Letting Off Steam

Next to the Duomo is its Campanile (bell tower). Climb the 414 steps to the top, breathing in as there is not much space on the narrow stairs to pass people coming down. From the top there is a bird’s eye view of the city. Central Florence does not have much green space, but there is room to run around in Piazza della Signoria, a 10-minute walk down Via dei Calzaiuoli, or cross over the Arno to the Boboli Gardens; a 20-minute walk or bus C2, 36 or 6.

Shopping

Good leather sandals and bags, as well as T-shirts and other cheap clothes, can be found at the outdoor stalls of Mercato San Lorenzo, 2 minutes’ walk from the Duomo. The popular Feltrinelli International bookshop (Via Cavour 12; 50129; www.lafeltrinelli.it) stocks English, French and Spanish books.

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Letting Off Steam

Grassy Piazza Santa Maria Novella, in front of the church, is perfect for a picnic. The two obelisks sitting on tortoises used to mark out chariot races round the square, held from the 1560s until the late 19th century.

Letting Off Steam

A market is held daily in Piazza San Lorenzo, selling leather bags and belts. Play hide and seek among the stalls, or bargain for souvenirs.

Letting Off Steam

Florence is chock-a-block with buildings. To escape the stone, head for the Giardino dei Semplici, created in 1545 and home to some 300-year-old trees. It is a 5-minute walk, past the university.

Letting Off Steam

Pedestrianized Piazza della Signoria is the perfect place to run around after the artistic confines of the Uffizi. Among the crowds, visitors can spot mime artists, jugglers and living statues. It is also one of Italy’s most beautiful and historic squares, with plenty to look at, from the gigantic copy of Michelangelo’s statue David to the horses in the fountain.

Shopping

Rinascente (Piazza della Repubblica, 50123; www.rinascente.it) is a handy, central department store, with something for everyone. La Bottega dell’Olio (Piazza del Limbo 2r, 50123; 055 267 0468), a little shop near the Ponte Vecchio, sells anything related to olive trees, including soap and, of course, oil.

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Head to the grand open space of Piazza della Repubblica where parents can sit in one of the historic cafés while kids whirl on “horseback” on the old-fashioned carousel (usually open late spring–late autumn). The square is on the site of a Roman market, and there’s a tall column with a statue of Abundance on top.

Letting Off Steam

The piazza in front of the pretty church of Santa Croce is one of Florence’s finest. A little off the beaten track, it is a good spot for picnics and chasing pigeons.

Letting Off Steam

Cross the bridge to Oltrarno, and head for Boboli Gardens, where there are acres of grass to run around and picnic on.

Letting Off Steam

Run around the swirly floral columns and Verrocchio’s fountain, with its chubby cherub hugging a diving dolphin, in the entrance courtyard to the palace.

Shopping

Borgo Tegolaio is famous for its artisan workshops; see gilding and gold-working in action. There is also a fine traditional paper-maker, Giulio Giannini & Figlio, on Piazza Pitti (www.giuliogiannini.it).

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There is plenty to see on a rainy day in Palazzo Pitti: visit the Medici apartments, where every surface gleams with Venetian glass, and galleries displaying costumes and carriages, as well as Renaissance paintings hung one above another.

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The enormous sloping square in front of the palace is good for a run around before a reviving ice cream from one of the cafés at the bottom. Alternatively, the Boboli Gardens to the rear of Palazzo Pitti are a great place for a picnic and a leisurely afternoon.

Letting Off Steam

Less than 5 minutes’ walk away, Piazza Torquato Tasso has gardens and a play area. Medieval city walls, fun to explore, lead to the ancient Porta Romana.

Letting Off Steam

Lively Piazza Santo Spirito is a fun place to play, enjoy a coffee or ice cream and browse the market stalls.

Letting Off Steam

Split your family into contrade (city neighbourhoods) and run your own Palio race around the Campo. In the real Palio, held twice a year on 2 July and 16 August, madcap bareback horse-riders race three times around the piazza. The whole town erupts into life with flag-waving, flag-throwing and horseback parades in medieval costume. Each contrada has its own emblem, depicted on its flag, and cheers wildly for its jockey.

Shopping

Shop for delicious Panforte di Siena at Antica Drogheria Manganelli (Via di Città 71–73, 53100); it makes a lovely gift to take home. Libreria Senese (Via di Città 66, 53100) sells books in English. For marbled paper and other lovely stationery go to Il Papiro (Via di Città 37, 53100).

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Letting Off Steam

The unspoiled Val di Merse around the abbey is good for cycling and riding, and the Petriolo hot springs on the River Farma are perfect for a relaxing soak in the woods (off the SS 223 Siena-Grosseto road).

Letting Off Steam

Pick up a map of walks through vineyards and woods, ranging from 25 minutes to 3 hours, from the enoteca at Castello di Volpaia, a medieval hamlet and winery (www.volpaia.com) 2 km (1 mile) from Radda (Loc Volpaia).

Letting Off Steam

Run three-legged races around the three-sided piazza, or head west out of Greve and take the lane that leads uphill through vineyards to Montefioralle (a steep haul, but it takes under an hour) for a wander round the tight spiral of streets that comprises the medieval village.

Letting Off Steam

The ramparts of the city walls provide Lucca’s main open space, a wide, shady, 4-km (2-mile) tree-lined circuit with bird’s eye views of the streets and houses of the city. Ask at the tourist office about bike hire, or simply walk and play, stopping off at play areas and snack bars.

Shopping

Via Fillungo is Lucca’s main shopping street for clothes and shoes and will appeal to teenagers, while younger children will find the markets entertaining. Try the craft market in Piazza San Giusto (last weekend of the month), which has ceramics and toys, or the Sunday art market in Piazzetta dell’Arancio (third weekend of the month).

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Letting Off Steam

If you are not worn out by climbing the tower, there is a grassy space to play and picnic on the Campo dei Miracoli.

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West of Barga, the Grotta del Vento (Cave of the Wind; cross the River Serchio to Gallicano and follow signs to Fornovolasco; www.grottadelvento.com; hourly tours) is great for kids to explore, with beautiful, long stalactites dripping down, deep green pools and echoing chambers. Take a jumper as it is cool inside.

Letting Off Steam

If there is steam left to vent after exploring the Parco di Pinocchio, head for the Villa Garzoni, where Pinocchio’s author stayed as a child. Its formal terraced gardens come complete with a bamboo forest and another maze to get lost in, as well as a butterfly house.

Letting Off Steam

The vertiginous, pentagonal 14th-century Fortezza (fortress) sits at the top of the town, surveying the surrounding countryside. Stone steps and wooden ladders make it possible to run along the ramparts and climb the turrets, from where there is a bird’s eye view of the town and the surrounding countryside. There is an outdoor café within the walls, where adults can enjoy a glass of the famous Brunello or Rosso di Montalcino while the children play.

Shopping

Shopping in Montalcino means pretty much one thing: wine. As well as the superior Enoteca la Fortezza (www.enotecalafortezza.com) in the fortress, there are excellent wine shops dotted all around the town. Souvenir shops in the centre sell attractive painted ceramics, with some child-size bowls and mugs. The Friday market in the town can be fun for children and adults alike.

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Letting Off Steam

Kids can have a run around the piazza and city walls or, for a slightly longer excursion, walk 1 km (half a mile) to the 11th-century Pieve (parish church) of old Corsignano, where Aeneas Silvius was baptized. In contrast to Pienza’s Renaissance rationalism, the Romanesque church is carved with symbols of medieval mysticism: mermaids with forked tails, dragons and dancers.

Letting Off Steam

The fortified walls of the village are great fun for kids to explore or, further afield, an old cross-country path leads 8 km (5 miles) from the gates of Monticchiello to Montepulciano. Alternatively, take a 6-km (4-mile) walk in the other direction to lunch in Pienza. The terrain is fairly easy and passes through lovely farmland, though the distances involved mean this is for older children only; take a picnic of pecorino sandwiches.

Letting Off Steam

Take a dip in the warm sulphur pools at Bagno Vignoni to relax tired little legs and for a breather from medieval history (Piazza del Moretto 32; 0577887365; www.termedibagnovignoni.it; open May–Oct 8am–1pm Mon–Sat).

Letting Off Steam

Piazza Grande is a dramatic space to let off steam: run around the fountain, looking out for the lions and griffins that decorate it and, if the tall tower of the Palazzo Comunale is open, run up the stairs to look at the view: it is sometimes possible to see all the way to Siena.

Letting Off Steam

Either walking or cycling on Monte Amiata is a great way to explore, with the dense tree cover providing shade. The 29-km (18-mile) Anello dell’Amiata route circles the volcanic cone at around 1,100 m (3,600 ft) and is less challenging than the ascent to the summit. The mountain villages offer bike hire and a bus shuttles to the peak in summer. Horse-riding is an option, at the Centro Equestre Ambasciador near Arcidosso (Loc Aiola, 58031; 3391836923; www.cavalloamiata.it), with treks for all the family. Castel del Piano has a swimming pool, and there is a thermal pool at Bagni San Filippo (Via San Filippo 23, 53023; 0577872982; www.termesanfilippo.com; open 8:30am–7pm Wed–Mon, until 4:30pm Tue; €60; reduced rate after 3pm).

Letting Off Steam

Walk through the woods to Blessed Bernard’s grotto – not in fact a cave, but a chapel built on the spot where Giovanni Tolomei, one of the monastery’s founders, gave it all up and lived a holy life as a hermit, changing his name to Bernardo after saintly Bernard of Clairvaux. He was himself made a saint in 2009.

Letting Off Steam

Uphill from the Piazza del Duomo, leaving the crowds behind, is the 14th-century Rocca (fortress). Within its battlemented walls are olive and fig trees, room to run around and picnic, and a great vantage point over the surrounding vineyards.

Shopping

Very much geared to visitors, San Gimignano has lots of souvenir shops selling painted ceramics and knick-knacks. Its many delis sell olive oil, salami, the local wine – a white called Vernaccia – and saffron, a local speciality. Try one of the city’s oldest delis, the Antica Latteria (Via San Matteo 19).

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Children will love running up and down the rows of stone seats and playing hide and seek behind the columns of Volterra’s 1st-century BC Roman theatre. Just outside the walls, it is still an impressive sight, with a two-tiered stage and tall columns made from Carrara marble. Baths were added in the 4th century AD, but in the Middle Ages it was used as a rubbish tip. It survived, hidden but intact, until the 1950s, when it was excavated.

Letting Off Steam

Children can stage their own siege of the Porta Nuova, a 15th-century fortress gate, with two big, round towers designed to repel attack from the Volterra road. To reach this dramatic model of defensive architecture, walk from the oldest part of town, Castello, across a narrow bridge and out through the elegant arched gateway of the Palazzo di Campana to the Borgo.

Letting Off Steam

The high and dramatic walkway around the remarkably intact ring of curtain walls, punctuated by 14 defensive towers and with two gateways (accessed via the tourist office on Piazza Roma), is the perfect place to let off steam: children with vivid imaginations can pretend to be medieval knights and defend the Sienese town from Florentine attackers.

Letting Off Steam

The Passeggio del Prato, a large open space at the top of town (a 20-minute walk from San Francesco) is perfect for ball games and picnics. At its centre is a Fascist-era monument to 14th-century scholar and poet Petrarch, whose birthplace is just outside the park entrance. Nearby, explore the ramparts of the Fortezza Medicea.

Shopping

Arezzo is a great place to buy gold jewellery, and antiques at the antiques fair held in Piazza Grande on the first Saturday and Sunday of the month. There is not much to buy with pocket money, but the stalls selling elaborate furniture, old prints, antique dolls and pretty crockery are fun to browse.

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Letting Off Steam

A good spot to run around and picnic with a view is the Fortezza Medicea, built by the Medicis after King Ladislaus of Naples captured Cortona and sold it to Florence in 1409. It is a stiff 30-minute walk up.

Letting Off Steam

Head for the sunflower fields of rustic Toppole, a 20-minute drive west of Monterchi and surrounded by marked paths, for a picnic.

Letting Off Steam

The large square, Piazza Torre di Berta, near the cathedral, is good for a run around, or make a circuit of the well-preserved town walls, never far away from the centre.

Letting Off Steam

A good-sized playground 15-minutes’ walk from the main square at the top of the town has swings and roundabouts, as well as a playing field. Parents can take in the views of Anghiari’s rooftops and the valley below over a coffee at the neighbouring café, Bar Cocomero, which specializes in fruit-based dishes and drinks.

Letting Off Steam

The thick oak woodland around the monastery is crisscrossed with marked paths, one leading to the summit of La Penna and a chapel built on a precipitous rock. The park office at Chiusi della Verna (www.parcoforestecasentinesi.it) has maps.

Letting Off Steam

Kids will love exploring the nooks and crannies, vertiginous staircases, wonky wooden landings and tall bell tower of the Castello dei Conti.

Letting Off Steam

Piazza della Repubblica is a good place to have a run around; it is graced by a pair of fountains, as well as views of distant Monte Amiata and the wooded countryside. Then take a stroll up Via Roma, one of three main streets, past hidden arches and alleyways. Alternatively pick up a map and guide from the tourist office to the Vie Cave, Etruscan paths carved out of the rock.

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Letting Off Steam

Kids can run around the Fontana di Nettuno, dominated by a huge bronze Neptune, in central Piazza del Nettuno. For vigorous exercise, take a 15-minute walk north of the centre to Parco della Montagnola; the beautiful, symmetrical gardens were created in 1806, with a pool at their centre. If it is hot or rainy, catch bus 20 from the Rizzoli stop by Piazza Maggiore to Villa Spada and walk 4 km (2 miles) up Via San Luca, under cover of the world’s longest portico (666 arches), up to the Santuario Madonna di San Luca, a Baroque basilica on a wooded hill – or cheat and catch bus 58 up.

Shopping

Città del Sole (Strada Maggiore 17, 40125, and Via San Felice 81, 40122; www.cittadelsole.com) sells every toy and game under the sun, from traditional and educational toys to board games, video games and science packs. Ta-Boo! (Via San Felice 24, 40122; www.ta-boo.it) tempts with model kits of cars, ships, planes and space ships, from simple models to more sophisticated battery-powered ones.

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Letting Off Steam

If playing war games and family power struggles in the castle has not used up enough energy, hire a bike and pedal around the red-brick Renaissance walls of the Herculean Addition, 9 km (6 miles) in all, or continue into the flat countryside of the Po valley, crisscrossed with trails.

Letting Off Steam

Take the kids to the Mirabilandia (www.mirabilandia.it) theme park on the edge of town; catch the train to Lido di Classe, then a shuttle bus to the park. For a natural alternative, explore the extraordinary Parco Delta del Po wetlands reserve; drive 10 km (6 miles) north on the SS309 and park at the Oasi di Punte Alberete or Pineta di San Vitale, then follow paths from signboards.

Letting Off Steam

The beach is the place to let off steam. Its shallow water is patrolled by lifeguards. There are areas of free public beach, or pay a small fee for parasols and showers. Hire a pedalo, windsurf, play volleyball or Frisbee galore; the tourist office has lots of information on activities.

Letting Off Steam

From the centre, head down to the Parma river and cross over Ponte Verdi to the spacious Parco Ducale (www.servizi.comune.parma.it/giardinoducale), a 20-minute walk. There is plenty of space to run around in these beautiful 18th-century gardens, graced with lavish fountains and formal Italianate flowerbeds.

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The Giardini Pubblici, just beyond the Palazzo Ducale, are pleasant for a play. The Parco di Piazza d’Armi Novi Sad, near the station, is by the Piscina Comunale Dogali (www.dogalisrl.it), with a 50-m (164-ft) pool and a kids’ pool (open-air in summer).

Letting Off Steam

Piazza Cavalli has room for a canter, or drive 30 km (19 miles) to the Castello di Gropparello for a medieval day out (open daily; €35–62; book ahead; www.castellodigropparello.it)

Letting Off Steam

In town, head to the Giardino Pubblico, near the bus station. Further afield, the surrounding hills are popular for hikes – a good base is Canossa, 25 km (15 miles) southwest of Reggio. There are the remnants of a 10th-century castle here perched on a craggy outcrop. Not much is left, but it is a great romantic ruin for kids to discover.

Letting Off Steam

The spacious, traffic-free piazza around the basilica is good for a run around after the hush of the interior. Alternatively, follow signs to the Duomo and head up Via di Porta Perlici from Piazza San Rufino to the Rocca Maggiore fortress, easily spotted above the town. It is a steep 20-minute climb, but worth it for the views, and to explore the ramparts of this forbidding fortress. It was built in the 12th century, but most of what visitors see now dates from 1367, with 15th-century towers.

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Shopping

The souvenir shops near the basilica are worth a browse for kitsch animal figurines, Franciscan monk-shaped mugs and holographic Virgin Marys.

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Letting Off Steam

Just 2 km (1 mile) west of town, the Città della Domenica theme park (www.cittadelladomenica.it) offers a change from medieval architecture and art: the grounds feature a mini-train, a zoo, a fairytale village, pony riding, a playground and a reptile house.

Letting Off Steam

In Gualdo Tadino itself, the paths and gardens of the Rocca Flea are good for a play. Further afield, the mountainous scenery of Umbria is seen at its best and wildest in the Parco Regionale del Monte Cucco, 8 km (5 miles) north of Gualdo Tadino. The park is home to wolves and golden eagles. As well as hiking and mountain-biking trails, there are opportunities for pony trekking and fishing. Alternatively, explore the Grotta di Monte Cucco, the world’s fifth biggest cave system. The park visitor centre at Fossato di Vico (www.discovermontecucco.it) has maps and information.

Letting Off Steam

Follow signs to the funicular, which carries visitors swiftly up Monte Ingino for hikes and sensational views over the town. It is great fun, but the fragile-looking cages dangle from a cable, so travellers need a head for heights, and must be ready to jump quickly into a cage – the funicular does not stop or slow to pick up passengers. At the top, head for the Basilica di Sant’Ubaldo to see the ceri (see Kids’ Corner).

Letting Off Steam

The waters of the lake are good for small children to swim and even try a bit of snorkelling, as the beach shelves very gently. For older children, Castiglione is the perfect place to try more challenging watersports, including windsurfing, sailing and waterskiing.

Letting Off Steam

Swim from Isola Maggiore, or from the tiny island of Isola Polvese, reached by ferry from San Feliciano on the mainland. Polvese is pretty and largely uninhabited, making it a great option for a get-away-from-it all adventure.

Letting Off Steam

Walk (10 minutes) to the Ponte delle Torri aqueduct, its stone arches striding across the river valley. It is like an ancient playground and, once kids have run the length of it, they can explore the wooded slopes of Monteluco, the holy mountain. The more ambitious could walk (20 minutes) down through the woods to San Pietro, its façade hewn with mythological beasts, or up to 12th-century San Giuliano (1 hour’s steep climb), with carved reliefs on its portal. Well-signed paths also lead to hermits’ caves dotted around the mountain.

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Walk around the 14th-century walls of Norcia or drive 30 km (20 miles) east to the isolated village of Castelluccio, above the plateau of the Piano Grande. In spring this vast meadow is carpeted with wildflowers. The village is a base for walking, hang-gliding, rafting and donkey- and pony-trekking on the plain and surrounding mountains.

Letting Off Steam

Besides the Fonti del Clitunno park, kids can run around Piazza Mazzini, the main square in Trevi.

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Explore the holm oak forests around the convent of San Fortunato (1 km/half a mile south of the Porta Spoleto gate), founded over a Roman basilica in the 5th century.

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If climbing the steep streets to the Rocca is not enough, good walkers may want to continue to the summit of verdant Monte Subasio (three-hour round trip). Pick up a map at the tourist information office, and take water and snacks.

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Walk around the town walls, or enjoy an ice cream in Piazza Silvestri while spotting mythological beasts on the façade of San Michele and Roman stones on San Silvestro.

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The dramatic, man-made Cascata delle Marmore near Terni is the highest waterfall in Europe at 165 m (540 ft). Created in 271 BC by the Romans, the falls are now used to generate hydroelectric power. There is a steep path to the top of the waterfall (a 40-minute ascent).

Letting Off Steam

Climb the steps of the 42-m (137-ft) Torre del Moro – the tall tower with the clock face visible from all over town. It is a short stroll from the Duomo, at the far end of Via del Duomo where it meets wide Corso Cavour. The tower dates from the 12th century and the hours are still sounded on its 14th-century bell. From the top there are views of the whole of the town and the vineyards and hills beyond.

Shopping

Delicious food, including locally made salamis and cheeses, can be found at Orvieto’s market (held on Thursday and Saturday mornings). The souvenir shops in and around the Piazza del Duomo sell ceramics, wooden toys and Italian designer household items to take home.

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Follow a lane from San Fortunato down to public gardens where there is a playground and a small fortress. The zigzag path continues down to Viale della Consolazione, where the serene Renaissance Santa Maria della Consolazione (1508–1607), designed by Bramante, stands. Its dome is an icon of Todi.

Letting Off Steam

From the Porta Romana, leave the city and walk around the outside of the vast walls. The impressive scale of the walls are most evident here.

Letting Off Steam

Climb up to the Rocca Albornoz, a stern, battlemented fortress. It is surrounded by a park.

Letting Off Steam

Head up to the top of the town where the Giardini Pubblici (public gardens) provide some green space and a playground. This is also the location of the Fortezza Albornoz (Viale B. Buozzi), a 16th-century fortress built by a cardinal, with views of the town and countryside.

Shopping

Bartolucci (Via Vittorio Veneto 23; www.bartolucci.com) sells beautifully crafted wooden toys, from Pinocchios to keyrings, clocks, swords and shields.

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Letting Off Steam

Have a swim! The long, sandy town beach shelves gently into the sea, and has beach umbrellas for hire.

Letting Off Steam

The square and grassy banks around the churches provide space to play – or do the visit in reverse and scale the castle after visiting the village.

Letting Off Steam

Walk along the ridge to the three towers, the Rocca Guaita, Rocca Cesta and Rocca Montale, that look so dramatic from below. Then try a Torta Tre Monti (Three Tower Cake), layered and coated in chocolate.

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Have a run around broad, largely pedestrianized Piazza Arringo. The square is graced with an unusual fountain: water spurts from the mouths of two bronze horses with fishy tails, and the structure is topped by a playful dolphin.

Shopping

Near Piazza Arringo, head to the little network of streets lined with artisan workshops selling ceramics, stationary and clothes.

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East of Macerata (15 km/9 miles), the winding lanes of the medieval hill village Morrovalle offer plenty of scope to play hide and seek.

Letting Off Steam

The region is perfect for strenuous but rewarding mountain biking and long-distance hikes. Ambitious cyclists should attempt at least part of the Grande Anello dei Sibillini (Great Sibylline Ring; www.sibillini.net), 120 km (75 miles) of signed paths through the woods. Mountain refuges along the route provide shelter for overnight stops. Families with younger children can walk shorter sections of the route, or simply go looking for fields of wild flowers or chestnuts, depending on the season.

Letting Off Steam

For a play, head to pizzeria Vecchio Moro sul Lago, set beside a lake. For a hike, drive south to the walled village of Montemonaco (15 km/9 miles). From here a challenging 2-hour walk leads to the Cave of the Sibyl – where it is said an enchantress waits to lure travellers – or a 3-hour walk along a river leads to the Gola dell’Infernaccio (hellish gorge); both summer only.