Animals and symbols kids tour

A Jewish Rome tour for kids, built as a hunt. The children are looking for animals and symbols hidden in the streets of the old Jewish quarter, and the history arrives while they are busy looking.

Children learn when they are absorbed in something, and nothing absorbs them like being outdoors with a job to do. So this one has no museum, no queue and no standing still.

The questions they get asked

The guide works through the walk with questions rather than explanations:

• Which fountain in Rome was built in a single night?
• Which vegetable used to be sold in these streets and became the most famous dish in Roman Jewish cooking?
• How many different animals can you find carved, sculpted or painted along the way?
• Which Pope ordered his desserts from this neighbourhood?

They usually find more animals than the adults do.

Where the walk goes

• Largo Argentina, four Republican-era temples in a sunken square — and the cats that live in them
• The Fountain of the Turtles in Piazza Mattei, and the story of why it appeared overnight
• Via del Portico d’Ottavia, the main street of the former ghetto
• The area of the Jewish Ghetto and the Great Synagogue, seen from outside
• Tiber Island, which the Romans carved into the shape of a ship
• The Theatre of Marcellus, older than the Colosseum, with apartments still lived in on top of it

Practical information

• Best for children roughly 5 to 12. Younger siblings manage fine — it is flat and short
• Private, so the pace follows your family rather than a group
• Everything is outdoors, at ground level, with somewhere to sit and something to eat along the way
• Morning is better than afternoon in summer

The other family option covers more ground with less walking: Rome for kids by golf cart. For the adult version of the same streets, see the ghetto, Museum and Synagogue tour. And if the trip continues north, the formula travels: in Florence the children’s walk ends in a marbled paper workshop or a leather workshop.

Questions people ask

What age is this tour for?
Roughly five to twelve. Younger siblings manage fine, because the walk is flat, short and never asks anyone to stand still. Tell me the ages and I will match the guide to them — it makes more difference than the itinerary does.

Is there a museum?
No museum, no queue, no standing in line. Everything is outdoors and at ground level, with somewhere to sit and something to eat along the way. Children learn when they are absorbed in something, and nothing absorbs them like being outdoors with a job to do.

How does the hunt actually work?
The guide works through questions rather than explanations. Which fountain in Rome was built in a single night? Which vegetable sold in these streets became the most famous dish in Roman Jewish cooking? How many animals can you find carved, sculpted or painted along the way? They usually find more than the adults do.

Is the tour private?
Yes. The pace follows your family rather than a group, which with children is the whole point. Morning is better than afternoon in summer.

How is it different from the golf cart tour for kids?
This one is a walk through the old Jewish quarter, on the hunt. Rome for kids by golf cart covers far more ground with far less walking, which suits younger children or a hot day better.