Getting a child to walk through the ruins of ancient Rome with mom and dad is no easy task—and teachers guiding groups of restless eight- to thirteen-year-olds through the same paths while keeping their attention alive face an even greater challenge. The authors of this book know that well, but they embrace the challenge anyway, offering young Romans and all the tourists who visit the city a guide unlike any other. The opening pages are filled with color: a cheerful map of central Rome, practical tips for the savvy tourist, and a timeline showing the major events of ancient Rome. What follows is a vivid and carefully researched description of six different routes through the capital's most famous historical sites. In the final pages, some well-known legends are told with charm and brevity, alongside useful information about daily life in ancient Rome. Throughout, the book is illustrated with witty cartoons, games, riddles, quizzes, and self-guided walking routes complete with point-scoring challenges.
The guide concludes with a list of useful addresses for young visitors and answers to all the games (which, we should note, are not always simple). We may be wrong, but it seems to us that "playing tourist" with a guide like this is far, far more fun!
- Maria Teresa Mazzarotto, 1997
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