Father and Teen Daughter in Rome

I took all my kids to Rome too. It's the center of the world to me and I wanted to make sure they saw it. I have been during Holy year and never noticed a difference other that the door used at Saint Peter's was different. Book the Pantheon and Gallery Borghese prior to leaving the USA. I'm sure there is tons of other stuff to book too but for me those can't be missed. Don't bother booking a St. Peter's skip the line as you no longer skip a line. Just get up early and go get in line. J

April of this year? A month from now? And you have no accommodations booked. No advance tickets for the Colosseum, Forum, or the Vatican? I would suggest that you get on that like yesterday. If you can't get advance tickets from the official websites, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if that is the case, then you will have no choice but to book through a 3rd party, which could include doing each of these as part of a tour. Of course that will be more expensive than doing it independently, but if you haven't done any research on what you want to see and do, then that may be the way to go. You can look at TripAdvisor for tour options. Viator and Get Your Guide are 2 of the larger 3rd party tour resellers. Oh, and by the way, the Catholic Jubilee lasts all year. It's just that Easter Holy week, being one of the most important of the year is quite likely to draw heavier than usual crowds. The advice to forget advance tickets and just show up is IMO very bad advice.

Where else are you going while in Italy,and how will you get from place to place?

I would suggest that you get a good guidebook this afternoon and start reading. In the meantime, you can start here: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/rome

coming to Rome ...........in early April, leaving April 22nd

How many nights do you have?

Easter is the 20th.
The Jubilee is a year long celebration.
Holy Week, the week before Easter, will be even 'busier'.

You will want/need to be Rome the night before your flight home, so depending on just how much time you have will dictate what other locations might fit in your time frame.

Ideas for a 14-year-old in Rome (all in historic center): Please read now bec you need to buy advance tickets for many of these now. All are relatively inexpensive (under 15 euros; some free). Book at these official websites below not at tour companies (ex Viator).

1. Largo Torre Argentina: outdoor ruins in middle of city. Place where Julius Caesar was assassinated, but more important to my kids outdoor cat sanctuary. See kitties lounging or cavorting on ruins. Go below the sidewalk to submerged area and visit small indoor cat sanctuary. Small charge. Online purchase: https://museiincomuneroma.vivaticket.it/it/tour/area-sacra-di-largo-argentina/3453
   Website: www.sovraintendenzaroma.it/i_luoghi/roma_antica/aree_archeologiche/area_sacra_di_largo_argentina

2. St Ignacio/Ignacious of Loyola Church (2 blocks from cat sanctuary) and near Pantheon. Look up at beautiful church interior and especially at ornatepainted domed ceiling. Admire it. Then realize the curved ceiling is an optical illusion! Amazing. Look at mirror I floor to appreciate details of the ceiling. Free. https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/church-st-ignatius-loyola

3. Pantheon. Book tix NOW. (Close to St Ignatius). One of the wonders of the world. Cannot miss. Beautiful large open space. Again look up at ceiling, see large hole in roof for sun. One of largest domed roofs in the world. https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/pantheon

Online purchase: https://portale.museiitaliani.it/b2c/buyTicketless/33f77159-0acd-40c4-8524-701f33aae108
Website: https://direzionemuseiroma.cultura.gov.it//pantheon

4 The Roman Domus of Palazzo Valentini Near coliseum Buy tix for English tour NOW. . 2 hrs long. Immersive experience. Walk through re-creation of a Roman house using multimedia: sound snippets, wall projections, actual mosaic flooring and frescoes. One of most imaginative museums I have been to. If you can go early in your visit it will help you imagine life in Ancient Rome. 15 euros. https://www.palazzovalentini.it/
Tickets https://www.palazzovalentini.it/informazioni-per-visitare-le-domus-romane-di-palazzo-valentini/

1. Basilica Saint Clemente. Near Coloseum. Read opening hours carefully (closed mid day. Admire inside of church. Beautiful mosaics. But wait. Go in internal bookstore. Buy tickets to go downstairs. You will see 3 stories of Roman ruins, each built atop each other. Worth the odd hours.
   Tickets https://www.basilicasanclemente.com/eng/

2. Coliseum walk by at night. Breathtaking. Avoiding crowds. Free.

   1. Gelato. Buy in a store where gelato is in tin canister, with a cover (gelato not visible) rather than store that piles it up so you can be enticed by the colors. Supposedly the best gelato is covered. Fun to do taste tests.

Enjoy every minute !

Consider a walking tour to get a lay of the land & have someone explain it live - there are some free ones if you google free walking tour Rome (also lots of other cities), or AirBnB, Viator or GetYourGuide have some options.

Download the Rick Steve’s app for a library of audio tours so you can listen at your own pace & hit pause to stop in & explore places along the way!

Sounds like a special trip, have fun!

Brian, I'm a bit concerned about the "other areas of Italy" you'll be visiting and if you've made hotel/attraction reservations? As said above, you are VERY late to make arrangements for Rome (and especially so for the Easter Holiday) so I'm crossing fingers that you've not left it go for other busy locations too.

As far as needing someone to show you around Rome, there are umpty self-walking tours out there, including a couple in the Rick Steves guidebooks, and his downloadable audio tours are here:
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/italy

These tours will not get you INSIDE the biggest attractions/those that mandate timed-entry tickets (Colosseum; Vatican Museums; Galleria Borghese) nor would anyone just showing you around be able to do that (and I wouldn't expect them to do that for free) but there are paid tours (Walks of Italy; The Roman Guy; Through Eternity; etc.) that can, budget allowing.

Is there a way to reply to individual comments....? I'm brand new to this site.

The entire trip is now almost fully booked, with Rome being pretty much relegated to our arrival, April 10-April 14, when we'll leave for Florence. I'm departing from Rome, but we are only coming back the night before, just to depart.

Pantheon tix already secured, and I like the idea of the Coloseum walk in the evening. I need to decide on one or two more tours/sights ..... so feel free to make your case for what is essential in Rome. We love history, art, etc.

Same thing for Florence, if anyone has any MUSTS, I'd like to get 1-2 more items on the itinerary.

Not too interested in culinary/dining as we have a few things now booked in Bologna and Amalfi later on.

Thx in advance.

Also thanks to the few who decided it would be really good to point that I'm so late. Super interesting of you lol.

You have wandered into a group of obsessive planners, most of whom cannot imagine planning a trip only a month in advance (me included).

Not really a "must" in Florence, but last November I enjoyed trying to locate and photograph as many of the flood markers as I could find. One of the highest ones is in the courtyard of Santa Croce church. Your daughter might enjoy reading "Diary of Florence in Flood" by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor --- it's a very readable eye-witness account of the 1966 flood. Look at some photos of the flood or a video like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q63De7bXczg

“Currently we have no reservations besides our flight”

From your first post

So now you do? Those that pointed about how late in the game you are had legit concerns. It’s Easter Week during Jubilee

If you give us complete info we can provide better advice
Probably would have suggested keeping all Rome nights together at end and of trip

You other post tells us that you don’t have much knowledge on transportation
Do you have a guide book? RS guidebooks are full of practical advice on transportation logistics, what needs booking, etc

Extra special thanks to Christine H.

I’m a little confused about the amount of sarcasm given that these responses seem to be coming from a place of concern and wanting to help.

Anyway, was going to say I’m taking my teens to Italy this summer, and happy to share some of the things planned or that I wish we had time for depending on where else you’re going/if there’s overlap. One of those for Rome was a golf cart tour, which I think would be a great intro to the city with teens. I think Liv Tours has one - there are several options. The Capitoline museum is another suggestion.
You already have a food tour planned for Bologna?
If you let me know your other stops, happy to share anything else I’ve come up with.

I wasn’t sure what-if anything-brian was thanking me for or if it was just snark
Now I know

...so feel free to make your case for what is essential in Rome. We
love history, art, etc.

Art: Galleria Borgese. It's a must do, and (mandatory) pre-reservations sell out quickly. It's in a very large park (Villa Borghese) that offers some bike/surrey rentals and interesting walks.
https://galleriaborghese.beniculturali.it/en/

Aventine Hill : Municipal Rose Garden, Santa Sabina (very old and architecturally significant church) and orange garden next door. Note the mention of the keyhole in the lock of the Priory of Malta's gate.
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/rose-garden
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/basilica-saint-sabina-allaventino
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/savello-park-or-orange-garden

Appia Antica -
A long walk on the ancient "Queen of roads" has been our favorite day in Rome to date. A recent thread with multiple info links:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/appian-way-0723b17d-ea2e-47b8-b9c0-c733267b59f4

Two catacombs out on the Appia: ancient subterranean burial tunnels with interesting histories: Can be visited only with a tour; no photos allowed (still considered sacred spaces); no visible human remains: These were also not strictly for Christian burials, as the websites might have you think.
https://www.catacombesancallisto.it/en/index.php
https://www.catacombe.org

Church: Santa Maria del Popolo: go for the art:
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/basilica-santa-maria-del-popolo

Church: San Giovanni in Laterano. officially the Pope's cathedral when wearing his Bishop of Rome hat, and another with a long history. Has a very old baptistry that was the first in Rome, and its 8-sided shape (read up on Christian numerology) was the model for others worldwide.
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/basilica-st-john-lateran
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbasilica_of_Saint_John_Lateran

A few other old and/or important churches: there are too many to list them all:
Santa Maria in Trastevere:
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/basilica-santa-maria-trastevere
Basilica of St Mary of the Angels and Martyrs (built into a roman bath):
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/basilica-santa-maria-degli-angeli-e-dei-martiri
Santa Maria Maggiore:
https://www.basilicasantamariamaggiore.va/en.html
Santa Pudenziana:
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/basilica-santa-pudenziana-al-viminale
San Clemente
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/basilica-san-clemente

Baths of Caracalla:
An idea of just how enormous these public spas (used by all, including slaves) could be.
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/baths-caracalla

Brian - Seriously... this isn't the TripAdvisor forum. This is truly a community of travelers, most of whom have been traveling and posting their advice here for years, and many who know each other personally. If you are familiar with Rick Steves at all, you should know that he is the embodiment of helpfulness and friendliness, and the moderators here do not tolerate behavior that strays from the Community Guidelines. If you aren't familiar, they're linked over on the left side menu. Particularly, refer to #2. No one here is being rude to you. We are trying to help you have a successful trip with your daughter.

In Florence, I highly recommend the Secret Passages tour of Palazzo Vecchio. It’s such an interesting combination of art, history, architecture… we all loved it.

Also with my teen I’ve learned “when in doubt, climb stuff!” One of my son’s favorite things was climbing the Bell Tower, next to the Duomo.

Piazzale Michelangelo is a must, but I’d consider going at night actually. The view over the city is incredible, and it’s way less crowded. Almost feels like a secret!!

In Rome, the Castel Sant’Angelo is another really cool place to tour. It’s been used for so many things over the years, so there’s a lot to see there. And a gorgeous view of St. Peters.

Okaydoke, Florence....assuming the OP is still listening:

Being art is a key interest - and you can't swing a cat in Florence without hitting some ridiculously interesting piece of the stuff - I'm going to assume you're squared away for the Uffizi and Accademia.

More must-do art:
Santa Trinita: the contemporary figures in the Ghirlandaio frescoes in the Sassetti Chapel were painted from life, warts and all, and include prominent members of the Medici family, They're portraits in paint, and some of the backgrounds capture parts of Florence in the late 15th century. Have your daughter pay particular attention to the clothing!
https://www.feelflorence.it/en/node/12150
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassetti_Chapel

Santa Croce: the website will tell you why it's a gotta-do.
https://www.santacroceopera.it/en/

Santa Maria Novella: very old; very important:
https://www.feelflorence.it/en/poi/basilica-santa-maria-novella-florence

San Miniato al Monte: also very old, very important, plus offers a great view of Florence from its perch. Spend some time wandering the interesting monuments in the adjacent Porte Sante cemetery; Carlo Collodi, author of Pinocchio, and film director Franco Zeffirelli are buried here.
https://www.feelflorence.it/en/node/12125
https://www.feelflorence.it/en/poi/cemetery-porte-sante

Basilica della Santissima Annunziata: if nothing else take a look at the wonderful frescoes in the unusual entry cloister. The lovely piazza this church is located on (Piazza della Santissima Annunziata) also contains the Brunelleschi designed Ospedale degli Innocenti; an early 15th century foundling home. Your daughter may find its museum of interest?

https://www.feelflorence.it/en/poi/basilica-della-ss-annunziata
http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/Santissima-Annunziata.html
https://www.museodeglinnocenti.it/en/

Very nearby is the terrific Museo di San Marco. Why should you go? Read on...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_Nazionale_di_San_Marco
http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/museum_of_san_marco.html

The list goes on....

Nancys8 - I’ll have to look for the high water marks. A boy from the neighborhood was in Florence for his Junior Year Abroad that year.

O.P. - the Duomo Museum in Florence is a don’t miss. Original baptistry doors, a Michelangelo statue and much more

Sorry i haven't replied, I've been busy furiously booking this trip. I really wish someone woulda said something, but I'll forgive that for now.

For reals though, I appreciate so many good suggestions, and I am taking them. I did book a cadillac Duomo combo walking tour thing with great ratings, that I'm just so excited about.

Here's my current situation! How the hell should my daughter and I experience Easter in Castellamere di Stabia, south of Napoli on the coast??

We will be there from 4/19-4/21. I booked this cooking class on Easter Sunday, in Agerola, but I can still cancel it for full refund....

We aren't religious, but I'd love to have a really intense, ritualistic, colorful experience. I wanna have a good cry if possible.

Gimme them suggestions please and thanks.

I really wish someone woulda said something, but I'll forgive that for
now.

Not sure what you mean here.

How the hell should my daughter and I experience Easter in
Castellamere di Stabia, south of Napoli on the coast?? We will be
there from 4/19-4/21. I booked this cooking class on Easter Sunday, in
Agerola, but I can still cancel it for full refund.... We aren't
religious, but I'd love to have a really intense, ritualistic,
colorful experience. I wanna have a good cry if possible.

I am sure there is a Catholic Church there- attend Easter Mass- be sure to cover your shoulders and knees.

How did you plan to get to Agerola? Bus service on Easter Sunday will be spotty/limited.
There is a link to the bus company in your other post.

How the hell should my daughter and I experience Easter in Castellamere di Stabia, south of Napoli on the coast??
...
We aren't religious, but I'd love to have a really intense, ritualistic, colorful experience. I wanna have a good cry if possible.

I'm not sure that hell would enter into any Easter observances or experiences. If you want a good cry, then you would want to attend a Good Friday church service, since that is the saddest day in the Christian calendar. But you won't be in Castellamere d S on that day. OTOH, one of the happiest days of the Christian calendar is Easter Sunday (the other day is Christmas), so attending mass on that day would be appropriate. There are a plethora of Catholic churches to choose from. Although, keep in mind that the services will be in Italian, so unless you understand the language, or the structure of the mass, I'm not sure how much you would get out of it.

I would suggest Bé Genuine Home Cooking experience in Praiano. My daughter and I did it yesterday and it was excellent. The couple who run it gave a five year old and they were great with my teenage daughter.