events, I certainly recall a puppet show popping up in Amalfi. Probably a lot more in Sorrento
• Italian gelato, Amalfi Coast’s wonderful Granita, and the cakes at Andrea Pansa in Amalfi

Memorable for adults

• The views and the peace that descends in the early evening
• Wonderful food, especially great if you love fish / seafood
• History from Pompeii/Herculaneum/Paestum through to the Amalfi Arsenale, Various Duomi and Paper museum, plus more if you want to explore the history of one of the 4 great maritime republics of Italy
• The walking is amazing, but with young children in tow, this takes a lot of options away.
• Some of those same things the kids are enjoying

I’ll second that minor warning about travel sickness. Even as an adult I struggled the first time I visited Ravello and looked out over the precipitous drops. The local drivers are exceptionally skilled, even by Italian standards, but it still can shock.

There’s a paper museum in Amalfi that would let the kids make their own rag paper. They also sell pen and ink sets that may keep them occupied for a bit.
The boat rides out to Capri and from Sorrento to Positano could be fun. There’s an old castle on Capri that is cool to walk to.
Be careful with anything associated with Pompeii. Lots of risqué images in places you don’t always expect. Penis symbols are everywhere.

For Calabria, I have no direct experience, except that if you have family roots, trying to trace those family roots in going there always seems to pay dividends. I’ve seen many stories on travel forums of locals being so excited at a long lost relative returning to the village. So many left and so few return. Such a trip, if a connection is made, might be the most memorable trip of all.

One small recommendation in Calabria. In Lamezia Terme there is a honey producer (Azienda Agricola Fragiacomo) who make an utterly amazing honey blended with 31 herbs. Eucalyptus is certainly to the fore and the impact/intensity is amazing. A perfect natural cold remedy and much tastier than the pharmaceuticals can do! I’ve been trying to get hold of more of it for ages.

Logistics are worth talking about. A car for the Amalfi coast is possible, but only makes sense for the utterly gregarious. Sane people entrust their lives to the local SITA bus drivers and the coastal ferries, the former also having to endure the clogged up coastal road.

Options to get in & out. Napoli is the obvious arrival / departure point. There used to be airport buses direct from the Airport to the Amalfi coast, so check for these. Otherwise for a family of four I’d suggest a taxi for convenience, but if staying in Sorrento, getting airport bus to train station, then taking the private ‘Circumvesuviana’ line from underneath the main train station to Sorrento. Whichever option you choose, I reckon Amalfi coast as the 1st location is perfect, as you’ll be out in the fresh air, walking off the effects of jetlag, without having to worry about driving & where English is pretty widely spoken.

Leaving Amalfi Coast, options include:

1. Hiring a car locally, at (presumably) Sorrento, Amalfi or Salerno and taking it down to Calabria. Returning the car at Napoli airport, or if you want to avoid the crazy traffic around Napoli, return the car somewhere like Lamezia Terme and take the train to Napoli / taxi to airport
2. Taking bus to Salerno (the ferry is an option but puts a 10 minute walk with bags into the picture) and then catching the train to Tropea (change once at Lamezia or Rosarno). Oddly the fastest option is the night train, because it goes direct 02:21 *
   Salerno Arrivo 06:08 Tropea Durata 03:47 Treno Intercitynotte 795
   Offerta base (standard fare - prices from) Prezzo a partire da 35,50 €

Here’s a Trenitalia search, just change dates in the top boxes, or for ease, change language to English at the top right of the screen.

FWIW we once did a night train from Ferrara in the North East, to Bari in the South East and it was somewhat basic/cramped in the sleeping cabins, and also very hot until we got the window open. Train security was good. Sleep wasn’t easy - perhaps unsurprisingly so. Getting a basic coffee + basic croissant brought by the guard in the morning was an excellent move - the convenience far outweighing the quality but it lifted our spirits well (my partner had an awful flu bug at the time). I wouldn’t recommend 4 people in a cabin, but 2 in each of two adjoining cabins would make great sense. It is most definitely NOT a luxury experience, but it is memorable and I glad we did it.

Return via same route and then taxi from Napoli Centrale to Napoli aeroporto.

Hope this helps
Ian

Thanks all, and in particular thank you Ian for your wealth of knowledge. I’m glad to hear that people do this with children so I don’t feel entirely insane for considering it. I’ve been looking at Airbnb and the options in both Amalfi Coast and Calabria look surprisingly affordable. It looks like the farther south one travels from the Amalfi area the cheaper the options are, and the more variable in quality. I have a couple of options saved near Ravello and Amalfi that might work.

Ian, I don’t think that we’d try both Amalfi coast and Calabria in one trip, though it might not be the worst idea. I just don’t think that we have the time.

Hi Michael
In terms of time, I’d personally aim for two weeks, one in each, but with the option to shave a day or two off. If you’ve got less than (say) 9 days in Italy, then I’d definitely steer to you to a single location. FWIW my first visit to Italy, back in 1990, was to Ravello for two weeks and I in no way felt bored, and indeed returned 3 more times afterwards. The Amalfi Coast is a great way to break people of the mindset “Must see as many famous sites as possible to make my trip worthwhile”.

Amalfi Coast has a long established tourist trade, going back to Roman times I believe. It does make it a little touristy in places, but far from the blight tourism imposes on more famous places in Italy. It does push prices up a bit, but far from excessively unless you’re eyeing the swanky Michelin starred Ravello hotels. I’m not surprised Calabria is cheaper. Well worth a look at Agriturismo.it for farmstays, sometimes offering utterly brilliant set meal banquet dining where the kids can eat what they fancy without feeling guilty about trying something and then not wanting to eat it. Agriturismo is well established and there are brilliant places out there. One advantage is that you’ve got hosts there most of the day, so there is someone on hand if there is a need or a problem. Many of them really enjoy what they do, much more so than the majority of hotel staff.

regards
Ian

Night flights to Europe always worked well for my kids when they were young. They slept better than we did, sometimes by stretching out on the ground under our feet! We would never plan anything for the first day, just stagger around a local park, have an early dinner, and then sleep a long long time. By the next day everyone was ready to enjoy the vacation, though young ones often fell into very deep naps in the afternoon/evenings for the next several days.

Ian and all, if I want swimming weather on the beaches, do I need to be looking at June? Late May?

I would think at least mid June to be sure. You need the Med to warm up. While the air temp might be great the water can be pretty cold. We were there the last week of June and it was very nice. Water was probably low 70s.

If budget allows take a day trip to Capri by boat. Seeing the coast from the water is astonishing. http://www.barbarapositano.it/

Pompeii is amazing if you are in to history.

George

I am not a beach guy so I didn’t observe all of them along the Amalfi coast, but I remember the hotels in the area issued us flip flops because the beach was small pebbles and not soft sand. They may not all be that way, but the ones in Positano and Sorrento were. Just FYI.

I’d agree with George
The non-heated swimming pool in one apartment opened up in early to mid May IIRC, though the owner was a little shocked we’d want to go swimming whilst the water was still a little ‘fresh’ (FWIW not cold : ideal for swimming, then getting out, but not lounging around in).

For me it would be a balance of avoiding July heat (you may be more used to it than me, based in Great Brrrritain ) vs. the water being too cold for the kids to enjoy splashing around in the pool & sea. FWIW I’d focus on the pool over the sea (you’ll use a pool daily, whereas the sea will be an *occasional trip). In June the pools should be fine. Whilst there in early-Mid July on my first Italian trip, the water was still cool enough to be genuinely invigorating went jumping off the boat we hired, some of our group of 6 really got stung by sunburn. IIRC we arrived on our first day about 3pm and jumped in the pool to cool off. I was a bit more careful & did put cream on, but 2 of the group got quite pink and another had genuine sunstroke, all from the seemingly lesser afternoon heat (and British ‘glow in the dark’ skin). It is a consideration for young children, if they’re not used to the heat.

Out of choice we tend to go in September, as it can still be very warm, but rarely really hot. The sea would be warm and the Ferrogosto holiday period locals will be back at work.

regards
Ian


*There is one classy exception to this, a hotel in Amalfi has a bathing platform so you can step/ dive straight into the sea. Now that I might use daily as it’s so convenient.

Thanks Michael, much appreciated. I am aware that many beaches in the area are pebbly. That is actually one of the reasons I’ve considered venturing farther south. It appears the best beaches are in Calabria and Apulia, particularly on the Ionian though up near Treore is supposed to be quite nice as well.

These comments get at a bit of an area of concern for me. We are very much water people. We grow up vacationing in the Midwest of the US, typically on large lakes, and where summers are very, very hot. This is part of what makes Calabria enticing, the possibility of a true beachfront villa.

Hi Michael
Being slightly radical here, but there are some excellent mountain lakes in Italy. Maybe not this trip, but the lakes in Trentino might appeal for another trip, and June/July should present no heat problems to you. Just planting the thought!

I think Amalfi has mostly sand, but really can’t remember. I’m pretty sure Maiori is sandy as well. That said the beaches are commercial (the usual hiring of loungers and umbrellas). I don’t know Calabria, but it might well offer more unspoilt beaches.

Do you speak any Italian? Amalfi coast presents no problems (a few words are appreciated, but not expected). Tropea I’d expect to be ok for English speaking, but anywhere away from the usual tourist trail might necessitate a hunt around by the shop owner etc. for a local schoolchild to translate, if required.

regards
Ian

Ian the lake country in the north of Italy looks just magnificent, but I always assumed that those lakes were super cold.

So, no we don’t speak Italian, but hey, that’s half the adventure… right…

So we also looked at Corfu a bit last night, but looks like travel logistics could be nightmarish.

Hi Michael
I’m not sure I’d do anything other than paddle, but I believe they are quite a bit warmer in August/September. Molveno certainly had a heated municipal pool for proper swimming.

Worth looking at apps for menu translations (I still have an old mini dictionary with menu translator, but technology has moved on and should be easier). It can be intimidating if you get a menu solely in Italian (a good sign of a non-touristy restaurant). However when the waiter says “(Io) sono il menu” (I’m the menu) then it can be more challenging as he recites the dishes! Yes it’s possible to get by with no Italian (I’d learned just a few words on the flight out there the first time), but it does make it harder if you want to escape the tourist destinations. Harder but far from impossible. Learning the language (not well, but passable in many situations) helps me venture to places where the locals give me a funny look “What the hell is a tourist doing here?” That’s my thing though, and the thought of following the tourist zombie procession in the major tourist hotspots fills me with dread.

I’ve not been to Corfu, though it is very popular with people in the UK. We had a few days in Portugal (on the edge of the Algarve - a small coastal town called Tavira) earlier this year. Actually quite charming and fantastic rustic food, but other places on the coast may appeal more with kids. The word from the locals is they had a very good season this year because of the problems in Turkey and Greece, plus Egypt and other North African destinations being less appealing with the current political climate. I don’t know how much Corfu has been affected.

regards
Ian

Corfu is great as is Santorini.
Honestly if you want a true beach vacation Amalfi is not it. Yes there are beaches but the larger ones are pebbled or rocky and are “owned” by hotels or restaurants. Our villa had no beach what so ever but a rock wall with a ladder in to the sea. Awesome for us but not for little kids.

I would go back to the Amalfi coast in a heartbeat.

B.