Just returned from a wonderful 2 weeks. We were in Rome only, but my daughter, sil, and their 6 yr old went to London first to see friends. Daughter found a Paddington tour. They toured around in a double-decker red bus, seeing some of the iconic sights, each child accompanied by his new little Paddington stuffy friend. At the end, all enjoyed a Paddington tea. Big Hit!
In Rome, same daughter found Gladiator School. After a short museum tour, the kids received instruction on gladiator moves (with wooden weapons and lots of safety reminders). Paired fights ensued, with the “queen” and spectators deciding if the losers would be granted survival. The instructor was really good, hitting just the right notes for a group that ranged from 6 to 16 ( my grandsons), and both boys and girls.
My other daughter, who lives in Rome, found us a very good private tour of Ostia Antica. It is in a very good state of preservation, and close enough to Rome to ride public transportation and stay for half a day. We have been to Rome 4 or 5 times, and Ostia was the only place we repeated. I would find elsewhere to eat lunch.
Other sights, new to us, were Villa Gulia (Etruscan museum with very up-to-date presentations) and Testaccio Market. We also visited 2 churches, San Saba on the Aventine hill, across from my daughter’s apartment, and Santa Prassede to enjoy the mosaics and frescoes.
We had Easter lunch at Ditirambo. Wonderful food and service. It’s artichoke season in Italy, and they are on the menu everywhere, the tender Italian variety. I had, as a secondo, orata baked with a covering of artichoke leaves. Yum!
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3249 posts
Those were definitely some good "finds"! Do you recall the name of the provider of the Ostia Antica tour?
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Twin Cities of MN
5615 posts
I think Ostia is fantastic and actually undertouristed. Its so close to Rome with simple logistics! We essentially had a private tour because we were on the RS Rome tour. However, the RS Rome guide has excellent information for a self guided tour.