ROME

Don’t bring a kid here until they are at least 10. AT LEAST. Though this is a beautiful, awe-inspiring city, it’s one of the least kid--friendly cities I’ve ever been to. Why? Well— Italy has one of the slowest birth rates for starters… thus.. you’re not going to get a playground on every block, streets and sidewalks are not stroller friendly, and restaurants with play areas are practically non-existent. Go as a couple alone to this city… or with your teens.. but not your 4-year-old. BUT if you must…..

Stay.

My husband booked an AirB&B in Rome vs a hotel, as it was centrally located and more spacious. (Check it out: “Romantic Navona”) Our location was unbeatable… 10 minutes walk from Piazza Navona and Trevi Fountain, 15 from the Colosseum and Pantheon, and close to subways and mass transit. Cute, quaint, with a “authentic Italian” feel, the apartment was roomy enough for our small family with a double bed in a cute loft and a pull-out sofa bed in the living space. Upside: bigger than hotel room, close to wonderful restaurants and cafes. Downside: 3rd floor with no elevator for stroller and not much room for an energetic 4-year-old to spread out and play. If I had to do it again, I’d pay a little more for the hotel with a pool.

Eat.

The positive note about Rome (and Italy in general) is that you can’t go wrong with the food. It’s good. Everywhere. The wine— amazing and cheap, the veggies: like they were just picked from the garden, the pasta: homemade, gelato: rich and creamy… I think eating was THE BEST thing both my child and I loved about Italy, hands down! There are just so many wonderful little restaurants and cafes.. you can’t go wrong. But you’re not going to find those fun, little cafes with play areas like Germany and Czech Republic— this is old school eating, with focus on the food.. not the kid. (So bring the Ipad!) We went 3 lovely restaurants near our AirB&B, all with good food, good wine: Il Corallo, Osteria Del Gallo, and Da Pancrazio..(which supposedly sits over the ruins of the Teatro Di Pompeo where Julius Cesar was murdered!). We loved out little, inexpensive breakfasts of cappuccinos and pastries at Emporio alla Pace, and evenings of gelato at Gelateria del Teatro.

Play.

This is a toughy, because as I mentioned earlier, Rome is just not super kid-friendly, and adults want to do the typical sight-seeing at the Colosseum, the Forum, the Vatican, etc.. Normally, this is not an issue… balancing the adult sight-seeing with a trip to playground or a swim in the local lake.. but when a city has none of those things..Or it takes a 2 mile-hike to get to the nearest (crappy and old) playground, it probably feels very unfair to a small child. After careful research, walking great distances in the summer heat, and speaking with locals, we did find a few fun spots in Rome to let our kid be a kid:

*The carousel and parks at Villa Borghese: Our daughter loved the unique carousel here, as well as the pond w/ ducks and boats, and small (but old) playground. There is a zoo here, but was unfortunately closed the day we went.

*The Children’s Museum of Rome (Explora, Il Museo Dei Bambini Di Roma). The highlight of Rome for our daughter! Typical, interactive, high-energy kids’ museum with water play, educational video game exhibits, mini-market and faux food shopping, etc… It was a bit of a trek to get to on a hot summer’s day (take the subway and walk a few blocks).. but worth it (especially if you’ve tortured your kids with the Vatican and Colosseum tours already).

The top 10 reasons why my 4-year-old + Rome= 👎😫
10) no parks within 20k steps
9) yes, Italians would run over me with their Fiats & Vespas.
8) “Mama- where’s the pool?”
7) The Cappuchin Friars better be a flavor of gelato.
6)”I need to poop” does not encourage honeymooners at dinner to procreate.
5)Strollers are not fans of 1000-year-old cobblestone streets
4)It’s like Disneyland- but without the rides.
3) Don’t get a studio apt with an iron spiral staircase... no matter how cute it looks on AirB&B.
2) Don’t let your child enter a restaurant bathroom w/o a door handle. They might not be able to exit.
1) “I don’t care about Flavious, Cassius, Dominis, and Lazarus. I just want to chase pigeons.”