When I was 2 months old my parents took me on my first road trip to Italy.
Ever since I spent almost every summer of my childhood there, I learnt to swim in Italy, I got my first kiss there, I ate tons of Italian gelato and every time I smell fresh basil, I feel like I am back there.
When I was 20, I moved for 6 months to Perugia, the capital of the Umbria region, a truly beautiful and unique area. I went there to study Italian with a good friend of mine at l´ “Università per Stranieri di Perugia ” and had an unforgettable time.
Today I am a parent and have two beautiful children having travelled back to Umbria. I was delighted to find that all the wonderful things I remembered about the country were unchanged. Italians are truly child-friendly people.
As we all know traveling with little ones can be tricky and we even managed to miss our flight to Florence but that´s another story to tell.
However once we finally arrived at our family-friendly accommodation close to Anghiari, located on the border between Tuscany and Umbria, we all started to unwind and relax. Our accommodation, a converted manor house was as appealing to our children as it was to us parents. For the younger members of the family, the five-acre grounds are an idyllic playground, packed with possibilities: from trampolines and playhouses hidden in the woods to two pools, a games room and tons of toys for toddlers. For the adults, simply knowing the little ones are safe and entertained, means we could truly relax too.
From our home base we started investigating the area and made short day trips.
One trip took us to Anghiari, a small beautiful hill town. It boasts lovely views across the Upper Tiber Valley. There are also some museums to visit and good examples of restored frescoes at the Palazzo Pretorio. Wednesday is market day and shopaholics love the Busatti store where beautiful linens are made.
On our way back we stopped at a small Trattoria in Monterqui. Colouring books for the kids and amazing homemade pasta for all of us: A truly good experience! The kids were even allowed to enter the kitchen and had a mini-class about how to make homemade pasta.
Another day I had to take my kids off course to Perugia, which, was about an hour’s drive away. Perugia is a vibrant city with a rich artistic past. You can spend a day exploring the submerged tunnels beneath Piazza Italia. It is the maze of medieval alleys and the collection of fine art within the Palazzo del Priori. Or take the kids to the famous Perugina Chocolate Factory and Museum. They offer one-hour tours, available in various languages including a taste of different chocolates! (www.perugina.it)
We also visited Sansepolcro, an attractive fortified town, located about 20 minutes drive from where we stayed. This town is famed for being the birthplace of Piero della Francesca. It has several interesting museums, some great boutiques and restaurants and an outdoor pool complex, open in summer.
All restaurants we visited during our trip were happy to cater to children. They provided high chairs and a box of Lego or colouring books with crayons for the kids.
Further nice ideas and day trips I can recommend are:
A day trip to the lovely town of Sienna. There is the children’s art museum which offers an introduction for kids aged 3 to 11 to the visual arts. As well as seeing the displays, you can book little ones into a workshop for hands-on art activities.
Visiting Florence with the kids: The Children’s Museum at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. It gives children an insider’s view of the palace. Among other things, they can explore secret passages, hear stories and take part in fresco workshops.
If you are interested in child-friendly accommodation we stayed at our Italian Country Manor. It’s a historic rural home offering abundant facilities for all ages.
Blog post written for MumAbroad view here:
