Are you off to Rome with kids? From gelato to time-travel and Commedia dell’Arte-inspired puppet theatre, visit these 11 places that will thrill the little ones.
Explora
The name of the venue – Explora – provides a rather accurate picture of what this place is all about: experimenting. If you walk from Piazza del Popolo down Via Flaminia, you will arrive within ten minutes to Italy’s first private non-profit children’s museum.
There are four different sections to explore: ‘I’ that focuses on the body and its functions; ‘Society’, in which the little ones can engage in activities like shopping in a mini-supermarket; ‘Environment’, in which children can experiment in an organic house; and ‘Communication’, in which slightly older kids can have fun with all the latest technology.
Where: Via Flaminia 82
Tel: +39 06 3613 776
Nearest station: Flaminio
Il Gelato di San Crispino
Sometimes, on a hot summer day, the only thing to cool you off is a tasty and refreshing gelato. Luckily, Rome is plastered with dessert artisans selling hand-made treats in various flavours, often using organic ingredients.
The grand-daddy of this gourmet gelato trend – and still one of the best ice creams in Rome – is San Crispino. Visit the shop at Piazza della Maddalena, just by the Pantheon, to experience seasonally changing fruit flavours, or the honey-flavoured San Crispino special. Your kids will thank you for it!
Where: Piazza della Maddalena 3
Tel: +39 06 9760 1190
Nearest station: Barberini
Read more: The best restaurants in Rome
The Pantheon
If you’re travelling to Rome with kids, it’s easy to bore them with an overdose of church visits. The Pantheon, however, is a marvel of engineering and harmonious architecture that will impress even the younger minds.
The structure is comprised of a series of intersecting arches where the dimensions of the interior height and the diameter of the dome are the same, so a sphere with a 43.3 m diametre would fit perfectly inside. The main source of light for the whole building is the oculus – the round hole at the top of the dome. When it rains, the water runs off to the still-functioning Roman drainpipes underneath the convex floor.
Where: Piazza della Rotonda
Tel: n/a
Nearest station: Barberini
Read more: The 10 best cultural spots of Rome
Time Elevator
What kid would say no to multisensory time-travel?
Located near Piazza Venezia, Time Elevator takes you on different virtual journeys: a more than 2,000 year time travel from the birth of the Roman Empire right up to the present day and a fascinating five-dimensional journey with incredible effects back to the origin of life. The time-travel journeys are available in 6 different languages and are enhanced by multisensory effects such as rain and wind.
Ask your children to fasten their seat belts for a fun and thrilling dose of history!
Where: Via dei SS Apostoli 20
Tel: +39 06 6992 1823
Nearest station: Barberini
Città del Sole
Città del Sole – the city of the sun – is heaven on earth for kids. Located close to Piazza Cola di Rienzo, the Città del Sole toyshop has a retro feel, with its collection of sturdy old-fashioned toys in natural materials. The emphasis here is on toys with an educational value: the philosophy is that toys should stimulate the imagination and improve motor skills.
This is the place to find a unique gift for children of all ages, from rocking horses to telescopes and solar cell-powered cars.
Where: Via Marcantonio Colonna 5
Tel: +39 06 3216 507
Nearest station: Lepanto
Il Bioparco
One of the most popular destination for Roman families with children, Il Bioparco boasts 1,114 animals. Among the children’s favourites are: the majestic Asian tiger, the giraffes, the elephants, the funny lemurs, the cute pygmy hippopotamuses, and the frightening crocodiles.
Every weekend, the zoo organises feeding sessions for the animals, interactive teaching labs, plus various shows and games. There’s also a designated children’s area with obstacle races, games, slides and swings.
Where: Piazzale del Giardino Zoologico 1
Tel: +39 06 3608 211
Nearest station: Flaminio
Gianicolo Puppet Theatre
The Piazzale Anita Garibaldi booms with thuds and children’s squeals when the characters of the puppet theatre at Gianicolo take to stage.
The Gianicolo Puppet Theatre goes back to 1959 and is performed according to the Commedia dell’Arte tradition (a form of theatre defined by masked characters and improvised performances). The main character is Neapolitan Pulcinella, who has a squeaky nasal voice and a distinct beak-like nose; he wears a black mask and a conical hat, and often comes into conflict with his surroundings.
Though only performed in Italian, the body language of the puppets expresses as much as a multitude of words do. After the performance, you can even buy one of the puppets for your children.
Where: Piazzale Anita Garibaldi
Tel: +39 06 5827 767
Nearest station: Ottaviano (30 minute walk South)
Villa Borghese mini-train
A kids’ favourite, the mini-train at Villa Borghese will take you on a slow, bumpy ride around the eponymous park, passing various highlights along the way.
One of them is the Casina di Raffaello, an educational playhouse with lots of physical activities for kids, like hanging out and reading in a toy library, playing in various rooms, drawing and painting, or participating in creative workshops and classes. Another highlight is the Cinema dei Piccoli, the smallest movie house in Rome with only 63 seats.
End the tour with a stop at the mini-Tivoli amusement park just across from the cinema where your kids can go on various rides or on a mini-car racetrack.
Where: Viale dell’Uccelliera
Tel: n/a
Nearest station: Flaminio
Villa Celimontana
Escape the city noises in one of Rome’s lovely green areas, just a short walk from the Colosseum.
Peaceful and safe, Roman families bring their kids Villa Celimontana and let them romp around the playground. There’s a ring for biking, skating and scootering, and there are even pony rides. If that’s not interesting enough for your kids, there’s a small fountain full of swimming turtles and fish they can watch with fascination.
Around Christmas time there are different cultural activities for children, including plays and clown acts, as well as live music.
Where: Via della Navicella
Tel: +39 06 3972 1867
Nearest station: Colosseo
Zoological Museum
Has your child ever asked you how animals fall in love? And were you able to fudge together an answer? If not, a visit to Rome’s Zoological Museum might shed some light on this subject.
Here you will find charts showing how different animal species court each other. Particularly entertaining for the little ones is the taxidermy, featuring elks, lions, tigers, wolves, tapirs, giraffes, and bears. Holding the best for the end, there’s a skeleton of a giant elephant in the last exhibition room.
Where: Via Ulisse Aldrovandi 18
Tel: +39 06 6710 9270
Nearest station: Flaminio
Grattachecca
When in Rome, do as the Romans do! And that is to enjoy one of the city’s most popular and refreshing cold desserts – the grattachecca.
Grattachecca consists of coarsely shaved ice served in a glass with different types of fruit syrup and fruit pieces on top. Sample one of these refreshments at the city’s oldest grattachecca kiosk, Alla Fonte d’Oro, which has been quenching thirsts since 1913. Their speciality is a grattachecca with cherry and lemon flavourings, topped with pieces of coconut.
Where: Lungotevere Raffaelo Sanzio, near Piazza G. Belli
Tel: n/a
Nearest station: Circo Massimo
