Family Trip to Rome in February
 

We are thinking about taking our a family trip to Rome this winter during our kid's school break. The kids will be 12 and 15. The past two winter breaks we have traveled with them to London and to Paris. We travel well together and the kids love the museums and seeing places that they have studied in school history classes. Any suggestions on a Rome trip? A good family hotel? Apartment hotel? Day trips from Rome? Sights not to miss? Sights to miss? Restaurants? Any advice is welcome. We can only take about 10 days for the trip. Thanks!

*Top sites IMHO:<BR><BR>1. The Forum...2,000+ years of history in one place. Imagine yourself 2,000 years ago watching the conquering Roman army and generals marching past the senate to recieve their accolades!<BR><BR>2. Coliseum...amazing how they could seat 50,000 people, flood the floor and have a naval battle.<BR><BR>3. Pantheon...does not have the marble as is was taken to St. Peters, but amazing architecture none the less.<BR><BR>4. Baths of Caricalla...Roman baths with some intersting mosaics and a quiet break form the hustle and bustle of Roma. <BR><BR>5. St. Peters...creatd with marble and stone taken from other areas of Rome...very, very large and very ornate...The Pieta alone is worth the visit!<BR><BR>6. Vatican Art Museums...the amount of pricelss works here is so great that the Catholic Church could cure poverty if they sold them all<BR><BR>7. Sistine Chapel...you mean that ceiling is flat...sure looks vaulted to me!<BR><BR>8. Borghesi (sp) Galleries<BR><BR>9. Spanish Steps and the Via Condeto...for the passa giata (sp) (couples decked out in their finest for the evening stroll)<BR><BR>Hotels, just do a search here as this subject has been discussed thoroughly. <BR><BR>US

Our family of 4 stayed at the Hotel Miami in Rome a few years ago. It was wonderful! Truly cannot say enough about it. Our children were little, and even though the hotel is not in the heart of all the touristy stuff, we walked everywhere, never needing a taxi or metro. Our room was very large, gorgeous bathroom, safe area (don't be swayed by it being toward the train station...its still a ways from there), quiet, and the staff were absolutely super with us and our children.

Our kids were 10 and 13 when we went to Italy over spring break last year. They LOVED Rome.<BR><BR>We stayed at the Albergo Santa Chiara. Ask for room 102. Large bed for parents and a separate ante room with twins for the kids, very spacious, great buffet breakfast and perfect location near the Pantheon.<BR><BR>While our kids also loved Venice (Florence less so) I don't know that you'll have time for this and February weather would be colder. They loved the farmstay in Umbria and our visits to Assisi, Spoleto and Orvieto. We didn't take them to Tivoli (Villa d'Este) but I bet they would have liked that.

Stay in the very center of Rome and you can walk everywhere. We stayed at the Grand Hotel de la Minerve just across the street from Bernini's elephant obelisk (outside Santa Sopra Minerva). The location and hotel were excellent. Parents and three kids walked miles everyday without complaining (much). The best day trip for you is to Ostia Antica. Children adore climbing all over the ruins. Allow a full day for it. Also visit Hadrian's Villa outside of Rome. With 10 days you can see much of Rome and its environs at a leisurely pace - it is a vacation. There are hundreds of museums in Rome, and truly interesting churches on every block. I also recommend a tour or two with Scala Reale. They are a fantastic expat organization. They will send you a guide who is terrific with kids. Enjoy!

We were in Rome (3 days) and Tuscany (4 days)last week with 2 children ages 11 and 13. We ended up having to take 2 rooms, as it was difficult to find a room for 4. We stayed at Albergo Del Senato based on recommendations on this forum. It was very comfortable and we would definitely go there again. Our rooms looked right onto the Pantheon and the square, and it had a lovely rooftop bar. We went with the intention of just giving our children a taste of Rome and not trying to cram in everything. We visited St. Peters (a bus ride away), the Vatican museum - but just to see the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon (multiple times since it was just across the street), fountain of Trevi, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Victor Emmanuel monument, and shopped. My son also was interested in the Museum of Pasta but we ran out of time. We walked till we dropped but managed to do all that in 2 days and 3 evenings before going on to Tuscany. My daughter loved Rome so much she wants to live there when she grows up, so it was a positive experience. Like you, we also have spent previous vacations in London and Paris. However, we are British, living in America, so our trips always include time in Scotland too. Have fun!

While in Rome this summer I checked out the Residenza Barberini. I was staying at the Hotel Barberini and walked past this property. The two are not affiliated, by the way. They have apartments that would be perfect for a family, very modern inside, with breakfast service brought up to the individual apartments...check it out. The rates on the website are high but when I was there they were advertising steep discounts. During the off season I am sure you could get a great deal. It is by Piazza Barberini, which is within walking distance of the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Via Condotti, etc. The Hotel Barberini is great too but the largest Suite would not be quite comfortable enough for a full week stay with 2 kids. We stayed there one night with our kids and had a pull out couch but it felt cramped.

We loved the family run Hotel Aberdeen on Via Firenze, a quiet side street between two major streets. Safe, and within walking distance (15-20 min, not just around the block) of many major sites; also, near public transportation. <BR>Your kids would probably enjoy the Castel Sant' Angelo. The view of Rome and of the Vatican is exceptional from the top. The bridge of angels spanning the Tiber leading into the Castel Sant'Angelo is right at the site of the dance barge featured in Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Also, day or night, check out the Piazza Navona & Trevi Fountain. A hit with young teens I know who were recently in Rome. I would also recommend the Scavi tour at the Vatican and at least one Scala Reale tour. Helps maximize the time you have there.

Susan,<BR><BR>Sounds like a wonderful vacation. Rome is particularly lovely during the Christmas season -- don't miss the open air Navona market. If you plan to spend your full ten days in Rome, I suggest you venture to Tivoli where you can explore the Este gardens and Hadrian's Villa. It's an easy trip and the day divides nicely if you plan on the gardens in the morning, lunch in town, and the afternoon in the Villa. <BR><BR>Ostia Antica, the ancient port colony of Rome, is also easily accessible from the city and offers the same other-worldly wonder as, say, Pompeii. I recommend that you give the city a full day, and that you bring a picnic lunch or plan to eat in the town, not the site cafeteria (the food is overpriced and tasteless).<BR><BR>Your family would probably also enjoy a relaxed day walking through the Appia Antica. These are all sites that are less frequently seen by travellers as they require a bit of planning and a longer stay in the eternal city than the typical whirlwind three days. However, by investing travel time in the region just outside Rome one can better understand the context and depth of the city's history.<BR><BR>Best,<BR><BR>Jasmine Hyman<BR>www.scalareale.org <BR><BR>

Susan,<BR><BR>Sounds like a wonderful vacation. Rome is particularly lovely during the winter season as there are less tourists than usual. The city gets chillier than you might imagine -- we're on the same latitude line as New York and get more rain than London -- so bring warm clothing and raingear.<BR><BR>If you plan to spend your full ten days in Rome, I suggest you venture to Tivoli where you can explore the Este gardens and Hadrian's Villa. It's an easy trip and the day divides nicely if you plan on the gardens in the morning, lunch in town, and the afternoon in the Villa. <BR><BR>Ostia Antica, the ancient port colony of Rome, is also easily accessible from the city and offers the same other-worldly wonder as, say, Pompeii. I recommend that you give the city a full day, and that you bring a picnic lunch or plan to eat in the town, not the site cafeteria (the food is overpriced and tasteless).<BR><BR>Your family would probably also enjoy a relaxed day walking through the Appia Antica. These are all sites that are less frequently seen by travellers as they require a bit of planning and a longer stay in the eternal city than the typical whirlwind three days. However, by investing travel time in the region just outside Rome one can better understand the context and depth of the city's history.<BR><BR>Best,<BR><BR>Jasmine Hyman<BR>www.scalareale.org <BR><BR>

We are planning a similar trip althogh later next year and I came across a site that seems to have a very nice idea about introducing kids to Italy: www.kidseurope.com. They have a downloadable journal with ideas for kids to pursue as they travel, not so much history but popular culture: gypsies and motocycles and different<BR>customs, things I would never have known about. They get into some strange facts that appeal to my children.<BR><BR>Annie