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Family Travel Forum's Editor in Chief offers her advice on seeing Rome, Italy, with your big bambini, when they're old enough to appreciate a bit of history.

"Mom, it's so funky here. Look at all those crumbling buildings and holes in the streets. Why are so many things falling down?" Thus whined our 6-year-old son, Regan, on being introduced to glorious Rome, the startlingly beautiful capital of ancient and modern Italian civilizations. After several days' exposure to the Spanish Steps, the newly restored Trevi Fountain and other manmade wonders, his objections subsided -- seemingly in proportion to the amount of gelati (ice cream) pumped into his eternally hungry stomach. This passion for the 3Ps:  postri, pasta and pizza was what enabled his parents to savor Rome's non-gustatory charms.

So, do take the kids not only for the sites and the tastes, but for the Italians' warm welcome. And do be sure to hit the homework beforehand, with some preparation, reading material, Italian home cooking, music and movies to introduce the city to school age kids.

At Home- Do As the Romans Do

If you encourage your family to study the known pastas, from linguini to raviolini, you'll begin building an Italian vocabulary from your larder. Then take everyone to see the local museum's collection of Roman antiquities to emphasize how much Italian arts and architecture permeate life at home. Look for books on Roman history and mythology at the library or online, and rent Ben Hur and Spartacus.

There are two wonderful books sold widely in Rome which will make the real thing more interesting for you, particularly for the kids:

Children Discover Ancient Rome by Anna Parisi and Rosaria Punzi, illustrated by Filippo Sassoli (Fratelli Palombi Editori, 1995), are richly illustrated, easy-to-follow pocket guides which explain the who, what, where, when and why's of Rome's top sights. They're written especially for kids, with lots of neat factoids and juicy rumors about the ancients.

Rome Past and Present by R. A. Staccioli (Getty Trust Publications, 2000) is a large, heavy spiral-bound book filled with photos of the major sites, and transparent overlays of the way they looked in ancient times. This format really brings the sites to life, and is the perfect tool to create hunt n'seek adventures among the ruins. Just take it into the Roman Forum and you'll see exactly how neat a pile of old stones can become.

In Rome, All Roads Lead To the Past

The Colosseum, or Colosseo may be the city's biggest draw but we found posing with costumed gladiators out front to be the one of most fun things about this legendary site. (By the way, no Christians were ever fed to lions here.)

For history buffs without the time to make the 3½ hour journey to Pompeii, the ruins of Ostia Antica are the most intact remnants of a once-great civilization near the capital. They are located about a half-hour south of the city near the Da Vinci airport. Avoid those wild Italian drivers at any cost, and join a bus tour which allows two to three hours to roam the reconstructed city walls and housing, plus another hour to visit the museum.

Devote two days to Vatican City and you'll be richly rewarded. Even young children appreciate a religious shrine of this magnitude and will be amused when their parents are forced to purchase appropriately modest cover-ups (no bare arms, bare heads, exposed legs) at the nearest souvenir store.

Day one, visit the grand, gilded St. Peter's Basilica and watch your kids race down below to linger over the mausolea and mummified remains of various Catholic luminaries. Attend the Pope's audience (Wednesdays at 10am; call ahead to reserve free tickets) and hike up the Dome for the views. Basta! for one day. 

Be sure to return another day for the Vatican's Art Galleries and Sistine Chapel. Because their crowd control staff keeps everyone moving quickly, you'll want to purchase a postcard set for the kids so they can study the artworks and Chapel ceiling frescoes at leisure.

The Borghese Gallery (068417645), one of Rome's most beautiful palaces, houses one of its best collections of Italian art. If the Bernini sculptures don't fascinate your kids, they'll certainly enjoy running around the gardens. Call ahead for reservations since many temporary exhibits are quite popular.

Other engaging collections are the display of Italy's all-important foodstuff at the Museo Nazionale delle Paste Alimentari (066991120), and the Museo Nazionale Romano in the Palazzo Massimo, which showcases the country's most important archeological finds.