Travelling with kids

Two years ago were in Rome with a girl 8 and boy 10. The zoo(near Villa Borghese)was probably the only non-traditional site we visited. It was a good break for them. Otherwise, we got them very interested in following the metro map, climbing anything and everything, especially St. Peter's and Castello Sant Angelo. Also, both were fans of Lizzy McGuire movie so we looked for sites shown in that movie - Trevi Fountain etc. They also liked leading through museums using the RS book for the tour. We rented an apartment which also helped take a break every now and then. Colleseum was also a big hit.

Thanks so much! I forgot about the Lizzie McGuire connection. Movies are a great way to get the kids excited!

First ask them what they would like to see. I asked my boys (16 and 12) and they said, "Castles". I asked whether they wanted to see renovated castles or ruins and they replied, "Ruins". I'm not sure your boys are old enough to have mastered speaking in one syllable sentences but here's the things they liked (as well as younger sister, 8):

Both explorable castle ruins and restored castles. They also enjoyed Ostia Antica ruins outside of Rome.

Anything to do with water (boats, canals, rivers, lakes, beaches, swimming).

Anything to do with animals (zoos, livestock, working farms, stray cats, pigeons, fish).

Anything to do with medieval torture museums (they saw one in Rhotenburg and Florence and were smiling both times).

The armory sections of museums. They didn't complain about visiting museums, churches, galleries but it wasn't their highlight.

All hiking trails and all climbs (towers, church domes, steeples).

Pizza and Gelato for every meal.

If you can get them fed, worn out and back in the hotel with a sitter and TV, you and DH can go for the evening stroll and people watch then catch a late dinner (the only kind of dinner in Italy). Don't skip lunch. It's a real challenge to find restaurants open earlier than 7:30pm and 9pm is a normal meal time for locals. I'm not sure I would eat at a restaurant that is open earlier for fear that they're clientele is solely tourists.

By the time our youngest were ready for travel, our oldest were old enough to sit so I can't give you advice on finding a sitter, sorry.

Hope that helps. Have a great trip.

They might also enjoy the street performers in Piazza Navonna at night as our teenager boys did. Free entertainment- also can see artist at work (some quite good) and of course make 2-3 gelato stops!

Rome is not really kid friendly. The people most certainly are but exploring the city with all the walking to explore the sights, the heat ... that is quite exhausting and can dampen your experience if you're not careful. So take it slow!!!

For us it was good to rent an appartment. You've got more room to spread out and it can be cheaper than in a hotel. We made sure it is located very centrally so that the amount of walking is kept in check and that it's close enough to go over for a rest. This one turned out quite well for us:
http://www.vrbo.com/32930

Museums aren't really their favourite sites but we took them along and made sure that it gets mixed up with relaxed times e.g. by sitting down at the Piazza Novoana having cappucino and hot chocolate while watching the pigeons on the fountain.

They did like the colosseum quite a bit. The Forum Romanum less so. Mostly because it was very hard to imagine what the ruins looked like 2000 years ago. It helps to have a tour guide to bring the past to life. Audio guides don't work that well for many kids. We had a great experience with an audio guide expecially for kids at the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam but haven't seen anything like that in Italy.

If possible do a day trip to Pompeii. We really loved it as the ruins are quite complete and it's so much easier than in Rome to imagine life in ancient times. Again, it helped to have a private guide. We walked for 2 hours with one of the official guides that waits for visitors at the entrance. Yes it's a bit of a splurge (about 50 Euro for the private tour for our family, can't quite remember the exact price) but it's really worth it.

Lisa,
I have taken 10 year olds several times. I try to schedule an easy day between museum days. The kids favorites were the coloseum, Ostia Antica, and the Borghese gardens. Piazza Novana was always a big deal for the kids and, I am sad to say, the McDonalds by the Spanish steps.

You should get J.M. Pasquesi's book on Rome With Kids. She was a guest on a recent Rick Steve's radio for good reason. It has walking tours and cool info on each major sight. What I like is that is doesn't alter an adult trip; it just makes everything really fun with kids by giving them quick facts, activities etc.

We just got back. My 13 and 14 year old loved the Rick Steves tours of the museums. The audio tours available on this site for free were very enjoyable for all of us non-art historians. Also, we used the "Rome then and now" and "Pompeii then and now" when touring. It really helped in the Forum and Palatine hill. The park around Gorghese Gallery is very nice for a break.

My kids love the zoo in Villa Borghese, they've updated it quite a bit in the last 10 years. You can also rent a row boat and row out on the mini lake in Villa Borghese, and take them to the Pincio which overlooks Piazza del Popolo where there is a lot of kid friendly entertainment, especially on Sundays. You can also rent bicycles there, including this large ones that seat four.
My son (who is almost 5) is obsessed with the ancient Romans, and always wants to go to the Coloseum and the Forum. The Pantheon is just a neat space to be in, even if your boys aren't interested in architecture. The best thing about Rome is that children are welcome everywhere, and fussed over too!