thanks, this site is amazing! very happy to have a safe place to ask for details...

Welcome to the site 😊

• Colosseo (this visit confuses me, there seem to be so many "extras"?) Can we just buy tix and "explore"?

If you just want to explore on your own (that's what I did and loved it), this is the ticket you want. It's a 'general admission' type for the main area (not underground/arena, no guide, etc.). Also includes the nearby Forum and Palatine Hill entrance to use the same day.
https://www.coopculture.it/en/products/ticket-colosseum-forum-and-palatine-_24h/

Welcome Craig family!

I'll give you a piece of general advice that I have learned through 8 or 9 trips with my kid and her friends:

Give your kids some fun "exploration assignments" before you leave. For instance you might ask fairly open-ended questions, "Why was the Colosseum built? Did all different types of people sit together? What were the three most common types of 'entertainment' that took place?" Let your kids do a little research, and then have them report back to you and start a conversation at dinner.

And I also find age appropriate videos. I ask them to watch a video, and while watching to write down three questions that the video has inspired them to ask. And then we talk about those things at dinner.

Over a couple of months ahead of time, we build up a little bank of knowledge. It is remarkable how much more interested kids are in sights when they know a few things ahead of time. They don't have to know a lot to become interested and engaged, just need a couple of hooks to hang a few ideas on and they are off to the races when you get there. Score one for schemata activation theory :)

It's been many years since I've been to Rome, so please check with someone with more recent knowledge:

1- Did not really love the Pantheon. Your mileage will vary.

2- The Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and their Pinacoteca are a lot. Do get tips to get entry, as, in my memory, the line was... uhm, what's bigger than immense? Than gargantuan? Biblical? Yeah... biblical. We were morons, but we paid to get onto one of the tours that walk people through and skip the line. Best money spent. Had I read the Rome book, we would have gotten in easier, maybe hit the Sistine before doing the whole of the VM, spending more time in the painting gallery, and less looking at statues who had their genitalia hammered off. ;-)

3- On the plan for exploration, may I share the following: https://www.eater.com/maps/best-pizza-rome-italy-pizzerias

I realize that as New Yorkers (as I was for my first 19 years on the planet), your boys almost certainly have some definite ideas about pizza. Maybe it's time blow those ideas up with Rome's multiple styles of pizza and Italy's focus on singular artistic brilliance.

That's a great idea, Hank, about getting Craig's sons involved. When I first went to Italy, back in the mid-90's (before you had to pay admission to get into the Coliseum), I was wandering around the Colosseum and was approached by a group of small boys - maybe 8 or 9 years old. They were doing a school project and wanted to ask me some questions. One involved the differences in Rome from my home city (Cincinnati) and also the similarities. I think for differences we all decided on language and location (lol) but for similarities, I told them that Cincinnati, like Rome, is called the city of Seven Hills. And Cincinnati was named for a Roman general, Cincinnatus. They were very impressed by that. :)

I think they had a blast finding out this information and asking questions, and I'm sure Craig's sons will have the same experience.

So, controversial opinions here:

I think the Colosseum is WAY better from the outside than inside. The interior is a run down pile of bricks, other than its size there’s not much to it. Considering the time, expense, and crowds involved the pay off was just not there for me. The audio guide was garbage too. I could not get out fast enough. You’re much better off exploring the Forum and Palatine Hill (which you did not mention.) These are much more evocative places to explore and let your imagination run wild.

The lines for the Vatican are LONG, and always long. Unless you are Catholic and this is a spiritual experience for you, I’d probably give it a miss this time. Places like Rome can demand hard choices and I think the Vatican is one of them. I went over there more than once with full intentions of gutting it out, but saw the line and decided against it. There’s just too many other things you can see in Rome. Instead, I explored all of the smaller churches within the city center (La Dolce Vita Walk-ish.) These smaller churches are just as filled with incredible art, if not more so.

The Pantheon takes just a matter of minutes to see. As I understand, you have to book ahead these days, but don’t sweat it too much.

If you’re interested in exploring Rome and food, how about a food tour? Eating Europe is a popular one around here, and I’ve been on a number of them. They aren’t cheap, but are a good value as you’re paying for several hours of walking tour along with your food. I recommend doing one early in your trip, it’s a great cultural and cuisine primer for the rest of your stay.

We first did the Colosseum and Forum on our own and then 30 years later with a small The Roman Guy tour group. The tour was a huge improvement. A decent tour guide makes the place come alive and provides details and points out features that you'd never realize from skimming a guidebook.
Especially with an audience with - let's say - potentially variable enthusiasm, I'd definitely enlist a guide's assistance.

Re the Pantheon being free, I read a USA Today article, four days ago, that said tourists will soon be charged an entrance fee. It's only 5€, however, and less for those under age 25, only 2€. The article said no date has been announced for this new fee to go into effect.

I don't know the particulars of your schedule, but I highly recommend the Welcome to Rome Evening Walking Tour. It would be a great introduction and would knock out visiting the Spanish Steps. Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. A gelato treat is included as a bonus.

Walks of Italy are small and manageable, there were only 12 in our group. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable. Before we began our tour, we had a nice dinner at a cafe on the Piazza Navona.

BTW, I was 15 the first time I was in Rome. It led to a lifelong love of travel, especially European travel.

Have a great time!

yes, Pantheon will begin charging soon.

Easy on the churches and museums, can't imagine any of the kids would find that interesting. Frankly they might be more blood n guts, so gladiator battles in the Coliseum, sites of battles, armor, gruesome relics, etc.

there used to be tour books just for trips with kids, have you searched for those?

When is your trip?

If you want to go to the Vatican Museums, which include the Sistine Chapel, you must either buy a ticket in advance (the cheapest option), stand in line probably for hours, or take a tour. Tickets are selling our very early these days, so you should check right now to see what the situation looks like. Tickets are on sale through nearly the end of May at this point, and the basic-entry online tickets for many dates are already sold out (I think virtually every date is sold out, but I only spot-checked); those cost 14 euros for adults, 8 euros for kids, plus the annoying booking fee. I hate to see anyone, especially a family with three kids, forced into paying for a tour because they can't buy plain-vanilla tickets, so I'm hoping this is not a spring-break trip you're planning. I'd suggest skipping the extra-cost audio guide, because it seemed to me that the items covered by the audio guide had similar information posted beside them. To maximize your chances of getting tickets, try to keep your schedule open until you have them so you're not depending on the miraculous availability of tickets for a narrow open window in your schedule.

Here's the ticket website for the Vatican Museums: Vatican Museum tickets

The Vatican Museums were quite crowded when I visited them in mid-February, and it's a long walk to the Sistine Chapel even if you don't stop to look at anything else. Therefore, I do think it's worth thinking seriously about whether your family will enjoy the VM enough to justify the effort in seeing them (plus the cost if you can't grab the basic tickets right after they go on sale).

St. Peter's is free--which is good, but that means there's no way to book an entry ticket online in advance. You either need to pay for a tour or stand in line. It is a very long line. Word is that showing up really early (the church opens at 7 AM, I think) is the best way to go. I couldn't bring myself to do that, and I wonder about getting teenagers out of bed super early when they're on vacation. The other thing to know is that it's a long walk if you exit the Vatican Museums and want to walk over to the entry door for St. Peter's.

Rome is full of gorgeous churches, most of them free and with no lines. If you tell us where you're staying, we can recommend churches we enjoyed near your hotel that won't require advance planning beyond being aware of the days and hours they are open. The very interesting San Clemente does require pre-booking.

I'm another person who found the Pantheon visually underwhelming. (But I'm not religious, and I'm not into ancient history.)

You mentioned the National Museum. It has four branches:

• Palazzo Massimo alle Terme (classical sculpture, mosaics, frescoes, coins, jewelry, paintings)
• Terme di Diocleziano (I remember mainly sculpture, with little evidence of the Roman baths)
• Palazzo Altemps (I missed this one, but it's mostly Greek and Roman sculpture)
• Crypta Balbi (currently closed)

Being a big fan of mosaics, I really like Palazzo Massimo. It had more variety than the Terme di Diocleziano. Those museums are not small; I wouldn't try to see them all. The Capitoline Museums are also good, but I think they'd be too much.

There are of course many other museums in Rome--primary among them the Borghese Gallery--but the youngsters may not have an unlimited appetite for such sights.

If you need a break from hardcore sightseeing and are near Largo di Torre Argentina in the afternoon, stop by the cat sanctuary at the southwest corner of the piazza.

Have you considered Domus Aurea (Nero’s Golden Dome) It may not be open the days you are there as it is an ongoing archaeological site and only open certain days. It’s basically across the street from the Colosseum and small group tours are guided by one of the staff working on the site. Not only are you walking through something that is still being uncovered, but there is a virtual reality presentation on what the whole area, including the Colosseum, used to look like. You know your crowd and dates, so you’ll know if this might be an option. It does have the additional advantage of being underground and cooler if you’re there when it’s hot.

We’ve visited the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s twice. First trip was in the morning and it was an absolute crush. Our last trip we went at 3:00-3:30 (15:00-15:30) and were behind all the crowds. Even though it was closer to closing, we could move quickly because there was hardly anyone there.

I just want to say "thanks so so much!" so many incredible insights, suggestions and we really appreciate it. I want to write so much more but I am teaching early in the morning :)
I will circle back. A great thank you!