[.ca] Italy With Kids, 2nd Edition (ISBN 1892975831)

Not very good:
We own every European travel book that exists. I can honestly say that this one is by far the worst one I have seen, hands down. The coverage of accommodations is sparse and only includes extraordinarily expensive hotels, for the most part, and the dining recommendations are little better. There are no unique tips in this guide and it really covers 6 cities, and not very comprehensively. I give an extra star for making the attempt to write a kids travel guide, since they are not common.

Great Book for Traveling with Children:
This book was quite helpful to us in our trip to Northern Italy. All the restaurant suggested turned out well and the book gave us some great ideas of things to do with the kids. It is probably more useful with children 10 and under than for older kids although some of it is still applicable.

Don't waste valuable suitcase space with this book.:
I bought this book prior to a trip to Italy with my 3-year-old son and was highly disappointed. The authors stick to only the most obvious siteseeing destinations and didn't provide the nitty gritty that a traveler with children really needs. For example, the chaper on Venice of course describes St. Marks, but makes no mention of the playground right near the train station. The Milan chapter mentions "The Last Supper" but overlooks a park we discovered that has a collection of dinosaur statues and a carousel. Another major omission: the authors made no mention of the fact that many youth hostels offer accommodations for families, and the YH in Verona was a real gem -- gorgeous grounds to run around on, a spacious room, and cheap meals. It was also about one block away from a playground. None of the accommodations listings mention the hostel option. Bring Lonely Planet and leave this book behind -- the luggage space is better used by a spare coloring book or toy.

Don't Go to Italy with Kids Without This Book!:
Thank you, Barbara and Michael Pape, for doing the research and sharing your insights in this book that was constantly at my side during our recent trip. We read, and carried along, a few of the best guidebooks recommended, but Italy with Kids is the one that was the most helpful. Without repeating the well-deserved praise heaped on this book by a previous reviewer, I want to add some comments from our own experience: First, the book reveals information about many places and activities that we would never have found on our own. For example, instead of carting the kids through Milan, we chose instead to visit Vinci based on the authors' discussion of this tiny town nestled in Tuscany where da Vinci was raised. Our visit to the Museo de Leonardino in Vinci which is housed in an old castle, was enchanting to the kids who could come up very close to many of da Vinci's inventions and notes. The museum was small, extremely child-friendly, and best of all - uncrowded (and for Italy in June that is rare indeed). There are numerous other examples like this, and the section on Tuscany where we were based for much of our trip is outstanding. What other book mentions Snoopy's, a terrific gelateria in Cortona? Our 7-year-old had the important task of "rating" the gelatos we tasted in Italy, and found this one among his favorites. The book mentions the best gelato shops in many towns, a welcome treat after a day of sight-seeing and hiking up and down the steep streets. Unlike many other guidebooks, such small details as Pinky the cat who resides in the Fortress at Sirmione on Lake Garda were mentioned, and really drew the kids' attention. Of course, as soon as we arrived at the entrance, they asked where Pinky could be found and spent a good part of this visit entertaining the good-tempered feline, allowing us to spend some time enjoying the views and reflecting on the history of this intriguing fortress. In fact, I doubt whether we would have spent time at Garda at all if we hadn't read the book, heading instead for the more popular Lake Como on which most other guidebooks focus. Just as the Papes' noted, we were among the only American tourists in Sirmione, and we enjoyed several days with Italian, German and other European families. As for Hotel Sirmione, suggested by the authors, it went beyond our expectations. Ever swam in a 80+ degree mineral swimming pool, surrounded on three sides by a mountain lake? Other accommodation and restaurant recommendations were also excellent. What the book says is exactly what you will find, and its descriptions go well beyond what other guidebooks typically provide. In summary, this book is an outstanding resource for anyone traveling with kids...or who is a kid at heart. I am now waiting for books to be written on traveling with kids to other European countries. They will have a tough act to follow.

A Good Start:
There aren't a lot of books available about traveling in Europe with children, so I snapped this one up awhen I saw it. It has helpful information and good tips, but I was hoping for more. I found it lacking in giving specific activities that would interest children in given cities. The list of suggested book for kids was excellent, however. This book is a good start if you're heading to Italy with your children, but it won't be the only homework you'll need to do.