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Villa Borghese Scipione
Borghese’s private Renaissance park and the adjacent 19th-century
Pincio gardens, with statues and fountains, are a joy to explore,
especially on two wheels. There are bike rental stands scattered
throughout the park. You can also rent paddle boats for the little lake
or take the kids to the park’s small funfair.
Villa Borghese park
Explora This
museum offers a child’s eye view of the way the world works. Children
can interact with life-size dioramas and models. There is a popular
create-your-own TV show. Via Flaminia 82 Children admitted with adults only. Hour-long visits 10am, noon, 3pm, 5pm Tue–Sun. Booking recommended.06 361 3776 Adm
Capuchin Crypt Fantastically
creepy chapels festively decorated with mosaics made from the bones of
dead monks, a few of whose skeletons remain propped up in bone-built
niches. It rarely fails to impress, and for adolescents and adults can
be a highlight of the trip, although it may be a bit too much for the
very young or overly squeamish Bioparco (Zoo) Rome’s
zoo, once a depressing conglomeration of badly kept cement cubicles,
has been overhauled to become a pretty “biological garden” set into a
corner of Villa Borghese park.
Lunapark This modest collection of rollercoasters, carnival rides and funhouses in the Fascist-built suburb of EUR is a far cry from Disneyland Paris, but will fit the bill when only an amusement park will do. Via delle Tre Fontane Metro EUR Magliana Open 4pm–1am daily (summer), 3–7pm Mon–Fri, 11am–8pm Sat, Sun, 10am–10pm Sun (winter) Adm
Puppet Shows on the Gianicolo You
don’t need to understand Italian to appreciate a Punch and Judy show
(the pugilistic characters are native to Italy). This is the last of the
old puppet kiosks that once peppered Rome’s public parks, offering a
dying art form for free. Teatro di Pulcinella, Gianicolo Show times variable, Tue–Sun Free DA
Villa Sciarra This
park, tucked into a bend in the Aurelian Wall where Trastevere fades
into Monteverde Vecchio, features a playground and a small funfair with a
tiny rollercoaster. Via Calandrelli Open dawn–dusk daily Adm for fair DA
Exploring the Catacombs There
is nothing more thrillingly spooky in Rome than wandering these mazes
of tight, dimly lit corridors, roughly carved in the tufa and lined with
thousands of tomb niches. At the San Domitilla complex, some guides
even let you touch a few of the bones. At most others, all human remains
have been removed to ossuaries on lower levels .
Piscina delle Rose When
traipsing around ruins has sapped your energy, spend some time cooling
down with the locals. This open-air swimming pool in EUR is Rome’s
largest and most pleasant, with a special area for kids. Time Elevator Kids
of all ages will enjoy the panoramic movies shown at Time Elevator,
complete with surround-sound, flight simulator and 5D technology. Not
advisable for those suffering from motion sickness.
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