I've been attempting to plan an international family trip for a while, but they keep getting derailed. We're now thinking of going bigger and saving up time and money to do about 10 days potentially in Italy next September. I know basically nothing about the country.
The direct AA flight for DFW to Rome is appealing because we've got some miles and will be traveling with a 4 and nearly 2 year-old, but Rome kind of sounds like a cluster fuck as a home base for us. Wife is looking for a coastal town with great food that is accessible with kids. We'd both like to experience some cool historic sites, as neither of us have ever been to Europe. I'd like some beautiful natural scenery to maybe sneak in a hike or two (if it was up to me entirely, we'd go to the Dolomites). Preferably not too much jumping around from place to place.
Would one of the islands (Sicily/Sardinia) or a mainland destination best meet what we're looking for? I've read the last few pages, but will probably work my way through the entire thread at some point.