Traveling with Children can be stressful at the best of times and in the most familiar circumstances. Throw your family into a foreign country where they don’t speak the language and your Fun Family Trip can quickly turn into something that would rival the Griswalds’ vacations. This doesn’t mean you should just stay at home, though… traveling, especially to foreign cities, can be an extremely rewarding experience for you and your children. Driver in Italy has compiled a list of tips to help you keep your trip to Italy running smoothly.

1. Do Your Research.
This one is a given for most parents, but it can’t be emphasized enough. Look into the hotels you’re booking and see what kid-friendly amenities they have. Going in the summer? Kids will probably want a pool to cool off in. Did you make sure to book a non-smoking room? Is there enough room in your suite for the kids to stretch out and play in?

2. Remember Your Kids.
While you may be going to Italy for the romance and the art, remember that your kids might not know a Botticelli from a bottle o’ Pepsi. While you shouldn’t avoid the culture, you should definitely make museum visits quick and easy. Check out the museum’s website and plan which paintings you want to see most so that you can get in and out quickly (before the kids’ attention span runs out). Does your daughter idolize Disney princesses? Find a real castle to visit. Does your son love race cars? Head to the Ferrari Museum in Maranello (or one of the other dozen car related attractions in Italy). Are your kids beach bums? Head to the coast and check out some of Italy’s amazing beaches.

3. Keep Them Active.
Take your kids to a piazza and let them run around for a while. Rent bikes and cycle around the city ala Audrey Hepburn. Take them on a short hike in Cinque Terre. The more energy your kids get out during the day, the more restful your sleep will be.

4. Simplify.
Simplify your travel. Traveling the long way with family can seem grueling and tedious. Driver in Italy has vehicles that can transport your whole family, from small a cozy at 3 to multiple generations at 8. By leaving the driving to Driver in Italy, you can enjoy the travel along with your family, rather than having to be the chauffeur yourself. If you’re thinking about taking a trip to Italy with children, Driver in Italy is the way to travel.

(Image: Azzurri Team, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from laertes_za’s photostream)

The World Cup 2010 is in full swing! For those fans of the Azzuri who are in Rome and Florence and want to catch some of the football action, we’ve compiled this list of places where you can watch the matches with other Italia fans!

Rome

Villa Borghese – One of only 7 places where FIFA (World Cup Sponsor) is hosting their FanFest. With the FanFest, FIFA is trying to bring some of the atmosphere of the World Cup venues into some of the world’s largest and most football obsessed cities. Admission to the FanFest area is free and games are broadcast throughout the day on large, outdoor screens.

Florence

Florence has placed large outdoor screen throughout the city, including ones in Piazzale Michelangelo, Via Villamagna and Piazza Santo Spirito. Around Tuscany has a great Google Map with all the locations on their website.

Where ever you watch, make sure to enjoy the game and celebrate responsibly! Forza Azzuri!

Image: Colosseum at Night, Rome, Italy, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from lightmatter’s photostream

Rome, the Eternal City. What is it that makes Rome one of the most visited cities in Europe? We’ve compiled a list of five reasons that Rome might be the top city to visit on your trip to Italy.

History

From the Colossuem to the Forum to the Pantheon to Vatican City, history is all around you in Rome. Dating back to the 8th Century BC and home to important structures and artifacts from the building of Western Civilization, you can’t throw a stone in the center of Rome without hitting something more than a couple centuries old.
Please note: We don’t recommend throwing stones at history.

Art

Some of the most famous works of art are housed in Rome, including the paintings on the Sistine Chapel, the rest of the Vatican collection, the works in the Galleria Borghese and the Capitoline Museums.

Romance

Before there was the phrase “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” there was the phrase “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” a phrase that dates back to the fourth century. Rome has long been a destination for travelers who want to immerse themselves in local culture and traditions and for travelers looking for a little Romance. It’s no wonder that Rome is the romance movie destination of choice for Hollywood.

Cusine

We’ve already covered the basics of Italian cuisine (and I’m sure your mouth was watering just reading that). Is it any surprise that visitors flock to Rome on all sorts of Food and Wine tours of Rome?

Shopping

Many of the top Italian designers call Rome home to the flagship stores including Valentino, Hermès, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci, Versace, Bulgari, Chanel, Armani, Dolce e Gabbana, Prada, Ferragamo and Campanile. All of those stores are on one street: the Via Condotti. Add to that other flagship stores, street vendors and the local merchants (with some of the most lovingly crafted leather goods in the world) and Rome is your power shopper’s paradise.

Italy has a history with fast cars. We’ve already heard about Maranello, the birthplace of the Ferrari.  Today, we’re focusing on the world’s premier car racing series: Formula 1.

Image: The Iceman commeth, a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike (2.0) image from ph-stop’s photostream

Formula 1 race cars are single seater racers (similar to American Indy cars). The “formula” of Formula 1 is the set of rules that all cars must fit into. These rules limit everything from the size of the chasis, the minimum requirements of engines and the amount of fuel and tire changes during races. The rules can (and usually do) change from year to year; the most controversial of the rules changes for 2010 was to ban fuel stops during races, requiring all cars to begin races with a full tank. Despite these restrictions, F1 cars can reach over 220mph and pull up to 5gs during some track corners. These aren’t cars for your Sunday drivers.

Nearly every country that participates in Formula 1 racing hosts a race, or Grand Prix, in their home country. The soon to be launched USA Team will begin hosting races in Austin, TX in 2012. Many of the races take place in beautiful and exotic locales such as Bahrain, Malaysia and Abu Dhabi. In Monaco, the race is held through the streets of the city (on the same course that was featured in the recent Iron Man 2).

Image: Ferrari Fan at USGP 2005, a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike (2.0) image from special_k_'s photostream

Formula 1 drivers are employed by teams. Italy is currently home to two F1 teams: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro and Scuderia Toro Rosso. Both teams use Ferrari engines (as does Switzerland’s BMW Sauber Team), but the Ferrari team cars are constructed by

the legendary automobile company.

To Italians, Formula 1 is as big a cultural and sporting event as Football and the affectionate nickname for football fanatics also applies to F1 fans: Tifosi. The tifosi, generally Ferrari Team fans, have been known to flock to Italian and other European Grands Prix, completely decked out in red, supporting their home team.

There are Grand Prix nearly every weekend during the Formula 1 Season; The Italian Grand Prix will take place on September 12, 2010 in Monza, Italy. There’s still time to plan your trip and Driver in Italy can help with all your Italy tour arrangements.

Starting today, you’ll notice a new feature on our blog: Ask Roberto. Driver in Italy owner Roberto G. Melaragno has spent his adult life in Italy and would like to share his knowledge of Italian culture, customs, tours of Italy and Italian travel with you. In Roberto’s own words:

I was born in Canada and moved to Italy when I was twelve, where I began to merge my North American upbringing with the beautiful culture and language of Italy.

Over 15 years ago, I started Driver in Italy, with a view to creating the most efficient, professional and personal private driver service in Europe. Meeting people from all over the world, helping them get the service they need and showing them our destinations is our focus, and part of what makes my company special.

Roberto is ready to answer your questions about Italy and beyond! Simply go to the Ask Roberto page and ask away. In addition to responding to each question, Roberto will regularly select a question from the submissions and profile the response in a blog post right here on the Driver in Italy Travel Blog!