What To Do On A Visit To Rome With Teenagers

Rome is a wonderful city to visit with your children. Not all history is interesting to young people, but stories of bloody gladiatorial battles, twins raised by a wolf, Emperors and chariot racing might just get them interested! As Rome is best explored on foot, I would advise visiting Rome with teenagers, when they are old enough to walk a decent distance. Then just let the city work its magic on them…

Train to be a Gladiator at Gladiator School

Invest time at the start of your visit to Rome with teenagers by training to be a gladiator at Gladiator School (Gruppo Storico Romano). To be honest, this might suit younger teens better than older ones.

• First learn a little about the history of Gladiators in the on-site museum.
• View masks, shields and armour before getting dressed up in Gladiator clothing to feel the part.
• Undertake your training programme starting with some warm up exercises before learning key sword fighting positions (wooden swords!) and tips of the trade.
• Take part in a mock Gladiator battle in the arena to see who the Emperor and crowd want to save.  
• Graduate from Gladiator School, so that you are ready for your trip to the Colosseum!

Prebook – You should be prebook your 2-hour visit to Gladiator School. It’s relatively expensive so we just booked for our kids, although there were parents joining in who were also having fun.  We booked our 2 hour session at Gladiator School through Get Your Guide.

Getting there – The easiest way is to take a taxi (11-minute ride) to the Gladiator School on Via Appia Antica – note that you are travelling on the Appian Way, one of the most strategically important roads in ancient Roman leading to Brindisi.

Note – take bug spray as you will get bitten if the conditions are right (or wrong!).

Visit the incredible Colosseum

Now that your kids have graduated from Gladiator School, it’s time to visit the Colosseum to hear more about what happened to the Gladiators (slaves) in combat at this mighty amphitheatre.

Book a tour aimed at children – the best way to visit the Colosseum with children (younger teens) is to take a tour aimed specifically at children. We took a tour with a lovely guide who encouraged us to wear gold leaf headdresses! She made the stories she told age appropriate and fun to keep the kids attention. We booked a tour of the Colosseum for Kids through Get Your Guide.

If your kids are older, then they might prefer to take a normal tour or to explore under your own steam. If so the Colosseum offers a handheld audio with narrative aimed at kids which could be useful.

The history of the Colosseum on your trip to Rome with teenagers will fascinate the kids – the gory battles with wild animals, the flooding of the arena for naval battles and the heroes and villains of the gladiator days, no doubt providing a visit that they will not forget.

Look for cats in Largo de Torre Argentina

After all the excitement of Gladiator training and a visit to the Colosseum, this is a relatively low-key experience but one which our kids enjoyed. Find the Largo de Torre Argentina, the sunken remains of 4 Roman Republic era temples built in the 2nd and 4th centuries BC which were only discovered relatively recently in 1927.

Largo de Torre Argentina is thought to be the location where Julius Caesar was murdered in 44 BC. On the west side of the square is the Teatro Argentina, once Rome’s premier theatre.

Today however, Largo de Torre Argentina is home to a colony of 150 feral cats. A team of gattare, or ‘Cat Women’, feed and care for the cats on a voluntary basis. Spend a quiet 20 minutes trying to spot the cats sleeping in the shade or on the steps around the area.

Don’t miss Castel Sant’Angelo

Next stop on your trip to Rome with teenagers is to visit the fortress of Castel Sant’Angelo on the banks of the River Tiber. It is an imposing circular building reached across the Bridge of Angels featuring beautiful sculptures of angels by artist Bernini.

Originally built as a Mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian in 2nd century, it then evolved to be a papal fortress and a prison. There are dungeons at the bottom, as well as a fortified corridor all the way to the Vatican as an escape route for the Pope if danger were approaching. There are cannons, cannon balls and catapults scattered around the castle walls.

Inside the castle are the Papal apartments featuring beautiful rooms, statues, and artwork.

When you reach the top of the castle you are rewarded with superb views of the Bridge of Angels and of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. You can have a drink in the curved café at the top and admire the large statue of Archangel Michael.

Consider booking Skip The Line Tickets For Castel Sant’ Angelo through Get Your Guide in order to speed up entry to the Castel.

Hire bikes to explore Borghese Park

Villa Borghese is a large and popular urban park in Rome covering 80 hectares and built on an old vineyard. It is an oasis of tranquillity and beauty in the heart of this bustling city, making it a perfect base for a picnic on our trip to Rome with teenagers, or for exploring on bikes.

You can hire bikes from one of the outlets inside the park. There is a Bici Pincio near the Terrazza del Pincio, or one near Porta Pinciana (closer to the Terrazza Borghese restaurant), plus an Ascol Bike further north into the park. We rented a 4-person bike with a blue sunshade which was fun for the kids.

Note – as you enter the Villa Borghese from Piazza del Popolo, head to your right to the panoramic Terrazza del Pincio for a fabulous view over the piazza and beyond.

Throw your coins in the Trevi Fountain

On your trip to Rome with teenagers, don’t miss the Trevi Fountain to witness the powerful water cascading over a beautifully carved façade. Go as early as possible to avoid the crowds and encourage your kids to throw coins over their shoulder and make a wish:

• one coin and they will return to Rome.
• two coins and they will fall in love with an attractive Italian. 
• three coins and they will return, fall in love and get married….

They might be too young for some of those options, so maybe just let them throw the one coin!

Find elephants and turtles

Elephant and Obelisk

Find the obelisk at the centre of Piazza della Minerva, featuring a carved elephant by Bernini.

The piazza is flanked on the southern side by Grand Minerva Hotel which has a fantastic rooftop bar terrace overlooking the Pantheon if you are thirsty.

The elephant and obelisk is tucked just to the side of the Pantheon and so you could try your luck getting tickets to pop in if your kids are not too tired – there are often long queues for Pantheon tickets but perhaps not as interesting for children as other things to do in Rome.

Fontana della Tartarugha

Il Ghetto is the area of city once walled to ‘contain’ the Jewish residents for over 300 years until 1867. If you find Piazza Mattei in Il Ghetto on your tour of Rome with teenagers, then you’ll find the Fontana della Tartarugha – a small fountain featuring brass turtles being playfully lifted up to the water bowl of the fountain, cute!

Bocca La Verite

If you’re passing, pop to see the Bocca della Veritas, or the ‘mouth of truth’. If the queue’s not too big, line up to put your hand into the sculpture’s mouth and make a statement – if the statement is a lie, then it’s said the mouth of truth might snap your hand off! You’ll find Bocca La Verite around the corner from Circus Maximus and near the Ponte Palatino Bridge.

Enjoy the simple pleasures of Rome

Sometimes, it’s the small things which keep the kids entertained in a new place. In Rome, this might be:

• Filling water bottles or drinking from the water fountains around the city.
• Watching the traffic police standing in the middle of busy roads directing the traffic.
• Counting Fiat 500 cars (we call them Bob!).
• Sample gelatos as you wander and keep score of which one was the best.
• Eating your body weight in delicious Carbonara pasta which originates from Rome.

There is so much more that I could have included in this blog as the city is rich with treasures and opportunity. However, these are good options for a visit to Rome with teenagers. For other ideas, check out my blog about planning your first trip to Rome.

I hope your kids enjoy a magical few days in Rome – ours loved it so much that they asked to return the following year!

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