Archive for the ‘Guides’ Category

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: Galleria degli Uffizi, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from gaspa’s photostream

Italy is home to some of the most famous art in history. Art is found all over in Italy: framed and on display, in the middle of a courtyard and sometimes art is the building you’re standing in. Instead of trying to cover all of Italy’s art in one entry, let’s break it down a couple places at a time. Today: The Uffizi Gallery and The Galleria dell’Accademia.

The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy is one of Italy’s most popular tourist attractions and is housed in a former palace that dates back to 1560. While serving as a state building, the Uffizi’s original occupants, the Medici family, filled it with art and sculptures. In 1765, the Museum was opened to the public as one of the first modern museums.

The Birth of Venus

Today, The Uffizi Gallery is home to some of the most recognizable paintings in the world. These include:

• Sandro Bottecelli’s The Birth of Venus (pictured, right)
• Caravaggio’s Bacchus and Medusa
• Titian’s Venus of Urbino
• Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo
• Leonardo da Vinci’s The Adoration of the Magi
• Raphel’s Madonna of the Goldfinch

The Uffizi Gallery can be very busy and wait times to get in during the summer season can top 5 hours. Booking a ticket in advance will reduce your wait time.

While you’re seeing Art in Florence, a trip to the Galleria dell’Accademia is a natural stop. The Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze, which houses the Galleria, is Europe’s first drawing academy and still a functioning art school today. While providing a much smaller collection than that of the Uffizi, the Galleria dell’Accademia is home to perhaps the most famous statue in art history, Michelangelo’s David. Originally placed in the nearby Piazza della Signoria, the Accademia has housed the statue since 1873. Many other Renaissance paintings including those by Michelangelo, Botticelli, Paolo Uccello, and Giambologna are included in the collection.

Driver In Italy can make your art trip to Florence even easier by providing transportation, tickets, and your own professional, English-speaking tour guide. Check out the Guided Visit to the Uffizi & Accademy Galleries package on our website for more details.

The town of Maranello may not ring any bells for most people. For serious car fans, though… it’s a mecca.

Maranello, a small town near Modena, Italy (about midway between Florence and Pisa) is nestled in beautiful, winding, mountain roads. The air has a different quality, fresh and clean and the views are breathtaking. The views, however, are not what makes Maranello a specialty tourist attraction.

This is. Ferrari’s main factory and test track is located here. While you can’t get into the factory unless you’re someone like Jay Kay or Michael Schumacher (this picture was the closest we got when visiting), the Ferrari fan can get their fix at the Museo Galleria Ferrari – A museum for all things Ferrari. While I’ll admit that we took the trip primarily for my husband’s sake, there is plenty for everyone to enjoy. It’s almost impossible for even the least automotively-inclined not to appreciate the beauty of a Ferrari.

Exhibits include displays of over 40 cars (including some exceedingly rare models) and glimpses at the Ferrari F1 design process over the years. The museum is open Monday through Sunday (except major holidays). Being a specialty destination, Driver in Italy can prepare a custom quote if you’d like to experience this town. It makes a great add if you’re going to Pisa.

Bonus Tip: For the Ferrari Fanatics, the test track is kept pretty well hidden, but there are a few small bridges where you can get some decent (but obstructed) views. If you’re lucky, you might even see a car on the track. You didn’t hear that from us, though.

Images: Creative Commons Attribution No-Derivative-Works (2.0) images from 59546886@N00’s photostream