Italy Planning

We're going on a trip this fall-we will be taking our baby to Italy! And we're so excited about it and very busy planning. I said the other day that I took on a full time job-as my own travel agent. We have been using an agent for some things, like our plane tickets and possibly tours and transportation, but I've been looking on my own for accommodation and what to see and do.

Since we're looking for apartments to stay in, two of the favorite sites that we've used so far include:

http://www.vrbo.com/ (Vacation Rental by Owner)

http://www.rome-accom.com/ (Rome Accom)

We liked these two because they can tell you if the dates you want are available, there are photos to look at, and you can search by area of town and price range. (And even include recommendations). Some of the other web sites that rent apartments do not show availability and once I think about emailing the owner (or rental coordinator), and wait for a reply, I forget what apartment I was even looking at. I've found that everyone I have dealt with through email has been quick to reply and very courteous.

We search online for everything but I added one new book because nothing compares to having everything in the palm of your hand. (Plus Scarlet goes nuts when she sees the iPad out, so the book helps us to avoid that). There are dozens of options, but the one I chose was Pauline Frommer's Italy, spend less see more. Now if I just had some more time to read it!

We've picked our Rome neighborhood. We will be staying in Trastevere, which is supposedly not in the most touristy area, but close enough to walk to all of the sites. I've heard that it is as "authentic" as we will get in Rome and also good for kids-lots of markets, restaurants, squares... I'm sold. The shots from google earth are pretty cool.

Speaking of travelling to Italy with kids... At first, we were worried, and were asked numerous times, "Are you sure you want to travel with Scarlett?". Yes, it will involve coordinating car seats, naps, different types of accommodation and a really long flight for a toddler. But the more I read, it sounds like the Italians embrace having children around, so I hope that is true. I'm expecting she can run around some piazzas, and will enjoy eating the pasta, pizza and gelato. What kid wouldn't love that?

There's likely to be a few more posts as we continue planning our trip. And we love advice on what to see and do. Will I be adventurous enough to write while we are traveling?