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From antiques and art museums to wine tastings and zoos, you can preview hundreds of options here for your trip to Italy. Without any knowledge of Italian, you can explore your interests and make advance reservations for various events and activities. With a limited knowledge of Italian, you can glean a lot of information from sites that are in Italian only.
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Corsini Garden Arts & Crafts Exhibition, Florence. |
Photo by S. Kane |
The websites in this section are organized alphabetically by subject matter. Some websites offer multiple activities so you may find the same website listed in more than one place.
In Italy, you can often satisfy two interests at the same time. For example, if you love classical music and also want to see some Roman ruins, you can do both by attending an opera at the annual summer opera festival in Verona. This opera festival is held in the well-preserved Roman arena in the heart of the city. Similarly, you can enjoy both classical music and Renaissance paintings at concerts held in churches and in museums in cities and towns throughout Italy.
We have also included tour companies that specialize in certain activities. You may choose to spend part of your trip in a program organized by a tour company or build your whole vacation around a tour focused on a special interest.
Antiques
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Greve Antiques Fair |
Photo by C. Kelly |
Most cities and towns in Italy sponsor periodic antique markets. For example, Arezzo (in Tuscany) holds a monthly antiques fair (first Sunday of every month and the preceding Saturday). Also, check the web sites for the towns and cities you plan to visit. You may discover even more such fairs. In addition, many cities and towns have antique stores that specialize in antique furniture, silverware, paintings, prints, china, and other collectibles.
Greve (in Tuscany)
Greve holds a modest antique fair twice a year (Easter Monday, the day after Easter) and the second Sunday of October.
Parma (in Emilia Romagna) holds two annual grand antique fairs per year, in the spring and in the fall. They are called the Mercanteinfiera International Trade Fairs.
Antique or Collectible Markets
This website presents an alphabetical list of towns and cities in Italy with their market days and their regularly scheduled antique markets, arts and crafts markets, and other specialized markets.
Antiquities, Archeology, and Architecture
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Italy is famous for its Greek, Etruscan, and Roman antiquities which are found throughout the country. Hundreds of examples of Greek and Roman architecture have survived, some in use to this day. For example, the Roman amphitheater in Fiesole, a beautiful town that predates Florence and overlooks Florence, is the site of a major music and dance festival held every summer. Verona’s Roman amphitheater is the site of its annual opera festival.
A fine resource, this site provides much material on ancient Rome.
This site lists several itineraries for a particular historical period or region, such as Etruscan, Romanesque to Renaissance, and the Adriatic and Venetian civilization.
The Le Piazze website, which you can access from this main website by selecting "Culture," then, "Piazze," has classified piazzas according to the architectural period: medieval, Renaissance, and baroque. For each category, the cities or towns with examples of that period are listed. When you click on the city or town, two or three photographs of the piazza are displayed, along with a description. Although the website is in Italian only, it's very usable by non-Italian speakers. You may discover noteworthy piazzas in areas that you are planning to visit.
Paestum
Paestum is an ancient Greek (and later Roman) city which is best known for its well preserved Doric temples. It is located south of the Amalfi coast, 26 miles south of Salerno, and can be visited by train from Salerno in less than an hour. The train station is about 800 yards from the archeological site. A museum is on the site and a combined ticket to visit the archeological site as well as the museum is available.
Pisa
Although a reservation is not necessary for the Leaning Tower of Pisa, it is recommended, especially from May through October. Otherwise, you might have a very long wait. For details about the Leaning Tower, the Baptistry, and the Duomo, Select English (in the middle of the display) ->Plan Your Visit. To reserve tickets, go to the Box Office.
Pompeii
Pompeii is probably the best known ancient city in Italy. It was perfectly preserved by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
This the website of the Archeology Superintendency of Pompeii. It provides the opening hours, prices, a history of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, a map of the Pompeii excavations, and more. It also includes information about Herculaneum and other archeological sites in the area, including Stabia, Boscoreale, and Oplontis.
The Pompeii Virtual Tour website is the work of Michael S. Cole, M.D., who was stationed near Pompeii for several years while in the U.S. Navy. Dr. Cole's website is beautifully written and illustrated with fascinating historical information. It also describes how to get to Pompeii.
The E.L. Easton website for Pompeii is a collection of links to many websites devoted to Pompeii and to Mt. Vesuvius.
Rome
This invaluable website provides detailed information about the archeology sites in Rome, including the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill, the Baths of Caracalla, Ostia Antica, and more. You will learn for which attractions you can reserve tickets so that you skip the line.
Parco Regionale dell' Appia Antica
This is the website for the Appian Way regional park on the outskirts of Rome. This website describes how to reach the Appian way, where to rent bicycles, the monuments and museums along the Appian Way, and the names and addresses of restaurants located on the Appian Way.
Mt. Vesuvius
This Mt. Vesuvius website describes how to get there and provides many photographs of the site. It also provides links to information about accommodations and restaurants in the area.
South Tyrol Museum of Archeology (Iceman Museum)
To quote from this website, "Over 5000 years ago, a man climbed up to the icy heights of the Schnalstal glacier and died. He was found by accident in 1991, with his clothes and equipment, mummified and frozen." This remarkable discovery was studied extensively. The mummified body and the study results are on display in this museum.
Sicily
Mt. Etna
Mt. Etna is a magnificent presence in eastern Sicily and can be seen from many cities and towns, including Catania and Taormina. Mt. Etna is responsible for creating some of the most fertile land in Sicily. The foothills of Mt. Etna are covered with orchards of many types of fruits and pistachio nuts, and vineyards. A drive around Mt. Etna, in the foothills, is a lovely excursion. This website is in Italian but there is sufficient graphic information to make it valuable to non-Italian readers for excursions around Mt. Etna.
This website, in English, provides a detailed history of Mt. Etna, including its significant eruptions, and excellent photographs. It is part of a larger website on Italy's volcanoes.
Valley of the Temples at Agrigento
The Valley of the Temples contains some of the most famous remaining Greek Temples in a beautiful setting. This website provides detailed information about the temples and the archeology museum and practical information for a visit.
Villa Romana dell Casale at Piazza Armerina
The Villa Romana dell Casale was unearthed relatively recently. To the archeologists' astonishment, the floor of each room was decorated in fine pictorial mosaics. The original walls and floors of the villa remain but not the roof. It is now roofed in plexiglass which provides some protection for the mosaics. You can walk above the floors on elevated walkways.
Architectural Tours
Archetours, Inc. specializes in tours of areas of areas with significant architecture. They offer several trips to Italy, including trips to Sicily, Tuscany, and the Veneto to explore the archeology and architecture of these regions. Their web site includes brief itineraries of each trip and links to related resources.
LoveSicily is the company of two native Mediterraneans, Katia Amore from Modica, Sicily, and Ronald Ashri, her husband, from Limassol, Cyprus. Based in Modica, they offer one-week holidays; one such holiday is touring the Baroque architecture cities of southeastern Sicily.
Art Museums
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Painting, Galleria Borghese, Rome |
For many museums, you can reserve tickets to enter at a designated time, eliminating the need to wait in line (which can often take more than an hour). For some museums, you can reserve an entrance time online. You can phone museums directly and arrange for a date and time immediately. By contrast, an online reservation might take several mail exchanges.
At most major museums, the office staff speak English. Depending on your phone service, you might want to add international phone service to your long distance service before calling. You can add such service for as short a time as one billing period.
We advise reserving tickets for the Uffizi and the Accademia in Florence, for the children’s programs at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, and for the Galleria Borghese in Rome. We recommend that you buy your tickets from the museums, not from outside agencies that charge substantial fees.
Italy-Wide Sites
The Musei Online website is an excellent resource for museums throughout Italy. You can search by category or by region of the country. You can narrow your selection further. For example, you can click on the Veneto region where Venice is located and then click on Venezia (the Italian spelling of Venice. A brief description of each museum, including the admission fee and a link to the museum's own website, is provided.
This web site provides an overview of major Italian artists. You can preview art that is displayed in the cities and towns you visit by selecting Tours, then the Overview of Italian Painters tour or the Overview of Sculptors tour or several other tours of individual Italian artists. You can also access an alphabetic list of all artists whose works are shown on this site. For example, you can see many of the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, and Piero della Francesca. The site also provides brief biographies of each artist with links to additional works.
Ministry of Museums, Monuments, Archeological Areas, Archives, Libraries, and Theaters
Although there is no longer a home page in English, this website can be useful if you are not fluent in Italian. In the left panel is an entry "Luoghi della Cultura" (places of culture). You can click on that, then click on "Musei Statali" (state museums). The map of Italy is displayed. Click on the region, then the city or town to display lists of state museums in that locale. Once you reach the website of a particular museum, you'll usually find an English version. This site allows you to locate even obscure museums that might appeal to you.
Another interesting link in the left panel is "Grandi Restauri" (great restorations). Click on "Restauri in evidenza" to see a list of the restorations completed in the last decade or so with thumbnail pictures, including a fresco cycle by Giotto in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, the Portrait of Fornarina by Raphael in the National Gallery of Ancient Art at the Barberini Palace in Rome, the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, and the restoration of a marine mural at Pompeii in the House of the Little Fountain (Casa della Fontana Piccola). Contact information and hours are given for each work of art.
Florence
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This listing is the official web site for the 20 state-owned museums in the province of Florence, including the Uffizi Museum, the Academia Gallery that contains the David statue by Michelangelo, Saint Mark's Museum, the Bargello, the Pitti Palace (including the Boboli Gardens), and many more. This website shows the opening hours of these museums and the ticket prices and then provides detailed information for each museum. You can reserve tickets for entry to many of these museums, including the Uffizi for a certain date and time. The reservation fee (currently 4 euros) is money well spent and is much less than charged by travel agencies. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to reserve by phone.
This listing is the official web site for this museum. The Palazzo Vecchio has been the official site for city government since the Renaissance. Several rooms and the courtyard are a museum. This website also has links to other city-owned museums, including the Brancacci Chapel.
Museums with Special Attractions for Children, Florence
This site showcases the museums in Florence that have special attractions for children. These are the Palazzo Vecchio, with tours and workshops for children; the Stibbert Museum with a hall filled with statues in armor mounted on horses, another room filled with costumes, and a myriad of other displays, including a Japanese archer and a Chinese princess; and the History of Science Museum, whose main attractions are Galileo’s scientific instruments, stuffed animals, and wax models that were created for instructing medical students about anatomy.
The Stibbert Museum, surrounded by an extensive park with a Greek temple and an Etruscan ruin, is accessible by a short bus ride from the center of Florence (bus route 4 from Piazza dell’Unita).
The Arts section of this web site presents an excellent description of each museum in Florence with samples of the collection or of rooms in each museum. It also lists the days and hours each museum is open, which is very valuable because there is considerable variation from one museum to another.
Furthermore, it provides itineraries based on length of time in the city (3 hours, 1 day, 2 days) and interest (archeological, Romanesque, Renaissance). It’s an excellent survey of what you might visit. Curiously, at time of writing, it does not provide links to the mueums’ own web sites.
This site presents a very simplified map of Florence showing the major museums and performing arts sites in miniature. You can click on each drawing and learn more about the attraction or click on an index of attractions and then make your selection. This site also has links to other useful information about Florence.
Florence Art Card and Friend of the Uffizi
The Florence Art Card was introduced in Feb. 2011. It permits entry to more than 30 state and city owned museums in Florence for a 3-day period for 50 euros. Card holders avoid waiting in line. It is expected that it can be purchased at any of these museums.
Becoming a Friend of the Uffizi might be more valuable, especially if you are staying in Florence for a week or longer and plan to visit many museums. Currently, the membership price is 60 euros and lasts up to one year (expires Dec. 31).
Milan
The most famous of all "Last Suppers" is the one painted by Leonardo Da Vinci which is at the Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Piazza S.Maria delle Grazie in Milan. You can reserve tickets to see it by calling 011-39-028-942-1146. (Note, the first five numbers, 011-39, are necessary if you are calling from the United States.) You can also reserve tickets online at its website.
Naples
National Archeology Museum of Naples
This archeology museum is most famous for the collection of artifacts it exhibits from Pompeii, which were moved here to protect them. It also is home to the Farnese sculpture collection that was moved here from the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. There is a cafe with seating in the open courtyard. Open from 9 am to 7:30 pm; closed on Tuesday.
The San Severo Chapel, located a few short blocks from the National Archeology Museum, contains some of the most dramatic sculptures from the 18th century. The Veiled Christ is its most famous sculpture; also arresting in its size and intricacy is the sculpture "Disinganno" in the Statue of Virtues collection. Open from 10 am to 5:40 pm, Mon.-Sat. and from 10 am to 1:10 pm on Sundays and holidays. Closed Tuesday.
Padua
Scrovegni Chapel, Giotto Frescoes
The frescoes by Giotto are considered to be the most complete set executed in his mature years. Admission is by reservation, only. You can reserve admission on the website above. Padua, about 1/2 hour by train from Venice, is a very attractive, vibrant university city.
Rome
One of my favorite museums in all of Italy, the Galleria Borghese, is an exquisite palazzo filled with beautiful sculptures by Bernini and Canova, paintings by Raphael, Caravaggio, and other artists, and mosaics. It is surrounded by its own extensive park, curiously known as the Villa Borghese. This is a public park and includes a zoo and a separate area for dogs. Timed admission to the Galleria Borghese is by reservation only for a specified two-hour period. When you arrive for your timed admission, you can rent an audioguide or pay for a guided tour for the same price (5 euros).
This website is also the website for several other state owned museums in Rome, including the Palazzo Barberini, the Galleria Corsini, the Galleria Spada, and the Castel Sant'Angleo. The Castel Sant'Angelo has a summer music series.
The Doria Pamphilj Gallery is a beautiful palazzo that is home to one the finest art collections in Rome. It is conveniently located, close to the Pantheon. An excellent way to tour this museum is to rent an audioguide of the museum, which is narrated by a member of the Doria Pamphilj family, Prince Jonathan Doria Pamphilj. This website gives you an excellent preview of the palazzo and some of the recently restored paintings in the collection.
From the home page of the Doria Pamphilj website, you can also access information about their agriturism apartments outside of Rome at Tenuta Agricola Testa di Lepre, and their Palazzo del Principe in Genoa.
The Capitoline Museums in the, Piazza del Campidoglio, It features the city's most important archaeological treasures and the best view of the Roman Forum. In December, 2005, a new wing opened, containing the original equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, one of Rome's most enduring symbols. Open until 8 p.m. Closed Mondays.
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St. Peter's Basilica, Rome. |
Photo by J. Kane |
The Vatican website provides information about the Vatican Museums and the guided tours that you can arrange. It also provides detailed information about important events for the Catholic religion.
You can buy tickets online for entry into the Vatican Museums so that you don't have to wait in line. You can also reserve tours of the Vatican Museums and of the Vatican Gardens. You can do all of that here.
Vatican "Scavi" (Excavations) Tour
You can request a reservation for a tour of the excavations where St. Peter was buried in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. The tour is limited to 200 people per day so reserve well in advance in accordance with the process described at this website.
Venice
This website is a comprehensive listing, with hours, and phone numbers of the museums of Venice. Check with each museum separately to verify the hours.
Venice Museums with Online Ticket and Tour Reservations
This website lists the museums for which you can buy tickets, as well as the special Secret Itineraries Tour of the Doge's Palace, for which you must reserve tickets in advance.
Alata - Book Entrance to St. Mark's Basilica
At this website, you can book tickets for entry to the St. Mark's Basilica, thereby avoiding a long wait. Furthermore, there is no charge for this excellent service. You can also book tickets for many museums in Venice at this site.
This website describes the history of the Jewish Ghetto in Venice and also provides detailed information about the Museum of Jewish Art.
Art Workshops
Oil Painting Workshops in Florence (and Tuscany)
Painting workshops held outdoors ("plein air") in Florence, using oil paints, are offered by Angie Brooksby and other established artists. In these half-day workshops, all supplies are provided, and the classes are kept small. In August, a limited number of workshops are held in the Tuscan countryside.
The Clown, Tramonti, Castelina in Chianti
The Clown, based in Portland, Maine with its own vineyard estate, Tramonti, in Castelina in Chianti, sponsors small, personalized workshops and tours in art, wine, cooking, and antiques with specialists in these respective fields at Tramonti. At this website, click on Tours to view the current offerings.
Osmo Visuri of Finland conducts water color painting classes every summer in Spello. We had the pleasure of meeting him in early October 2003 as he was packing up his paintings to return to Finland. He had recently been one of two featured painters at an exhibit in Florence, and we were treated to a personal show of some of those paintings. Professor Visuri is fluent in English, although the website is in Finnish. An email address is provided for contacting Professor Visuri directly.
Bicycling
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Cycling in the Veneto |
Courtesy of Ciclismo Classico |
The Accidental Tourist offers daylong outings to their estate in San Donato in Collina, a 25-minute drive from Florence. They offer several types of tours: a cooking class, a bike tour, and a walking tour, all of which include a wine tasting and lunch. They also offer an afternoon and evening outing that includes a wine tasting at a Tuscan winery, followed by an aperitif and dinner at another Tuscan estate. The reasonable prices include transportation from Florence. They have many satisfied customers (see the Comments section on their site).
Bicycle Tuscany offers bicycle tours in the Chianti region outside of Florence that include a stop at a winery for a wine tasting, a visit to a Tuscan hilltown, and lunch. The outing is from 10 am to 5 pm. You are transported by van into the countryside where you begin your adventure.
Bike Riders Tours are luxury biking tours offered in several parts of Italy as well as in other countries. Some Bike Riders Tours combine interests, such as a biking and hiking tour, and a biking and cooking tour, guided by a chef from the United States.
Based in Arlington, MA, this company describes itself as, "The Italian Bicycling Experts since 1988." They offer bicycling trips (and walking tours) in several parts of Italy.
This web page describes bicycling in Tuscany and recommends three books for bicycling routes.
This company, based in Pienza in southern Tuscany, offers itineraries in Tuscany, Umbria, and southern Italy. They offer guided and self-guided biking tours of varying lengths, including a guided daytrip. They also offer a cycling and cooking itinerary, walking tours, and bicycle rentals. The itineraries are very appealing and the prices are reasonable.
Dolcevita Bike Tours (Sardinia)
Dolcevita Bike Tours offers guided and self guided tours of various durations, from a short break to a week-long adventure. You have your choice of coastal tours or trans-Sardinia tours and fixed base. Sardinia is famous for its beaches and many routes allow for swimming during the cycling day. The tours offer excellent value.
Based in DeKalb, Illinois, the Euro Bike and Walking Tours company offers many biking and walking tours in Italy. Of various lengths, the tours also vary in the degree of luxury. You can choose the "Econo tour" version with accommodations in 2- and 3-star hotels a fewer group dinners instead of deluxe 3- and 4-star hotels.
This agency offers guided and self-guided bicycle trips of 4 days and 6 days.
I Bike Italy offers 1-day and 2-day bicycling trips into the Tuscan countryside from Florence. The 1-day trip is to Fiesole and the beautiful surrounding areas; the 2-day trip includes a visit to Siena and an overnight in the heart of the Chianti area.
I Bike Tuscany is based in Florence. This company, owned by a native Florentine, offers 1-day and multi-day bike tours at various levels. Its customers have praised the high level of service (including hotel pickup) and the bike rides and routes, which can include visits to wineries.
This organization, based in Philadelphia, PA, offers bike touring in the Dolomites for serious cyclists and also welcomes non-bicycling companions.
Pack and Pedal Europe is a company that offers self-guided and guided bicycling trips in Italy and other European countries. It also offers walking, barging, and combined bike and boat trips. The prices are modest. The site offers extensive descriptions of their trips.
This site contains descriptions of routes for the serious cyclist and includes recommendations for hotels and descriptions of the artistic highlights of each base city. The author plans a cycling trip based on travel to three attractive towns. His selections and recommendations are very appealing.
Trek and Bike operate guided trekking and mountain bike tours in Tuscany and the Aosta Valley, as well as in the High Savoie region of France. Their focus is on undiscovered treasures of these areas and an underlying philosophy of ecological and sustainable tourism.
Walking in Italy is a very useful site for planning walking, bicycling, and skiing adventures. For many parts of Italy, it presents "Places Worth a visit" and "Travel Ideas," including trips of varying lengths, illustrated with photos and videos.
Great pictures and commentary on about 10 routes in Italy
Boating
The boating links on this website are worldwide. To locate boating information for Italy, select Mediterranean. Then, in the left panel, select Italy. At time of writing, there were 181 links for boating information for Italy. The topics include Buying/selling; Charters, Maintenance, Building, Marinas, and many more.
Sailing in Italy, currently available in Italian, only, has a Galleria Fotographica with beautiful photos of the Mediterranean islands. This company has boats for hire, either with a skipper or without ("bare boat").
Velanet, a website devoted to sailing in Italy, has an English version, although not all topics are translated. In addition to sailing charters, this website also includes an extensive list of sailing schools.
For more boating information, click on "Transportation, By Boat" in the left panel.
Cars
It is said that Italians are passionate about three things: fast cars, soccer, and opera.
The fastest cars race at the Forumula 1 Grand Prix events, such as the Formula 1 Grand Prix race held annually in Monza, Italy in September. Monza is 10 miles (16 kilometers) northeast of Milan.
Another Formula 1 Grand Prix race is the San Marino Gran Prix held in mid-April. The republic of San Marino is near Imola, Italy; most of the events take place in Imola.
The Ferrari is the fantasy car of people of all ages. Ferrari cars are manufactured in Maranello, just outside the north-central Italian city of Modena, where the Galleria Ferrari (the Ferrari Museum) is also found. Directions to the Galleria Ferrari and contacts for the Maranello tourist office are provided in the Ferrari World -> Galleria Ferrari section of the website.
Two other Italian luxury car manufacturers are Lamborghini and Maserati. Their websites list events, clubs, and dealers in Italy and elsewhere.
There are two Lamborghini Museums, one at the factory where these cars are manufactured, and one a short distance away that was established by Ferruccio Lamborghini's son. Directions for reaching both are on this website.
Ceramics (Majolica, Pottery)
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Altarpiece, Duomo, Montepulciano |
Photo by S. Kane |
Association of Italian Ceramic Cities
Italy has a rich tradition of the production of hand decorated ceramics - plates, bowls, pitchers, platters, and vases. Many towns throughout Italy are centers of ceramics production and most are members of this association. The website shows the location of these towns, provides directions to the towns, and provides the municipal website for each town.
Deruta in Umbria is renowned for its pottery. Its municipal website lists many of the producers in the town.
International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza
Faenza, which gave its name, faience, to pottery is an historic producer of fine pottery. This museum website contains links to many ceramics websites. Although the home page is in Italian, many of the sites to which it links are available in English.
Impruneta, a half-hour bus trip from Florence on the CAP busline (200 yards or so from the Florence train station), is famous for its terra cotta. Many producers are listed on the municipal website.
Montelupo Fiorentino, close to Florence, produced ceramics for the Medicis and continues that tradition. The town sponsors an annual ceramics fair during the last week in June. The date is posted on this website. Although the site is currently in Italian only, you can still obtain useful information such as dates, phone numbers, and addresses.
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Rampini Showroom, Florence |
Courtesy of Rampini Ceramics |
Based in Radda in Chianti, Ceramiche Rampini recently opened a showroom in Florence at 32 Borgo Ognissanti (open all day long) in a 15th century building close to the Borgo Ognissanti church. The showroom contains many different products produced in a myriad of colors and patterns, both classical and contemporary. You can purchase the pottery at the showroom in Florence and at the shop in Radda. You can also order pieces in the patterns and colors of your choice, and they will ship them for you. The staff at both locations are exceptionally helpful.
Studio Artistico of Alessandro Marchionni
Alessandro Marchionni produces and sells beautiful ceramics in Siena. The website describes the process of creating majolica ceramics and shows some of his products.
Antica Siena is another fine ceramics studio and shop in Siena.
Vietri sul Mare, Amalfi Coast
Vietri sul Mare is a center for ceramics with many artisans' shops. One of the best places to shop is the Solimene factory.
The Solimene factory is an art object itself, as you can see from their web site. The Solimene company produces very colorful, whimsical pieces. They ship worldwide.
Children's Activities
Amusement Park
The largest amusement park in Italy, Gardaland is in Castelnuovo del Garda in the province of Verona.
Driving School for Children
The Park Traffic School in Rome is situated near the Eur area - in the city center but in a green area, the Ninfeo Park. The name is almost a misnomer because it doesn't suggest the handsome miniature Italian cars and the motorcycles that children drive. Children learn the rules of the road with the help of the qualified instructors of The Park Traffic School and then put them into practice on the specially created track.
The courses are designed for different ages and use different vehicles for each age group:
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4 to 6 years old in electrical minicars
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6 to 12 in piston-engine minicars
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12 to 18 on motorcycles
These courses are for a morning or afternoon, as described on their website. This could be the highlight of your children's visit to Rome.
Museums in Florence With Activities or Collections for Children
The Palazzo Vecchio offers many programs for children, including tours, such as one of the Secret Passageways, workshops, and historic re-enactments with professional actors playing the roles of the Medicis. They are offered in English on certain days of the week and available by reservation (by phone: 055/2768224 or 055/2768558 everyday from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm (Italian time, of course)).
The Stibbert Museum collection includes a hall filled with statues in armor mounted on horses, another room filled with costumes, and a myriad of other displays, including a Japanese archer and a Chinese princess. The Stibbert Museum, surrounded by an extensive park with a Greek temple and an Etruscan ruin, is accessible by a short bus ride from the center of Florence (bus route 4 from Piazza dell’Unita).
The main attractions of this museum are Galileo’s scientific instruments and wax models that were created for instructing medical students about anatomy.
Puppet Shows
Puppet shows are performed throughout Italy. Although generally performed in Italian, the shows can be enjoyed by everyone.
Puppet Theater Companies in Italy
This website lists the puppet companies in Italy, by city and town, from Alessandria to Verona. More than 50 cities and towns are listed with several companies in some cities. Below is a short selection of puppet show venues.
Pupi di Stac, Florence
The Pupi di Stac theater company has performances in Florence and on the outskirts, reachable by public transportation. The performance schedule includes the number of the bus to take to reach the venue and the proximity of parking.
Teatro Pulcinella al Gianicolo, Rome
This puppet theater presents daily outdoor shows, Monday through Friday, from 4-7 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday, from 10:30-1 pm. The setting, on top of the Janiculum Hill (Gianicolo), provides spectacular views. There is no charge but a small donation is expected. The season for these productions is likely spring through fall, although that is unconfirmed at this time. In addition to the puppet shows, there are pony rides and a merry-go-round at this location.
Museo Internazionale delle Marionette, Palermo
This puppet museum in Palermo sponsors puppet shows.
This puppet company in Syracuse, in the Ortigia section of the city, is a combination workshop, museum, and theater. Performances are held on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings at 9:30 pm and on Sunday at 5 pm. Over the Christmas holidays, there are several performances at 6 pm.
Parks
Parco dei Mostri di Bomarzo (Park of Monsters)
The Park of Monsters of Bomarzo in the province of Viterbo, north of Rome, is an attraction for children and adults alike. Built in the 16th century, the gardens, planted with trees with interconnecting stone paths, are populated with all sorts of larger than life creatures carved of stone, some imaginary and some real. The visitor facilities include a picnic area, a bar, and a restaurant.
Zoos
See the last entry in this section entitled "Zoos."
Copyright 2003-2011 by Suzy Kane & Associates. All Rights Reserved