Letting Off Steam

Chase the pigeons in the piazza: cathedral elders have spent years trying to get rid of them, as their droppings corrode the cathedral’s marble. The Giardini Pubblici public gardens (Metro Palestro/Porta Venezia) offer shady grass areas and playgrounds. Across the road, behind the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace), is a toddlers’ play area and a small lake with carp and turtles. In summer, head for an open-air swimming pool: Romano (Via Ampere 20, 20133; 0270600224; Metro Piola) and Argelati (Via Segantini 6, 20143; 0258100012; Metro Porta Genova) are the most convenient.

Shopping

Ten minutes’ wander northeast from the Duomo is Milan’s world-famous Quadrilatero d’Oro, a rectangle of cobbled lanes and streets housing top designer boutiques, where window-shopping is always fun. Or pop into the 19th-century shopping arcade, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, to glory at the glass cupola and mosaics celebrating Italian unification in 1865.

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Letting Off Steam

Leonardo da Vinci stayed in the monastery across the road, now the Palazzo Stelline (Corso Magenta 60), while painting The Last Supper. Through the courtyard at the back is a shady garden with enough grass for a game of football or a picnic.

Letting Off Steam

An extension of the Parco Sempione, the gardens of the Triennale are home to sculptures by famous artists – sit on, lie in and climb all over them.

Letting Off Steam

The castle leads directly onto the dukes’ hunting ground, now Milan’s biggest park, the Parco Sempione. There are acres of paths, grass and trees here with playgrounds to keep children busy and cafés for a refreshing break. If that’s not enough, check out the Arco delle Pace, the Art Nouveau aquarium (www.acquariocivicomilano.eu), and, for a bird’s eye view of it all, the Torre Branca (www.branca.it/en/mondo/torre-branca.asp).

Letting Off Steam

On the way up let the two funicular railways do the legwork – they whisk visitors to the top of town at San Vigilio. Then charge back down the steep and panoramic avenues, following the city walls to the lower town through Porta San Giacomo.

Letting Off Steam

There’s plenty of space to run around outside the main gate. The energetic could cycle here from Pavia (8 km/5 miles) or Milan (30 km/18 miles). The flat paths follow canals, so take mosquito repellent.

Letting Off Steam

Make a day of it and head off to the Campo dei Fiori, a natural park just north of Varese with a Via Sacra – a series of chapels which lead steeply up for 2 km (1 mile) through the woods to the church and hamlet of Santa Maria del Monte. Bus C from the hamlet goes to the bottom.

Letting Off Steam

The winds around Domaso in the north of the lake make windsurfing and dinghy sailing a breeze. Menaggio is most fun for hikes into the beautiful countryside, horse treks and mountain-bike riding. There are several lidos (Lenno, Cadenabbia, Dongo, Varenna and Menaggio have the nicest), and although the shoreline is a little muddy or shingly you can’t beat a paddle in the waters to cool down.

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Como made its fortune from silk and still supplies Milan’s fashion houses. The atmospheric Silk Museum (Via Castelnuovo 9, 22100 Como; www.museosetacomo.com) will capture young imaginations.

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Letting Off Steam

Opposite the ferry dock there’s a low-key lido (Via al Lido, 1, 23828) with a bit of shore, sun loungers and a café. There’s also a small children’s playground, best for younger kids.

Letting Off Steam

After climbing all the way to the top of the hill, run down again, seeing who can remember the stories told in each chapel. To cool off, head to the nearby lido at Lenno, or the one slightly further north up the shore at Menaggio.

Letting Off Steam

The piazzas in the town centre and the waterfront promenade make for a lovely stroll with plenty of room for kids to run about. For a refreshing dip, head northwest around the waterfront to Villa Olmo (www.lidovillaolmo.it; open May–Sep), where there is lake access, a beach with umbrellas and deck chairs and two open-air swimming pools.

Letting Off Steam

The car-free piazzas in Mantua’s centre, the playgrounds in Piazza Virgiliana and the grassy park by Palazzo Tè are ideal for down time.

Mantua and the surrounding countryside can easily be explored on two wheels as they are flat and relatively car-free. There is a bike-sharing initiative in town: register with a passport at Casa del Rigoletto (Piazza Sordello 23). For smaller bikes, child seats or trips further afield try Mantua Bike (Viale Piave 22B; 0376220909). Boat trips on Lago Superiore, Lago di Mezzo and Lago Inferiore vary from one or two hours to day trips to Venice (www.motonaviandes.it; www.fiumemincio.it).

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If it is too hot or it rains, an easy indoor option is to spend half a day exploring some of the 500 rooms and 15 courtyards of the Palazzo Ducale. Highlights include the Galleria degli Specchi (Hall of Mirrors) and Appartamento dei Nani (Apartment of the Dwarfs), with its low ceiling. Palazzo Tè is another fascinating building, where giants crash down on your head in the Camera dei Giganti, frescoed from floor to ceiling in an illusion of chaos.

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Letting Off Steam

Explore the pretty gardens and woods of Parco Giardino Sigurtà (www.sigurta.it; open mid-Mar–Nov 9am–6pm; (Mar & Oct till 6pm); €24–36; children under 4 free) on the edge of the village, and meet friendly animals including Polpetta the donkey at the children’s farm.

Letting Off Steam

Head to Sirmione (5 km/3 miles away) on Lake Garda, where there is a shingly beach (open May–Oct).

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A ramp leads behind the church to the grassy riverside, and there are boat trips from March until October (0376349292; www.fiumemincio.it).

Letting Off Steam

Climb 502 steps to the top of the Torrazzo for a great view, and run around the piazza.

Letting Off Steam

The town’s Parco Saumont is a good space for children, and pleasant for adults as well. There are plenty of walking routes, plus a creative play area and artificial lakes, with a focus on learning about nature and local traditions. It has good toilet facilities.

Shopping

For hand-painted wooden toys and objects, visit the workshop of Franco Grobberio (Via Bramafan 22, 11100; 3486958960; www.grobberio.it). At Introd, just outside Aosta, Les Amis du Bois specializes in local wood-carving, including the grolla friendship cup (www.lesamisdubois.com).

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At Fénis, visit the fairytale castle with turrets, dungeons and frescoes (11020 Fénis; 0165 764 263; open daily 9am–7pm Mar–Oct, 10am–12:30pm and Wed–Mon 1:30–5pm (till 6pm Sun) Nov–Feb; €5, under-18s free). Also at Fénis is MAV, the Museo dell’Artigianato Valdostano (Chez Sapin 86, 11020 Fénis; 0165763912; www.mav.ao.it; open Tue–Sun, 10am–5pm Oct–Mar, until 6pm Apr–Sep; €10–16, children aged 6–18 €3, under-6s free), with lots of crafts to see and do, and kids’ workshops at 3–5pm on Wednesdays.

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Letting Off Steam

At Valnontey, the other main town in the park, families will enjoy the Giardino Botanico Alpino Paradisia, an Alpine botanical garden with a network of paths and grassy slopes set against the craggy backdrop of the mountains.

Letting Off Steam

There is a great range of outdoor activities of varying difficulties for children and adults at the Parco Avventura Mont Blanc, 11 km (7 miles) south of Courmayeur, past Pré-Saint-Didier towards the Piccolo San Bernardo pass. Bridges over ravines are a thrilling feature – all participants are harnessed and helmeted. The park has its own café.

Letting Off Steam

A 10-minute drive away in a clearing surrounded by the chestnut and beech woods known as Bousc Darè, 2 km (1 mile) above Pont-Saint-Martin towards Perloz, there is a panoramic picnic spot equipped with tables and barbecue facilities. From here, there is a pleasant track through vineyards.

Back down in Pont-Saint-Martin, walk across the bridge. According to legend, it was built by the Devil, who had a pact with St Martin whereby the Devil would take the soul of whoever first crossed the bridge. Once the bridge was ready, the wily saint tricked the Devil by throwing a loaf of bread onto the bridge so that a hungry dog ran after it. The Devil was so upset by not getting the promised human soul that he sank back down to Hell. It is actually a Roman bridge, built around 25 BC, with a span of 30 m (98 ft). Because of its high arch, it has never been damaged by floodwaters.

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There are a number of playgrounds in city squares and gardens. In the centre is the Giardino Balbo (bus 68); along the River Dora is Parco della Pellerina (bus 2 and others towards Corso Appio Claudio). A boat trip on the River Po is also fun: boats depart from Murazzi or Borgo Medioevale, a fake medieval village and castle built for the International Expo, 1884 (www.comune.torino.it).

Shopping

Department store La Rinascente (Via Lagrange 15, 10121) stocks the essentials. Baratti & Milano (Piazza Castello 27, 10121) and Gobino (Via Lagrange 1/a, 10121) are legendary chocolate shops. Paradiso dei Bambini (Via C. Alberto, 10121) and the Centro Gioco Educativo (Via Cernaia 25, 10121) are great for toys.

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Turin is renowned for its chocolate. A coupon for a Merende Reale allows visitors to enter historic cafés for a hot chocolate tasting.

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The gardens of PAV are a work in progress, showing how plants and design can transform what we see. There is plenty of green space, with curious paths, visual surprises and a family of ducks who have taken up residence here. Friendly English-speaking guides are available to explain it all, but there is also the possibility of roaming freely. Access is via the stunning glasshouse-style lobby building.

Letting Off Steam

Alberando Adventure Park, in San Grato park beside the Castello di Rivoli, offers safe tree-climbing activities (3356624534; www.parcoalberando.it).

Letting Off Steam

The 8-hectare (20-acre) Potager Royal was the vegetable patch for the palace, and is now a fascinating mixture of flowers, fruit trees, vegetables and cereals typical of the region. There are hands-on tours designed to get children interested in where their food comes from, plus beehives, fountains and benches.

Letting Off Steam

Pay a visit to the Parco della Fantasia Gianni Rodari in Omegna, (Parco Maulini 1, 28887 Omegna; 0323887233; www.rodariparcofantasia.it) a homage to Gianni Rodari, considered by many to be Italy’s most important 20th-century children’s author. Few of his books have been translated into English, but the park offers kids a chance to unleash their imaginations with fun workshops and games.

Shopping

Handmade soaps are sold at Ricordi in Orta San Giulio (Piazza Motta 30, 28016; 032290337).

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There is no place like an Umbrella and Parasol Museum (www.gignese.it/museo) for taking cover! This amazing collection of what was once a fashion item for the wealthy is in nearby Gignese, where umbrella-making was a traditional craft.

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The Giardini Botanici di Villa Taranto (www.villataranto.it) at Pallanza were begun by a Scotsman in the 1930s and show off 20,000 important botanical species.

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Less than 1 km (half a mile) from town, the Lake Orta beaches at Riva Pisola and Approdo are good for a splash around. Both have ferry stops.

Letting Off Steam

Just over 1 km (half a mile) downhill is the lakeside village of Pella, where the public gardens are equipped with a children’s playground and a basketball court, and there is a pretty promenade by the lake. There is also a nice, sandy beach at Rialaccio in neighbouring Frazione Roncallo (2 km/1 mile), providing easy access to the water.

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Just south of Vacciago, in the hamlet of Lortallo, are three paths offering great walks around the Riserva Naturale di Monte Mesma, a lovely nature reserve with a wooded hill surmounted by a 16th-century convent. There is a paved Via Crucis flanked by little chapels that can be walked to the top in around 20 minutes, another path that leads through chestnut woods to the summit and a third track beside the Rio Membra and Torrente Agogna streams. There are good chances of sighting local fauna, including deer, wild boar, squirrels, foxes and birds of prey.

Letting Off Steam

The Città dei Bambini (Children’s City) in the old port engages kids of all ages with interactive installations that are both fun and educational. Younger children (3–5-year-olds) can explore the senses in three different settings – building site, hands in the water and the mirror image – while older children (6–12-year-olds) can engage in all sorts of exciting scientific experiments. There is a “digiwall” for climbing, a mini TV studio and a section devoted to the marvels of physics.

Shopping

Tucked away behind Piazza de Ferrari is the Fabbrica di Cioccolato Viganotti (Vicolo dei Castagna 14/r, 16128; 0102514061), a traditional chocolate shop. Intelligent toys can be found at Città del Sole (Via Luccoli 42, 16128; www.cittadelsole.it).

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Letting Off Steam

Less than 10 minutes’ walk away are the large, sloping public gardens of the Villetta Di Negro (open daily 8am–sunset). Designed in the early 1800s, they feature a waterfall and a pagoda, and offer a great view of the city and coast from the top. A modern building in the gardens houses the excellent Museo d’Arte Orientale, one of the best oriental collections in Europe; children will be fascinated by the Japanese Samurai and Chinese mask displays. Afterwards, head to the grounds, where there is room to play.

Letting Off Steam

Just 2 km (1 mile) from the museum (bus 189) is the fantastic Parco Avventura Pegli, a tree-top adventure park with climbing trails on suspended rope bridges, rope ladders and flying foxes (zip wires).

Letting Off Steam

The villa’s gardens were designed by a famous early 19th-century theatrical designer, Michele Canzio, who designed sets for the Carlo Felice opera house. The gardens, which include a lake, temples and bridges, aim to create a series of pleasant surprises for the visitor.

Letting Off Steam

The waters surrounding the Cinque Terre are clear and inviting, and there are various small beaches that are good for swimming and scampering about on. The only sandy one is Monterosso, where there are rent sun beds and parasols to rent. The small coves at Corniglia and Riomaggiore are pebbly, while at Vernazza and Manarola smooth rocks provide access to the water. The most memorable beach is Guvano, in a bay between Vernazza and Corniglia. To get there from Corniglia, take the blue path towards Vernazza, heading downhill after 15 minutes and following the sign that reads “Spiaggia Libera”, then proceeding for a further 60 minutes. For a 15-minute, non-panoramic alternative, take a torch and use the ex-railway tunnel near Corniglia station, which has been restored and is quite impressive.

Shopping

The town of Monterosso has a wide range of shops selling local produce, jewellery, souvenirs and crafts such as pottery and ceramics that depict local scenery.

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Built in the 12th century, the Romanesque-style Church of Volastra has a barrel-vaulted ceiling decorated with frescoes and a Gothic window above the entrance. The views of the surrounding countryside from here are spectacular.

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Letting Off Steam

There is a pleasant, shady public garden (open daily 8:30am–7pm) with a children’s playground halfway up Via Nazionale, in Via Dante Sedini. Pause to look at the fountain, where a mermaid drinks from a shell. For a longer outing, head up the coast to Lavagna, and then towards Chiavari for the Parco Botanico di Villa Rocca (Via Costaguta; 0185 302 929; summer: 9am–8pm daily; winter: 10am–6pm daily; €4–5, under-12s free). Villa Rocca’s botanical garden provides excellent views of the city and has meandering paths, geometric flower beds and wooden bridges.

Letting Off Steam

Down the road at Santa Margherita Ligure’s Parco Carmagnola (Viale Rainusso, 16038; 0185205423), the great 20th-century set designer Lele Luzzati created a quiet wonderland devoted to the characters in Mozart’s Magic Flute. It is whimsical and fun, and children will love it.

Letting Off Steam

Get ready to battle the enemy–play Saracen invaders on the steps of the Castello della Dragonara. Further afield, set out on one of the paths leading up the hillsides of the Parco Regionale Naturale di Portofino (www.parcoportofino.it). It is 2 hours’ walk to San Fruttuoso, accessible only on foot or by boat – a tiny hamlet with an abbey, a church and a tower, on the beach.