Best 28 Days in Italy — Winter

Pre-book Vatican Museums tickets to see the Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms without queuing for hours

Make fresh ravioli, fettuccine, and pappardelle in a small-group Roman cooking class — great for children age 5+

Climb the dome of St. Peter's Basilica and walk the world's smallest country at the Vatican

Cook three Roman classics — fresh pasta, cacio e pepe, and tiramisu — in a hands-on family kitchen class

Train with replica Roman weapons and learn gladiator combat techniques at a historic school near the Colosseum

Learn ancient Roman mosaic techniques and create your own piece at a historic family-run studio

Visit the Pantheon, toss a coin in Trevi Fountain with the children, and stroll to Piazza Navona for gelato

Reserve a mandatory 2-hour slot at the Borghese Gallery, then let the children ride bikes and row boats in Rome's loveliest park

Shop the Testaccio covered market and taste supplì, porchetta, and maritozzo in Rome's most authentic food neighborhood

Wander Trastevere's cobblestone lanes at sunset and eat supplì, cacio e pepe, and Roman pizza al taglio

Stroll from the Spanish Steps through the Baroque heart of Rome to the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona

Hand-stitch a leather wallet, card holder, or bracelet under the guidance of an Oltrarno master craftsman

Book ahead for the Uffizi to see Botticelli's Birth of Venus, da Vinci's Annunciation, and the world's greatest Renaissance collection

Book a timed slot to stand before Michelangelo's 5.17m marble David at the Galleria dell'Accademia

Stand before Botticelli's Birth of Venus at the Uffizi and Michelangelo's 17-foot David at the Accademia

Take the 35-minute high-speed train to Bologna and taste ragù, mortadella, and tortellini in the city that invented them

Make fresh pappardelle and ragù at a Chianti farmhouse — children love rolling and shaping their own pasta

Visit three art museums covering Venetian masterpieces from the 14th century to 20th-century modern art

Take the 1.5-hour train to Bologna and walk 40km of UNESCO-listed porticoes past towers, markets, and world-class trattorias

Take the 30-minute train to Padua to see Giotto's revolutionary 1305 fresco cycle and Italy's oldest university

Kids and parents cook spaghetti, gnocchi alla sorrentina, and a lemon dessert in a Sorrento terrace kitchen

Visit a local pizzeria, cheese farm, and family lemon grove — then make a Neapolitan pizza and end with limoncello

Take the bus to Anacapri and descend by rowboat into the Blue Grotto's eerily glowing sea cave

Stroll to the clifftop park at the Gardens of Augustus — children love spotting the Faraglioni sea stacks from the viewpoint

Walk Positano's steep narrow lanes, photograph its pastel dome from the beach, and swim at Spiaggia Grande

Catch the morning hydrofoil to Capri, visit the Blue Grotto, and browse the glamorous Piazzetta before the return ferry

Book months ahead to see Leonardo's Last Supper mural — only 40 visitors admitted every 15 minutes

Walk through Milan's 1867 glass-vaulted arcade and stroll the Quadrilatero della Moda — Via Montenapoleone, Via della Spiga

Spend a free half-day in Milan at your own pace — browse the Pinacoteca di Brera, sit in a Navigli cafe, or revisit the Duomo

Make two pasta shapes from scratch and traditional Tiramisu in a local La Spezia home, learning Ligurian pantry secrets

Hike the Sentiero Azzurro coastal trail from Monterosso to Vernazza along dramatic cliffside paths above the Ligurian Sea

Spend a free block in Tuscany your way — browse local markets, visit a wine estate, or simply sit in a hilltop piazza

Cook risotto al pesce persico, hand-rolled pasta, and a classic Lombardy dessert in a local Como home kitchen

Swim from a private lido, rent a kayak, or sit on a villa garden terrace and watch the light change on the Alps