Best activities to do with children during a trip to Italy

Traveling with children is a wonderful experience, provided the chosen country offers enough activities designed for them as well. Are you wondering if Italy is a good place to visit with children? This article sweeps away your doubts. Trains that pass through Centovalli, DIY roller coasters, waterfall rides, gardens to get lost in, mines, and more. Let’s discover together the things to do in Italy with children to make your vacation unforgettable.

Walking among the animals

To discover things to do in Italy with the family, we start in the Aosta Valley, where the Parc de Merlet is located. In this nature oasis in front of Mont Blanc, it is possible to see various animals in their natural habitat: marmots, deer, llamas, ibex and mouflon. The park, with paid admission, offers both guided tours with play trails for children and free tours. The latter include two routes, an easier one, accessible even with strollers, and a longer one with steeper trails.

Having fun at the craft playground

Another stop for family vacations in Italy is Veneto. More specifically, Treviso and its artisanal playground in the Montello woods. Known internationally precisely for its uniqueness, it provides roller tracks, slides, circular rides and roller coasters, all made by hand and without the need for electricity. This is what makes it a sustainable alternative to classic amusement parks and an interesting attraction for children. And to think that the project grew out of an expansion of the family tavern, which is still present within the park.

Walking on suspension bridges in Sterzing

Places to go with children in Italy include Racines, near Sterzing, in Trentino-South Tyrol. Here are the wonderful Stanghe Falls, which are a unique natural monument that can be visited by walking on suspension bridges. They are ideal for children because they leave young and old alike amazed at what nature has been able to do. Access is allowed only for ages 3 and up and is not recommended with strollers.

Taking a tour of the mine

Also in Trentino-South Tyrol, between the Passirio and Ridanna valleys, the Children’s Mining Museum offers educational tours designed to allow young children to discover what the mountains look like on the inside. It also gives the opportunity to study the life of miners and their hard work. Visits also last all day and include a ride on the miners’ train with a descent into the mine. The temperature inside the mine is cold, so wear warm clothes.

Moving through the darkness

Among the cities to visit in Italy with children is Milan, in Lombardy, with its Dialogue in the Dark, a sensory museum that allows children to explore darkness using only the remaining four senses (smell, touch, hearing and taste). The proposed routes are varied and allow for the exploration of open to enclosed spaces. On some evenings, dinners in the dark are then organized, a unique experience that allows people to experience food differently, discovering every aspect of it.

Immerse yourself in the world of cinema

In Piedmont, specifically inside the Mole Antonelliana in Turin, you will find the Cinema Museum. In this original museum you can discover the art of filmmaking, with organized workshops focusing particularly on cartoons. Inside you can find sets set up and surprises in every room, with costumes and props from the most famous films. We recommend that you eventually reach the top of the Mole Antonelliana, although this involves a separate ticket: the view of Turin from the top will leave you speechless.

Ride the Centovalli Railway

Known to be among the most beautiful railway lines in Italy, the Centovalli Railway runs through the Ossola Valley and connects Domodossola to Locarno, skirting Lake Maggiore and arriving in Switzerland. The trail leaves the little ones speechless as they can admire tunnels, mountains, ravines, waterfalls, forests, and wonderful villages in a continuous change of unique landscapes. You buy a ticket for the entire route, but you can get off at any stop and then get back on at your leisure.

Exploring the caves of Frasassi

The Marche region offers an incredible natural spectacle with the Frasassi caves: karst cavities where children can discover the immensity of the underground and all its secrets. Young and old are accompanied by experienced guides during the journey, which takes about an hour, with stroller access limited to the first cavity. It is always preferable to purchase the ticket online, and in any case it is recommended to go to the site at least 30 minutes before the visit. Since this is underground, we recommend that you have heavy clothing.

Discover the secrets of chocolate

Almost all children love chocolate. Thus discovering the production, technique, culture, history and traditions of theworld’s most famous food will undoubtedly be interesting. In Lazio, near Latina, is the Chocolate Museum. This old bakery was transformed by Italian immigrants to the United States of America into a chocolate factory where today you can delight in workshops, chocolate fountains and guided tours. If your child would like to learn how to make chocolate, you can enroll them in the special educational workshop, which has classes of 20 little ones.

Interacting at Explora Museum

Also in Lazio, in the Flaminio district of Rome, you will find the Explora play museum, created especially for children. It follows the “hands on” philosophy, whereby children can experience the present installations through direct experience. Activities touch on science, agriculture, economic education, citizen services and all kinds of construction and discovery. In addition to the museum, there is also the Workshop in the Kitchen, open only on weekends, which allows young children to engage in various activities.

Travel through time at the Virtual Archaeological Museum

To discover the life of ancient Herculaneum, the Virtual Archaeological Museum in Naples gives virtual projections, augmented reality, 3D technology, multisensory paths and digital projections that tell the life of Herculaneum-but also of Capri, Stabia and Pompeii-and the eruption of Vesuvius in 5D. The excavations at Herculaneum seem entirely real, and new technology allows, in the present, to be able to experience the past. A way for children to understand the importance of technology, in a different guise than usual.

Acrobatics at the Footprints in the Park

In Calabria, in the Sila Piccola, it is possible to visit an eco-experiential park in which there are land-art installations, specially created to stimulate all the senses. Activities such as hiking, archery or mountain biking are also to be enjoyed. Famous throughout the region, forest acrobatic trails allow you to remain suspended between trees while admiring the world from above. This park is ideal for young children because it offers a variety of activities, from adventure to getting in touch with nature.