Reflections on Rome - Travelling with Kids

When we arrived in Rome, I've got to admit I was a bit overwhelmed. I had a loose plan of what we would do but there were just so many "must sees" on the various websites I had read, that I wasn't quite sure where to start.

One of the first things I did was buy a basic map. Believe it or not, I think this is actually the first time I've used a map during our travels in Europe, mainly because I normally use my phone to find where we are going and generally had a plan for what we were going to do each day. But Rome is so big and there were so many famous places that I just couldn't get my head around where everything was and what was realistic to plan. I'm so glad I got the map because I could more easily decide what we could see in a given day, trying to keep us in a certain area of town or to take a certain route to pass something specific. Yes there are suggested daily itineraries for tourists galore but everyone has their own idea about what are the best things to do, plus each day people have a different tolerance for how many places we could go, and I didn't quite feel like any schedule I found suited our family's needs and interests.

You can honestly see so many famous places just by taking the buses. Since we were going to be in Rome for 7 days, we got a weekly bus pass which made it easier than buying new tickets all the time. The buses definitely weren't as reliable as metros, but it was nice to be able to see out of the windows. We probably split our time pretty evenly between the buses and metros on most days. 

Cauliflower Pizza

Of course there are the three main foods to try when in Italy: pizza, pasta, and gelato. One thing we noticed was the new flavours of pizza and gelato which we hadn't seen elsewhere. Just don't be naive like us and think the prices listed for pizza are by the piece!  Turns out this pizza was sold by weight. 

Pasta is a must, too. We found the flavours quite different than Italian restaurants at home, and serving sizes were generally smaller too. Pictured above were the largest portions we were ever served!

Coffee and Strawberry gelato in front of the Pantheon

The kids commented that we probably had gelato every other day during our travels in Italy, and we've been here for over two weeks. I'm just assuming all the walking helped us make up for the extra sugar LOL.

Learning about the construction of the Marcello Theatre

I planned for one walking tour during our week in Rome, and chose the topic carefully so it would cover areas I didn't think we'd go on our own.

Skull of Saint Valentine

Of course guides on tours always point out things that we would otherwise miss, so I'm glad we did take a tour so we could check off a number of places that would be nice to see all within a few hours. There were so many parts of the city and themes of tours to choose from so I think it's just up to individual choice what makes the most sense. I chose one called "All Roads Lead to Rome" which was the history of the start of Rome.

We also made use of youtube videos to prepare us for what we were going to see. We had already watched some back at home, when we were preparing for the trip, but reviewing places like the Roman Forum in particular was helpful right before we were going to see it.

In the Arena of the Colosseum 

We also used this book called "Mission Rome" which helped us look out of certain items as we explored new places. It definitely kept Cora (now 7 years old) more engaged, and also reminded me that we didn't have to read every plaque in places we were visiting. The little things we learned in the book, plus a few other explanations, was often just enough for her.

I chose to get tickets for one concert while we were in Italy, and Rome had the best option I could find combining tenors, instruments (piano, cello, and mandolin) plus ballet. Like all the others I could find it was a late concert, starting at 8:30pm, so I made sure the kids were happy and well fed before we went inside.

I had booked the cheapest tickets and Cora could unfortunately see nothing from where we were seated, so I quickly upgraded to the front section (luckily there were still seats available in the first and second rows). I'm so glad I did this otherwise I think it would have been a boring 90 minutes for the kids, not being able to see much. Paying the little bit more made the concert a much better experience for them. I've decided from now on I rather go to one concert and sit the kids at the front, than go to several concerts and sit at the back. 

The Pieta by Michelangelo

There are a lot of free things to do in Rome, including Saint Peter's Basilica...

Trevi Fountain

...all the gorgeous fountains, obelisks, and statues...

Pantheon

...and the amazing Pantheon. In fact, the only tickets we bought as a family were to go into the Roman Forum and the Colosseum (and we also chose to get the slightly more expensive tickets which allowed us into the arena section). Since kids were free, it was quite affordable anyway.

Otherwise I took the younger kids to Castel Sant Angelo...

...which had terrific views plus a number of interesting artefacts and art to look at. Again, the kids were free so it was only me who had to pay.

And Zaf took a tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel with Zorion. The boys also went to a soccer game.  

San Giovanni

There was a lot more to see in Rome and I'm sure it would be lovely to spend a few more days here but honestly, what we did felt like enough. There is sooooo much history in this city, it would be impossible to see it all.

Arch of Constantine in the background

I hope the kids will have good memories of our time in Rome and that they now understand a bit more about this vast empire.

Saint Peter's Basilica

Our time here as been a reminder to me about how big things will seem smaller in the future, and how our current civilisation is just a tiny blip in the history of humankind. It's amazing how much progress has been made in 2,000 years and crazy to imagine what it may be like in another 2,000.