bilboburgler

Fines for stealing bits of Italy are pretty high, 2017 law

Jean

As mentioned, Pompeii can be too hot for 3 small kids. But the climb to Vesuvius can be at a whole other level of scorching. The gravel (primarily decomposed lava rock) retains and radiates heat. It's about 2.5 miles one way, and, no surprise, the first half is all climbing and stairs. Carry lots of water. FYI, no toilets on the trail.

You now need to buy timed tickets, and departures are staggered to maintain trail safety. Check availability and book the earliest entry you think you can manage, considering Maiori is about an hour away by taxi.

FTOttawa

Make time for some hikes inland from Amalfi, Atrani or Maiori if someone wants to look for mineral deposits in the limestone. You’ll have to research the legalities of taking any away with you.
https://www.mindat.org/loc-289232.html

The waterfall on the Valle dei Mulini/Valle dei Ferriere walk from Amalfi is magical at all times but especially welcome on a hot day.

Speaking of hot days, two good cooling destinations in Rome are the Church of San Clemente with its many layers, and the Domus Aurea, Nero’s palace still under excavation, with an interesting virtual reality segment. Must be booked in advance, only open certain days.

Positano in my opinion is worth a glimpse from the sea as you ferry to and from Capri.

Another vote for Herculaneum. And for that driver. Book them for the return trip if you are gambling on a same-day return to Rome — train from Salerno might work better than from Naples. Did you book flexible air tickets?

Sassafrass

A couple of things your boys might find interesting:

The Capuchin Crypt in Rome. Read about it and look at some pictures to see what you think.

A tour of the underground excavations in Naples.
You can find videos of the underground archeological excavations to see what your boys think. We had seen a PBS show of it several years ago and I was intrigued. We thought it was fascinating and fun. BTW, don’t be led to buy tours from outside companies. I couldn’t believe some prices I saw! Tickets should
be around $16.50 for adults booked through the website. Just look for Napoli Underground. It has another correct Italian name, but I don’t remember it off hand. It was easy to find.

mjs

We just returned from a 2 week trip from the Cotswolds and Rhodes. I started taking my family abroad when my youngest was 8 and the oldest 9 and we averaged 2-3 trips a year until their College and Graduate schools days when it dropped to once a year. In the beginning we never asked them where they wanted to go or what they wanted to do. They just went along with it. Now they do have some opinions as to where they would like to go. Now much of what we do day to day is planned by my youngest who uses all sorts of information of the web to guide us. We now go once or twice a year as everyone has responsibilities. Since Dad still pays they still enjoy going. My only advice is not to worry about your children, They are young and adaptable. Mine are girls and yours are boys which may be a factor but other wise I would not worry about them except to note that youngsters can get tired easily, Try not to do to much. I think two destinations for a short 8 day trip is fine. I would prefer to go directly to the Amalfi and leave Rome for the last if you can schedule it that way. Italy will be crowed and hot, possibly scorching if you have an unlucky 40 degrees heat wave. learn to adapt. Have fun.

italychronicles1530

Hi,
The problem with Italy is there's so much to chose from. Eight days may sound like a long time but it's not with 3 kids, a wife and twice as many bags in tow. I'd suggests 2 stops: Rome + Amalfi (4 + 4). That way you get a feel for each and can schedule some fun family activities. In Rome you could raft down the Tiber, go to gladiator school, bike along the Appia Antica, discover Circo Massimo with VR helmets and let the boys wander the ancient streets of Ostia Antica. In Amalfi you could go on a full day boat tour, go kayaking, learn how to make pasta and relax at the beach. I wouldn't bother with the train but hire a driver to transport you between destinations.

bobspryn

Great stuff everyone, thank you! We are doing 4+4 Rome/Amalfi, and we'll be looking at all these suggestions.

Yeah, we've since seen this was the case. Bummer.

We looked at this, and it sounds great.

That makes sense. We'll have to weigh if they can actually handle this.

Herculaneum over Pompei seems like a repeating theme here.

I had been thinking a train from Salerno would be safe for a 5:45pm flight. On the way FROM Rome to Amalfi, potentially stopping at Vesuvius I see they have baggage lockers, or we could get off there and hire a driver the rest of the way.

We couldn't with the points setup we were using.

That sounds very cool!

Great suggestions, thank you.

Even from Rome down to Naples/Sorrento? I did want to give the boys a little train experience since the US is sorely lacking in that department.

geetika

Your boys are sure to enjoy the Napoli Souterranea or Naples Underground, narrow underground passages, some so narrow I was scared of getting stuck. I strongly recommend this, the guided tours take about 2hours.

A boat tour on the Amalfi Coast with swimming, etc should be a fun day trip. I believe Maiori has a good beach, so that’ll be a great way to chill and enjoy water activities.

Have a fabulous trip and come back to tell us all about it, especially what your sons made of Italy!

raincitygirl

I would take the train from Rome to Naples, you can book the fast train, I think your boys would love how fast it goes and it would be a great experience for them.
You could either then connect onward to Sorrento on the commuter train and get a driver from there to Maiori or get a driver to collect you at Napoli Centrale and then you could do a stop at Herculaneum or Vesuvius.

bobspryn

This sounds like a good plan.