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Tuscany for Children
 Tuscany
is a magical place full of Castles, History and Culture. Whilst
this often gains the attention of adults, children around
the world can be heard saying "I dont want to go to a stuffy
museum". With some ideas and tips in this months newsletter,
we are hoping that those of you that are venturing to
Tuscany with your family in tow, can survive some cultural
and historical visits with everyone happy at the end. Of
course you will still have to provide lots of Italian
ice-cream and pizzas but you may just get to see some of the
things that you want to see without too many complaints! (Please
note that all suggested books below were available to buy
from the online book retailer Amazon at the time of the
publishing this newsletter).
If you are planning to visit any of the museums in Florence
during your stay, make sure you book your museum tickets in
advance through one of the
recognised agencies- no advanced ticket for the Uffizi
Gallery can mean 2-3 hours wait in a queue in July and
August!
 A
good way to explore the city with children is to use the
'hop on, hop off'tour buses that operate in a number of
languages with English always being available with an audio
guide and headset. The ticket for the tour bus lasts for 24
hours which is plenty of time to see as much of Florence as
possible. Stops include the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, Boboli
Gardens and Pitti Palace. There is also another route
covering the lesser known areas of Florence and on out to
the Etruscan city of Fiesole.
If Florence is where you want to explore, then make sure you
pack the 'Kids Go Europe - Treasure Hunt Florence' book. This
is aimed at children from aged 8 upwards but adults will
find that you will discover parts of Florence you would
normally miss using just the 'adult' guidebooks. The book is
designed to give some historical information in small chunks
for the children with spaces for them to add their own notes
or even sketch their version of the statue of David. It also
makes a great journal/scrap book for them to record their
trip to Florence.
 Collodi
is a lesser known area of Tuscany but is famous as the
birthplace of Pinocchio. The original story of Pinocchio was
a weekly cartoon in a local newspaper that became a series
of books and of course, most famously, a Disney movie. In
Collodi the
Pinocchio Park is more true to the original version
rather than the Disney character but children will love to
explore the park and the story of the naughty boy is little
changed, whichever version you prefer. Various factsheets on
Pinocchio state that the story is reputed to be the second
most widely published book in the world after the Bible.
For your children, you may want to watch the DVD before
travelling or buy The Authentic Story of Pinocchio of
Tuscany by Carlo Collodi and Roberto Gabani
 In
Pisa, children love everything about the Leaning Tower,
whether its having their photos taken in just the right spot
so that it looks like they are holding up the Tower or
whether it is getting dizzy racing up the stairs to the
top! As in Florence,
booking your ticket in advance saves lots of time and
also disappointment as during the height of the tourist
season, some days all visiting times for the tower tour are
sold out.
 Leonardo
da Vinci is possibly the most famous Italian throughout
history and in his home town of Vinci you will find a
fabulous
museum depicting his early life, his inventions and
copies of his art work. For older children the "Leonardo da
Vinci for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 21 Activities" is a
fascinating book for them to read and try the activities
before travelling - after all his designs include diving
suits, helicopters and hang-gliders which were not formally
invented until years after his death. For adults who need to
brush up on their knowledge of Leonardo da Vinci, the
Dummies Guide Series of books have one called "Da Vinci for
Dummies".
The Magic Tree series of "Merlin Mission" books, has one
called "Monday with a Mad Genius" which transports the
characters, Jack and Annie, back to Renaissance times where
they need to spend the day with non other than Leonardo da
Vinci.
Insider Information:
The owner of To Tuscany has children of his own and was
featured in an online magazine asking for his own tips on
things to do with children in Tuscany. You can read the
article
here for more activities your children can take part in.
Dont forget..
that the To Tuscany website has lots of information
about things to do with
children in Tuscany and Umbria.
We also have a fantastic section on our website where
you can build your own personal
guidebook online, dont miss it, its all free
information for you.
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