Many families prefer renting apartments in European cities as they offer more value and living space than traditional hotel rooms.

My issue with apartments is that standalone units can be a quality risk unless you are diligent about checking references (see my post on finding the best family-friendly vacation rental for more tips and links to resources). Moreover, the management of an apartment may be nonexistent which leaves you without someone to help with planning and logistics in a foreign environment.

If you are mulling over a 2012 trip to Italy and are looking for was to engage your kids in the experience, I highly recommend the Art al Sole day camp for international children (the program is in English).

Developed for ages 6-12 (Apprentices) and ages 13-17 (Masters), Art al Sole introduces children to a variety of art principles and practices within an array of glorious historical settings in the Italian countryside.

This is a guest post from Carole Yu, one of our Italy giveaway winners. Carole offered to share a bit about her trip, as her story touched us all.

Thanks for sharing tidbits from your travels with us Carole. Reading your story makes me want to get back to Tuscany!

Although I love visiting Florence in summertime when the weather is warm, a strategy is required to avoid an all-family meltdown given that the city is compact and during prime tourist season, it’s almost impossible to escape the crowds. The majority of the city hotels do not have swimming pools or open spaces for kids to run around. A bad combination.

Enter Villa La Massa …

Villa La Massa has been in our kid-friendly luxury portfolio for a few years now. It’s located …

Self-catering apartments and villas are ideal accommodations when traveling with kids in the countryside of Italy. The only downside is that if there is no onsite restaurant available, the meal hassle-factor grows exponentially.

Here’s why:

1. Villages are rarely walkable from rural apartments and villas in Tuscany. Even if the accommodations are within walking distance, these are not roads that are kid-friendly, particularly at night. Think no sidewalks, no lights, blind corners …

We’ve had a glorious week in Tuscany. We took advantage of our crisp and clear day in Florence and climbed the 460+ steps to the top of the Duomo (Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore) in Florence. What a view (and workout)!

This is a fantastic activity with school-age+ kids and was the highlight of this trip to Florence.

Hooray, a winner has been selected! Per our Italy vacation contest rules, they have three days to respond to the email we sent so stay tuned! We’ll draw another name if they don’t answer the message (which surprisingly, is usually the case for the first name drawn).

The blog will be updated with the winner’s information once they claim their prize.

Our annual fall Italy giveaway is coming to a end so it’s time to hurry if you’d like a free stay in Tuscany to be in your 2011 future!

The prize is a week-long stay for a family of 4-5 people at Al Gelso Bianco, a wonderful wine and olive oil estate located midway between Florence and Siena.

The magnificent city of Florence has so many marvels to explore that planning a family trip to the city can seem a bit overwhelming. Yet the beauty of this Renaissance city, perched proudly on the Arno and nestled amid iconic villa-adorned hills, is not lost on the little ones. Nor are the wonders of the local art and architecture.

With thoughtful planning that involves the children in crafting a family-friendly itinerary, Florence will inspire lifetime memories for the entire family in a lively, exciting environment …

Our Family Vacation Photo contest is in full swing! 50 families submitted favorite photos from travels with kids around the world. Literally, there are photos from Lapland to Hong Kong to Mexico to the Grand Canyon—practically every continent is represented.

We are trying something new and the photos are published on the Ciao Bambino Facebook page. Vote for your favorite photo by adding a comment to the specific photo in the Family Vacation Photo Album.