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Travel Guide Book Review: Rome with Kids
By MudslideMama | February 25, 2008
Rome with Kids: An Insider’s Guide, by JM Pasquesi, is different than the straightforward, dry, “just the fact, ma’am” style of most guide books. International family travel anywhere can be a trial; try adding sites of historic interest, and it doubles. Rome might be boring for young kids who don’t care about or understand the historical context of attractions like the Colosseum or Forum, and aggravating for parents who want to see said attractions without their children whining and complaining. Interesting travel can’t all be about the gift shops, after all! That being said, Rome with Kids: An Insider’s Guide helps makes a family vacation in Rome fun and exciting for children. In an interview with the author, JM Pasquesi told me that the key to easy European travel with kids is “spacing and pacing.” Slow down the pace, and take time to experience sites. Parents need to adjust their expectations: Changing the pace of a trip to Rome may mean not getting to see everything on a parent’s list, but those that are seen, are appreciated much more. Children benefit from taking time in the same surroundings, to feel comfortable.
Rome with Kids is a great family guide, with suggested itineraries and tips for how to explain Rome’s long history in accessible ways. “Kids enjoy touring when information is presented in entertaining ways,” says the author, who has taken her boys for extended vacations in Italy several times. The guide book includes creative treasure hunt style games, and doesn’t shy away from some of the more grim tales of gladiators and other aspects of Rome that have built-in appeal for older kids. With these older children (especially boys, for some reason), the bloody stuff is the most interesting - and since it’s part of the history of Rome, it’s legitimate to talk about it with the older set.
The Forum, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Vatican and more all get their sections in this book, which manages to wrap 3,000 years of Roman history in its easily comprehensible manner. You don’t have to travel with kids to appreciate all that this guide book has to offer (although it’s a good excuse). The creative suggestions for children can also be fun for adults getting to know Rome - I think it would be fun to try to find many of the “Can You Find” highlighted sections for kids. Finding Michelangelo’s signature on the Pieta, for example, would be quite a thrill. I wholeheartedly recommend this new travel guide (published by Synergy Books, July 2007). A family planning a vacation in Rome would benefit greatly from this book. Children will enjoy the tips and creative suggestions for having fun in Italy, and when the kids are happy, so are the parents.
Topics: Family Travel, Luxury Travel, The Cookie Jar, Travel Gear |
TravelMuse
April 11th, 2008 at
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