After our time in Tuscany, we took the train into Rome to spend a week exploring and ringing in 2025. The city during the holiday season was festive, vibrant, and relatively mild for winter weather, but man, was it crowded! Jacob was excited to bunk with Nana, who caught a direct flight from Philly to join us.
Some family-friendly favorites in Rome this time around:
A street food tour through Campo de Fiori and the former Jewish Ghetto area. Although many spots were busier than usual, we especially enjoyed the Jerusalem fried artichokes and suppli (rice balls stuffed with different ingredients as a surprise).
Pizza and Tiramisu Cooking Class – a lot of mess but also a lot of fun for Jacob and Nana. We booked ours on TripAdvisor but there are many other cooking classes to choose from.
Explora Interactive Museum – the Explora Interactive Museum is so engaging and creative that Jacob begged to visit it twice. The timed 2-hour slots make it easy to reserve in advance and manage your time in the area. It’s in an accessible location near Piazza del Popolo and a metro stop. The sweet spot seems to be for ages 4-8.
Small group walking tour of the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill – we had great luck with a very knowledgeable, engaging guide named Zara on a 2.5-hour, small group walking tour of these essential ruins. This was not a “kid-focused” experience per se but with the storytelling and visual aids, ended up being a match for our multi-generational group. Seeing Jacob absorb and start to appreciate the scale and scope of the ruins and history here was really special.
Baths of Caracalla – one of Dave’s favorite sites, with stunning architecture and remaining floor and ceiling tiles. If you’re up for multiple sites in a day, it might make sense to pair with the Colosseum/Roman Forum as it’s in the same vicinity.
Villa Borghese and Galleria Borghese – never tiring of a museum just as in Dad’s spirit, Dave and Nana also toured the Borghese’s impressive collection of sculpture and paintings.
A not-as-kid-friendly experience was the Vatican Museum. As incredible as the collection and Sistine Chapel is, you mostly feel like cattle being herded around an endless maze of art. But when in Rome, it remains a must-see stop. Just brace yourself, even armed with advanced, timed tickets, for a draining visit and plan to stop for refreshments immediately afterwards!
Other Notable Sites via walks or tours in Rome:
Staying near the Spanish Steps we enjoyed excellent, low-key meals at local restaurants and by the end of the trip had sworn off pizza, pasta, and All’Antico Vinaio bread for a month. This was a great location to catch the New Year’s Day parade and to do some boutique shopping. A unique lunch spot in the neighborhood was Salmoneria, with an array of smoked fish sandwiches; we also welcomed the modern veggie menu at Il Margutta. From the food tour we also learned about how most locals buy pizza by the weight, not by the slice or even a whole pie. This was a helpful tip as we stopped for quick bites and to sample different kinds of pizza throughout the trip.
Not sure there is ever an off-season in Rome anymore, but even with the crazy crowds, it’s such a magical city to return to again!
