Florence with three kids

[DaddyDan]

We are heading off to Florence in the next few weeks during our kids' (5, 10, and 12 years old) fall school holiday. I am wondering if there is any advice here on fun and unusual things for kids to do in Florence.

In addition, are there any suggestions for vegetarian friendly restaurants? Places that celebrate seasonable vegetables and not just places that want to sell you impossible burgers on oddly coloured buns?

Wine windows worth visiting?

Local craftsman worth seeking out?

Tourist traps and pits of dispair to avoid?

Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Dan

 

[Alpinista]

Not so much on fun and unusual, but will note that little legs and lots of walking don't go together so well in cities. Keep the pace slow and steady with plenty of stops for treats along the way. We were in Florence last week and were astonished by how crowded it still was with tourists.

We have traveled with our kids from in utero all the way up (now 30-ish -- and did survive their teenage years, but barely). One thing we did do was create scavenger hunts for the times we wanted adult time in museums -- "Find people, animals, landmarks, etc." with a gelato as a reward (or something healthier if gelato is not on the menu).

Speaking of animals, reminded me that there is nice zoo in Pistoia -- could combine a train ride (if they haven't ridden a train before) with a visit to the zoo and make it an adventure day. If you want to go further afield, go to Lucca and enjoy the bicycle ride around the city walls along with the other attractions of the city.

 

[DaddyDan]

Thank you for the advice.

We live in Switzerland, so we are quite accustomed to trains, cities, and serious walking.

 

[DepartmentOfWackyIdeas]

Probably too late for you, but in case it isn't check out what is going on at LoFoIo. It's a community makerspace in the oltrarno neighborhood and has a lot of weekend classes, some of which are geared toward kids. A couple of weeks ago, there was an awesome 3d paper mask workshop that I wish I would have been able to attend. Here's a video about the place;

View: https://youtu.be/Yev8d4Logt4