fun things to do with kids in italy - family travel    
  Travel for Kids
   
     
    Italy
Florence
"All over Italy, people were friendly, especially to kids. My kids loved it when waiters treated them like real people and tried out their English on them," writes a friend. Italy is also a great place to travel with another family, or bring the grandparents – Italians are happy to accommodate a big family group.
Tip: Don't miss our top picks for children's books on Italy, recommended by the staff of Travel for Kids, see below.
  Rome
North
  Venice
    The Dolomite Alps
    Emilia-Romagna – Bologna
   

Liguria – Genoa

    Milan
Central
  Tuscany
 
Florence
South
  Campania – Naples, Pompeii
family hotels italy

Travel for Kids has so many fun things to do with kids in Italy, but you'll need a fun place to stay.

Here's our own Travel for Kids hand-picked list of family hotels, apartments rentals and house rentals in Italy, all styles and price ranges, in neighborhoods that are comfortable for families, and near to places you'll want to explore:

 
Rome Florence
Venice Tuscany house rentals
kids books italy
     
Da Wild, Da Crazy, Da Vinci - kids books Italy  
Da Wild, Da Crazy, Da Vinci
Jon Scieszka, Adam McCauley

Hilarious adventures of the Time Warp Trio, Fred, Joe and Sam, as they are whirled back to Renaissance Italy to look for da Vinci. When they fall into the clutches of Lord Borgia and Nicolo Machiavelli, Leonardo and the trio da Brooklyn cook up an invention to save their skins. (Easy reader)

 

     

Breezy, comical adventures of 10-year-old Melanie in Italy, "Or How I Survived Matt the Brat, Michelangelo and the Leaning Tower of Pizza." Perfect to bring on your trip. (Chapter book)

 

 
The Diary of Melanie Martin - kids books Italy
     
This is Rome - kids books Italy  
This is Rome
M. Sasek

Take a trip through Rome, old and new – ruins of the Roman forum, Emperor Constantine's foot, Piazza Venezia and the "wedding cake" monument, biggest church in the world, St. Peter's, secret passageways of Castel Sant'Angelo, legend of Santa Maria Maggiore, and more. Whimsical illustrations capture the panoramic history and fun in Rome today, this is a classic.
(Picture book)

 

   
Smile
Donna Jo Napoli

Elisabetta falls in love with Giuliano de' Medici, son of Lorenzo the Magnificent. But Florence is divided by war and a tyrannical monk, and it's Leonardo da Vinci, not Giuliano, who captures her smile, the portrait of Monna Lisa. (Chapter book)

 

 
   
Leonardo's Shadow - kids books Italy
 
Leonardo's Shadow
Christopher Grey

Leonardo da Vinci is painting the Last Supper, but it's going very slowly, and must be finished before the Pope arrives in Milan. Seen through the eyes of Giacomo, da Vinci's youthful servant, this is a suspenseful story of Leonardo, the man, the artist, the inventor, set in the turbulent life and times of 15th century Milan.(Chapter book)

 

     

Leonardo's inventions pop off the page – a flying machine, paddle boat,  architectural design for a temple,  armored vehicle, self-propelled cart, mechanical knight, plus detailed drawings and descriptions. Super pop-ups! (Pop-up book)

 

 
Journal of Inventions: Leonard da Vinci
     
Katie and the Mona Lisa - kids books Italy  

Little Katie gets in the picture, when the Mona Lisa invites her to climb into Italian Renaissance paintings. But everything doesn't go quite right, and it takes an angel to soothe three angry Botticelli dancers and a roaring lion of Venice. Charming illustrations, fun for little kids. (Picture book)

 

     
Michelangelo
Diane Stanley

Life and times of a Renaissance genius – the mega-talented Michelangelo, painter of the Sistine Chapel, sculptor of the Pieta, and architect of St. Peter's in Rome. (Picture Book)

 

 
Michelangelo - kids books Rome
     
City of Flowers - kids books Italy  
Stravaganza series:
City of Masks, City of Stars, City of Flowers, City of Secrets
Mary Hoffman

Dazzling historical fantasies, set in 16th century Italy. Each book is set in a different city that resembles Venice, Siena Florence, and Padua. Magical talismans transport teenagers from present day to the Renaissance, where they encounter deadly feuds, legendary horse races, masked duchesses, mystery and adventure. (Chapter book)

 

     
Daughter of Venice
Donna Jo Napoli

16th century Venice. Donata breaks the rigid confines of her noble family to explore her beloved city. Sparkling story of a teenage girl who would rather wear smelly clothes of a fisherboy than silks and parasols, and glows with the light and colors of Venice. (Chapter book)

 

 
Daughter of Venice - kids books Italy
     
Ancient Rome - kids books Italy  
Ancient Rome (Eyewitness Books)
Simon James

Essential guide to ancient Rome – history, the emperors (complete timeline), legionaries, senators and slaves, family life, gladiators and the arena, food and dinner parties, music and theater, gods and religion. Fabulous artifacts, detailed photographs, and a model of the Colosseum. (Picture book)

 

     
Gladiators
Toby Forward, Steve Noon

Pop-up scale model of the Colosseum and exciting story of the gladiator games, from the gladiators who put on the show, to the spectators who watch, plus a map of ancient Rome, gladiator trading cards, and tabula board game. (Activity pack)

 

 
Gladiators
     
The Thieves of Ostia  
The Thieves of Ostia (The Roman Mysteries 1)
Caroline Lawrence

79 A.D. While her sea captain dad is out to sea, Flavia and her three friends solve the mystery of who killed the watchdogs on Green Fountain Street. This mystery adventure is set in Ostia Antica, the port of Rome, and brings the ancient city to life. (Chapter book)

Read more super adventures in this series: The Assassins of Rome, The Enemies of Jupiter, The Gladiators from Capua The Charioteer of Delphi, and the final book, The Man from Pomegranate Street

 

     
Pompeii (Through Time)
Richard Platt, Manuela Cappon

See 2,000 years of change, through a single house in Pompeii – from a rustic farm to a Roman villa, buried in ashes, and then fifteen hundred years later, excavated and restored. Super reconstruction drawings. (Picture book)

 

 
Pompeii Through Time - kids books Italy
     
On Etruscan Time - kids books Italy  
On Etruscan Time
Tracy Barrett

Twelve year old Hector wasn't keen on spending his summer on an Etruscan dig in Tuscany, but when he finds a mysterious stone eye, the dusty ruins around him become a thriving Etruscan village, more than 2,000 years ago. Can Hector protect an Etruscan boy from an evil plot, and keep the archeological dig going? (Chapter book)

 

     
Century #1: Ring of Fire
Pierdomenico Baccalari

In an exciting fantasy adventure, four kids unearth a secret hidden in Rome – the Ring of Fire, an object older than the ancient Romans. The kids follow a maze of clues around the city, finally reaching the Basilica San Clemente and an underground temple to the sun god Mithra. An original story and wonderful local color. (Chapter book)

 

 
     
 
Madeline and the Cats of Rome
John Bemelmans Marciano

Springtime in Rome. New adventures of Madeline, her schoolmates and Miss Clavel, with colorful sketches of fountains, piazzas, the Forum, St.Peter's, Sistine Chapel, and more favorite landmarks. Delightful! (Picture book)

 

     
Strega Nona
Tomie de Paola

Strega Nona, a kindly "Grandma Witch," has a magic pasta pot. Big Anthony gets into trouble when he says, "Bubble, bubble pasta pot, boil me some pasta nice and hot." Fun for little ones. (Picture book)

 

 
Strega Nona - kids books Italy
     
Let's Learn Italian Coloring Book - kids books Italy  
Let's Learn Italian Coloring Book
Anne-Françoise Hazzan

Loads of fun pictures to color – from l'automobile to la casa (house), il gatto (cat), il pesce (fish), seasons of the year, days of the week, animals and food. (Coloring book)

 

     
Getting to Know Italy and Italian
Emma Sansone, Kim Woolley

Delightful illustrated overview of Italy – maps and regions of Italy, a typical Italian town, school life, what Italians like to eat and drink, history and festivals, useful Italian words. (Picture book)

 

 
Getting to Know Italy and Italian - kids books Italy
     
Italy Monuments: Past and Present  

If you're planning to visit Rome, Ostia, Hadrian's Villa, Pompeii, Herculaneum or Paestum, this is an essential guide to the ruins. With cool plastic overlays, you can see what the dusty ruins look like today, and what they looked like in Roman times. (Picture book)

 

     
Treasure Hunt Venice
Treasure Hunt Florence
Ellen and Marvin Mouchawar

Each pocket-size book is a scavenger hunt for Florence and Venice. Find portraits in the museums, get your photo taken in front of the "Gates of Paradise," rub the bronze boar, visit a pasticceria, count the bridges across the Grand Canal, and more. Fun for everyone in the family. (Activity book)

 

 
Treasure Hunt Florence - kids books Italy
     
Italy Discovery Journal  

This is a wonderful way for kids to travel around Italy and put things in a journal – spot your favorite pasta shapes, pencil in favorite building colors, collect postcards of your favorite landmark, and many fun activities! (Activity book)

 

(More children's books on other Italy pages)