Tuscany with kids, 7 & 10

stov

We are planning to rent a cottage for 2 weeks in Tuscany, about 30km south of Pisa at the end of June. Has anyone visited this area? any recommendations for places to visit? we are the type of family who like days out to theme parks, beaches, walks? May have to twist the kids arms for the museums and cultural side!

Just would like to hear from others who may have gone for a completely different holiday to the norm.

starryeyed_2

We went to Castegneto Carducci which is about 50 mins drive south of Pisa, near the coast last June for 2 weeks with our 8 yr old son.
We prefer no to do the usual package holidays and we all love Italy, you will not be disappointed, Tuscany is absolutely beautiful in, especially in June.
We tended to have a few days by the pool then would go out alternate days for (long) days out. Our trips included, Pisa, your kids will love the leaning tower and a horse coach trip around Pisa, Siena is stunning and if your there first week of July the Palio is on, although we didnt go on Palio day as we thought would be too much for us in the heat with our son, but the day before its a great festival atmosphere in the city with everyone gearing up for the Palio.
Florence is also great , our boy actually enjoyed the Uffizzi museum! Although not the 2 hour queue to get in, (book in advance I wish we had)
We visited a water park, on the coastal road, sorry cant remember the name which was a good day out and I remember passing a theme park we didnt get around to going to.
The Tuscan coast is not beautifully scenic like other parts of Italy, but there are some nice coastal towns which are worth an afternoon or evening visit. The beaches in the towns are mainly private hotel owned and those along the coastal villages are absolutely heaving with Italians on weekends! but there are a few beautiful white sand quite hidden beaches along the coast, we used our sat nav and searched for beaches, it took us to two stunning stretches that were almost isolated, and well worth the adventure of finding.
Other towns to visit are Volterra, San Gimiganano, just wandering, and because Tuscany and indeed Italy all over is so authentic, your kids will have fun with the food, especially the ice cream! language, and culture of all things Italian.
We love this sort of holiday and we find that as long as our boy has his fair share of pool days hes happy for days out sightseeing too. In fact he would now rather Italy over Florida Disneyworld anyday!
Just one thing to watch, it is soo expensive in Tuscany and toward the end of the two weeks we were really getting fed up with paying over the odds for everything. Its hideously expensive, start saving !!
Have a fab time, im jealous already! x

rytute

Have had house in Tuscany for 18 yrs. The most child friendly resort in Tuscany is San Vincenzo (the "Etruscan Riviera")- astonishingly unknown to Brits. Good value, unpretentious, rather old fashioned - has bouncy castles- but also one of the top ten restaurants in Italy "Gamberro Rosso" pricey off course but a good value beachside place is the "Il Bucaniere" in town centre.
Has a friendly hotel "Il Concinella" with a swimming pool and it's own private beach - free (almost unheard of in Tuscany). Only breakfast served but the garden has tables which can be used for picnics or meals/pizzas bought from nearby take away places
The town has a rail station for further away excursions but you can organise your own day trip to the island of Elba from Piombino, visit nearby Etruscan/Medieval Populonia, wonderful sweep of beach at Baratti, Caldanaia in Venturina has a lake fed by natural warm springs, visit beautiful Massa Maritima etc.
Miles of free safe sandy beaches reached by walking through umbrella pine woods.