About the Ancient Rome Discovery Walk in Rome
Lasting 1000 years, the period of ancient Rome, with its many emperors, warriors, poets, and myths, can be tricky to understand. This walk is designed to give families an entry point for grappling with Roman antiquity, and thus is an excellent starting point for any Roman adventure.
Ancient Rome Discovery brings families into the archaeological heart of Rome where we encounter the stories of Romulus and Remus, the artistic and political achievements of the emperors, and the everyday lives of ancient Roman citizens. Centered around the Colosseum, the emphasis is on engaging with the young people in the group and helping them begin to frame and understand some key concepts about ancient Rome.
We begin with the Colosseum, emblematic of Roman engineering prowess and social complexity. This site, often the most iconic for children, presents a great starting point to delve into the lives of ancient Romans. We will take our time here, while our docent helps us explore the construction and h
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Lasting 1000 years, the period of ancient Rome, with its many emperors, warriors, poets, and myths, can be tricky to understand. This walk is designed to give families an entry point for grappling with Roman antiquity, and thus is an excellent starting point for any Roman adventure.
Ancient Rome Discovery brings families into the archaeological heart of Rome where we encounter the stories of Romulus and Remus, the artistic and political achievements of the emperors, and the everyday lives of ancient Roman citizens. Centered around the Colosseum, the emphasis is on engaging with the young people in the group and helping them begin to frame and understand some key concepts about ancient Rome.
We begin with the Colosseum, emblematic of Roman engineering prowess and social complexity. This site, often the most iconic for children, presents a great starting point to delve into the lives of ancient Romans. We will take our time here, while our docent helps us explore the construction and history of this spectacular space, painting a vivid picture of its history and encouraging lively discussion between children and adults by using inquiry-based learning techniques. (For more on our approach to family learning, see our Family Program description
If the stories of gladiators interest the group, we'll look into the Ludus Magnus: a training area for gladiators from which they would have entered the Colosseum via an underground tunnel. This site, which we will observe from street level, offers an intriguing look into the everyday lives of the gladiators and is especially eye-opening for children, as they can draw mental pictures of the ancient training area.
Lastly, we'll stroll down the via dei Fori Imperiali and touch on the Imperial Fora, a string of open plazas and temples and other structures built by the emperor Augustus and his successors as Rome grew and expanded during its incredible rise in the Imperial period. These magnificent structures culminate in the Forum and Markets of Trajan, where the past and present intertwine to bring history alive in ways that are only possible in Rome. Although we won't have time to enter the markets of Trajan, we'll discuss them along with Trajan's column and the rest of the archaeological sites in this area.
To assist you in planning your Ancient Rome tour, we have created an informative resources page - How to Tour the Colosseum and Ancient Rome, which offers a lot of different pieces of advice.
In order to plan the best possible experience for your children, it would be helpful for us to know some background. Have they traveled to other countries? If so, where? Have they studied any subjects in school that would relate to the walk? Are they interested in art, music, even food!? The more you can tell us, the better.
Due to the very interactive nature of this program and given the educational environment our docent aims to evoke, we adhere to a very strict maximum of 6 participants. Groups larger than 6 will need to book two separate walks that can run concurrently, but with different docents.
Depending on availability, we can also request a special visit to the Ludus Magnus as part of this walk. The visit requires an additional hour to be added to the total time of the walk and an additional entry fee (euro 4) which is to be paid directly upon entering the site.
