| is one of the must-see tourist sites of the world but | | | | headed for the Colosseum, the nearest of the places |
| how do you get the kids to enjoy it and get as much | | | | we had decided to include in our itinerary. By the end |
| out of it as the adults? This travel tip provides one | | | | of our first afternoon in Rome, both children had |
| possible solution to that problem. | | | | correctly answered all the questions about this world |
| Last September we organized a surprise, three day, | | | | famous historic monument but much more importantly, |
| vacation in Rome for our two grandchildren, aged eight | | | | they had really enjoyed their first few hours in this |
| and eleven. Like most kids of their age, they have a | | | | wonderful, ancient city. |
| somewhat limited appetite for cultural and historical | | | | That evening, we ate a delicious Roman dinner, sitting |
| things. We knew they would absolutely love a trip to | | | | outside at an inexpensive little restaurant in an |
| Rome - or anywhere else for that matter - but the | | | | atmospheric alleyway just off the Piazzo di Rotonda. |
| problem we faced was how to maximize both | | | | Day two included more of the ancient city area before |
| pleasure and educational value at the same time for | | | | ascending to the Piazza del Campidoglio and then |
| them. We came up with the idea of giving them a | | | | across the Tiber to have our lunch in the Trastevere |
| project based on the places we intended to see. The | | | | area at another excellent restaurant located in a busy |
| project was designed as a questionnaire with | | | | Piazza. Four light lunches, two beers and two soft |
| multi-choice answers and marks awarded so they | | | | drinks in one of the world's most popular tourist |
| could compete against each other. At the end of the | | | | destinations, should surely have cost more than a |
| vacation we would total the scores and award | | | | couple of burger meals with drinks in an English |
| suitable prizes. The projects were put in covers printed | | | | motorway service station? But it didn't and we could |
| with a picture of ancient Roman and bearing a pseudo | | | | have easily whiled the rest of the afternoon away |
| Roman name that was recognizable as a corruption | | | | sitting at our table in this charming piazza. |
| of each child's name. For example, the kids real names | | | | Instead, we got up and continued our tour, reaching the |
| are Charlotte and Dan, so we endorsed the project | | | | Vatican by the end of the afternoon and returning to |
| covers, Charlotus and Danicus. The hardest part was | | | | our hotel exhausted by way of the Ponte Sant Angelo |
| ensuring that answers to the questions were visibly | | | | and the Trevi fountain. |
| available at the places on our itinerary and that their | | | | Our final day, started by helping the children to |
| ability level matched the ages of the children. For | | | | discover the name of the famous English poet who |
| example, one of the questions we chose for our visit | | | | had lived and died in a house at the foot of the |
| to the Colosseum was "How long did it take the | | | | Spanish Steps. Then we ascended the steps to find |
| Romans to build it?" Before including this question with | | | | out where Galileo had been imprisoned by the |
| its five multi-choice answers, we had to ensure that | | | | inquisition whilst they investigated whether a case for |
| there was an information source bearing the correct | | | | heresy against him could be substantiated. From there, |
| answer, clearly visible in the Colosseum. We did all the | | | | we entered the Piazza del Pollo before wandering |
| necessary research for this kind of thing, using guide | | | | through Rome's upmarket shopping area, Another |
| books and the Internet over a three week period | | | | lunch, not quite so inexpensive this time, was enjoyed |
| before the holiday. | | | | in a street near to the Piazza Navonna. Afterwards |
| We also needed to ensure that the project included | | | | we made our way to the Pantheon where more |
| plenty of humour and light-hearted answers amongst | | | | project questions were completed. We finished our |
| the multi-choices. For example, a question that asked | | | | last afternoon by walking through the Campo di Fiori |
| "Who was the first king of a united Italy" included | | | | and then on to the ancient city once more. Here, we |
| "Francesco Totti", the A.S. Roma soccer star as one | | | | discovered some of the things we had missed the |
| of the possible answers. | | | | previous day and finally accepted that three days to |
| The vacation was kept as a complete surprise from | | | | see so much in Rome is really quite inadequate. |
| the children until they actually boarded the plane. Their | | | | Charlotus and Danicus presented their completed |
| mother told them that Nanny and Grandad were | | | | projects to us that evening over dinner just around the |
| coming to collect them and take them to stay at their | | | | corner from the Trevi fountain, into which they had |
| house for a few days. When they arrived at Luton | | | | earlier thrown the obligatory coins. It had been a |
| Airport and boarded the flight for Rome their surprise | | | | wonderful Roman holiday for them and for us. For |
| and delight brought tears of joy to our eyes as well as | | | | anyone thinking of doing something similar for children |
| their's. | | | | of this age group, our best travel tip is to prepare a |
| We presented them with their projects and they | | | | project like the one described in this article. You'll find its |
| studied them during the two and a half hour flight. | | | | more than worth the effort. |
| After booking into our hotel in Rome, we immediately | | | | |