Also part of Villa Borghese and a fun stop for families is the Rome Zoo, called the Bioparco, with lots of special areas and exhibits just for children throughout the park.
For the cat lovers in your family, the famous Largo Argentina Cat Shelter is well worth a visit. Here, you’ll find friendly volunteers who run this no-kill shelter for abandoned cats on donations alone, in the marvelous setting of the Largo Argentina ruins. Tell your children the story of how Julius Caesar was assassinated here, and take them downstairs to visit the cat shop and see some of the shelter’s residents. Volunteers give English-language guided tours for free.
Rome with older kids (ages 8-12)
A trip back in time might be just the ticket for this age group, and the Time Elevator (Via dei SS. Apostoli 20) provides exactly this: a sort of interactive movie attraction with special effects that make it seem more like a ride, taking you back through 3,000 years of Roman history.
If you have time for an out-of-town excursion, the Monster Park at Bomarzo is about an hour’s drive north of Rome and is always a favorite with kids. This Renaissance garden has larger-than-life stone sculptures of various animals and ‘monsters’ that your children can climb on and, in the case of the leaning house, in!
No visit to Rome would be complete without two ‘traditions’ that you can teach your children about: the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth) and the Trevi Fountain. Watch the film Roman Holiday before you leave for your trip, then re-enact the scene at the Mouth of Truth, having each of your children put their hand in the ‘mouth,’ which is most likely an ancient Roman drain cover. If they still have their hands after this experiment, you can be sure they’re telling you the truth - or can you? Then take them over to the Trevi Fountain to throw in some coins, ensuring your return to Rome someday.
Rome with teenagers (ages 13-18)
A perennial favorite with Roman teenagers is LunEUR (Via delle Tre Fontane). This is Rome’s only amusement park (known in Italian as a ‘luna park’) and is one of the largest and oldest in Italy. Built in 1953 as part of an agricultural show, it took on its current form in 1962 and now houses over 130 attractions on more than 750,000 square feet.
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