What to do before Italy trip near Rome?

Travelling135 said:

Hi! We just booked our first ABD to travel to Italy this summer with our 10 year old twin girls. We are planning to arrive about 3 days early in Rome. We have been having a hard time planning something to do with that time. We don't really want to spend it in a city. We'd love to do something relaxing before the trip starts. Any suggestions at all? Thank you so much.

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abdgeek said:

It's been awhile since I did the "Signature" Italy ABD, but I came in two days early to Rome to do sightseeing of the places ABD wasn't visiting. I don't remember everything I did, but I did take the train to Florence to spend some quality time at the Uffizi Gallery. I bought the Uffizi and train tickets online ahead of time. I also went to the Galleria Borghese. I'm not sure the kids would like it, but you could investigate what other things there are to do in the park(it's massive). If I remember correctly, the Vatican is very close to the Gran Melia. Maybe you could find some activities related to it(catacombs, etc.) that the kids might enjoy.

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mapsd said:

Do a search of my posts and you'll find the details of what we did with our 2 girls, 14 & 9.
Flew into Rome, left most of our luggage @ our ABD hotel, & took the bullet train to Naples (kids loved it)& local train to Sorrento.
Sorrento Palace Hilton is used by ABD, has a family room (all 4 of you can stay) and one of the best pools you'll ever see. Breakfast on the terrace with a view of the Mediterranean & Mt Vesuvius is still a favorite memory.
Hired a car service to take us down the Amalfi Coast (only way to see it in one day).
Train back to Rome, stopping at Pompeii (they have safe luggage storage).
Southern Italy definitely has a different flavor than Rome and N Italy.

I'd be happy to give you step by step how to repeat our pre-tour days.

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Woodview said:

There are many Day tours from Rome

Coach trips to Naples & onto fast ferry to The Isle of Capri & return .This one I did a few years ago.

A Trip to the Leaning Tower of Piza is another .

There is a beach a few miles from Rome .

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abdgeek said:

It's been awhile since I did the "Signature" Italy ABD, but I came in two days early to Rome to do sightseeing of the places ABD wasn't visiting. I don't remember everything I did, but I did take the train to Florence to spend some quality time at the Uffizi Gallery. I bought the Uffizi and train tickets online ahead of time. I also went to the Galleria Borghese. I'm not sure the kids would like it, but you could investigate what other things there are to do in the park(it's massive). If I remember correctly, the Vatican is very close to the Gran Melia. Maybe you could find some activities related to it(catacombs, etc.) that the kids might enjoy.

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luckylady131 said:

Looking into various options of things to do before we our trip. We live in the Netherlands currently, and we are planning on arriving a couple of days ahead of time to check out some sites. We have a 7 and 11 yr old girls. I would love to visit the Amalfi Coast/Pompeii area. Is it better to just fly down that way and stay (where to fly into?) or do day trips from Rome? I worry about day trips because both myself and my oldest daughter tend to get car sick on long trips. I have sea bands that mostly work for her. I just suck it up.

Thoughts on what we should do and where to stay? Not sure when we are getting in - trying to determine what to do so we can determine when to fly in!! We were thinking the Saturday before (ABD starts on a Tuesday).

Any suggestions would be welcome! I looked into the things already mentioned in this thread.

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