The Erlbaum family of Philadelphia (2 adults and 4 children ages 14, 12, 9 and 6) traveled to Italy this summer in celebration of a Bat Mitzvah.  This religious family needed accommodations to keep their kosher dietary laws; so The Family Traveler arranged apartments and an apartment hotel that were also close to a synagogue, kosher markets and restaurants in each city they visited: Rome, Florence and Venice.  The trip was chock full of unique experiences and tours with the Sabbath open for relaxation, services and wandering.  The trip began in Rome with an apartment stay in the Jewish Ghetto.  Their first tour was a guided golf cart ride around the city for a nice city overview.  This is an ideal touring option especially after a long, overnight flight and zipping around in a golf cart allows you to get to many sights with ease.  Other Rome tours included private touring of the Jewish Ghetto, Great Synagogue and Jewish Museum as well as the Colosseum.  For a nice history lesson, they also visited the Time Elevator for a film about the city’s ancient past.  On the way from Rome to Florence, our favorite private driver and guide, Giancarlo, took the family for a day trip to Orvieto in Umbria which was enjoyed by all.  In Florence the family stayed at the Residence Hilda apartment hotel.  They took a private city tour to learn about its Renaissance past that also included the Accademia Museum, the Palazzo Davanzati (a reconstruction of an old Florentine home) and learned how to make Florentine marble paper with a local artisan.   A kosher cooking class in nearby Lucca was a highlight with bike riding along the rampart walls after a great meal.  A private drive and private boat ride brought them to their Venice apartment.  In Venice they took gondola rowing lessons, privately toured the Doge Palace along with a city orientation tour and took a private tour of the islands of Murano, Burano and the Jewish Ghetto.  Seeing the glass blowers and lace makers in action was a treat. Overall the family truly enjoyed Italy and its culture with so many special experiences to bring it all to life and to celebrate a special occasion!