What to See and Where to Go

Holidays by Destination Europe Italy Tuscany and Umbria What to See and Where to Go 

Tuscany and Umbria are known more for the kind of culture which appeals to a certain type of adult than for anything which might attract children. However, outside the high seson tourist scrum of the main centres, it's pretty laid back, and there are highlights which, particularly with a little advance preparation, might appeal to younger members of the party.

• The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the one place children may well have heard of and may therefore want to visit. You could draw their attention to the striking ensemble it makes with other medieval buildings on the Campo di Miracoli.


• Possible entertainments in Florence include climbing to the duomo dome, the mercato centrale of all kinds of food, the Giardino di Boboli (the only large area of greenery accessible from the centre, good for picnics) and the Ponte Vecchio of dinky little shops.


• Siena is suffciently human scale to appeal to some children (and there are toy shops) although they may particularly enjoy the near kitsch of San Gimignano's courtyards and towers. Both are in effect pedestrianised. Other small towns with ramparts and castles may also appeal. Montalcino offers parents tastings of decent local wines.


• If your children have already come across one or more Tuscan paintings like the Botticelli Venus, say at school, it will probably work best to focus on these. If you want to introduce something fresh (finding reproductions in advance is very helpful) the work of Fra Angelico in San Marco, or Gozzoli's Journey of the Magi in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, both in Florence, are attractive and accessible. Castelfiorentino offers more Gozzoli. In Siena look out for the series of secular paintings of real life in medieval Siena in the Sala della Pace, and a few more in the Ospedale di Santa Maria della Scala.


• Siena offers the Museo d'arte per bambimi bambimus for under 11s offering a workshop programme as well as exhibitions.


• The Medici Villas offer attractive parks and the one at Poggio a Caiano a glimpse of 16th century life.


• At Vinci are displays of models based on Leonardo's drawings.


• Off the beaten track, say at a farmhouse property, you might encounter wildlife from goats to porcupines. The Alpi Apuane in the north are known for their flowers. South of Castiglione della Pescaia is the the Monti dell' Uccellina, due to become a Parco Nazionale. It offers a series of walks including to an unspoilt beach. The Bolgheri Reserve north of here was Italy's first private nature reserve and is accepted as a site of international importance. Inland south of Montepulciano, Monte Amiata's lower slopes offer walks in woods, possibly past deer and boar.


• Treno Natura in Val d'Orcia ferrovieturistiche with old steam trains, explore less developed parts of the countryside.


• There are a number of hot springs where you can bathe eg at Bagni San Filippo.
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• At Collodi near Lucca, is the Parco di Pinocchio (the writer hailing from here) with statues of characters, mosaics of events in the story, tableaux and mazes. You will get most out of it if you read the book first. There is also a toyshop to induce further expenditure.


• Nowhere is more than 1 1/4 hours from the sea, but much is just rows of ombrelloni and water quality is often not what it might be.
  
• Even the Italians are beginning to lay on special activities for families. The area around Siena (terresiena) offers a booklet On Holiday with Children highlighting activities for children (most in Italian) along with information about the landscape and history - archaeology, sharecropping, traditional festivals and more.