Review: Tapsy Tour of Rome with kids

Rome is full of stories, of secrets, of hidden corners – even the lampposts are decorated with Latin inscriptions whose history goes back over 2,000 years. So when you’re visiting Rome with kids, where do you start?

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You can wander, of course, guidebook and phone in hand, taking little alleys and stumbling across some of the city’s treasures. But there’s a limit to how much aimless exploring my seven-year-old can take: which meant finding someone to show us some of the highlights.

And there’s nothing like a good family tour of Rome, a child-friendly way to get your bearings and start the love affair with the Eternal City. So when I was invited to review a Tapsy Tour of Rome, I jumped at the chance.

For more ideas of things to do in Rome with kids, check out my top picks

Aimed at kids aged five to 12, we covered a lot of ground, wandering from the Circus Maximus past the Colosseum and Forum, to the statue of the she-wolf with Romulus and Remus and Piazza del Campidoglio designed by Michaelangelo, the Piazza Navona and Pantheon and finishing in the Campo de’ Fiori.

But if this itinerary – the Classic tour of Rome – sounds like a long hard slog with kids, a Tapsy Tour has some clever twists to make it a lot of fun, even on a slightly drizzly February day. It is definitely worth bringing comfy shoes and water though!

Firstly, there’s an activity book which my daughter pounced on the second she got her hands on it, trying to complete half the puzzles and quizzes before we’d even left the start point, as well as choosing her ‘Roman name’.

Designed to suit all the different Tapsy Tours, it means you get some bonus pages for places not covered on the Classic Rome tour, which we then went on to spot later in our visit – the pyramid of Cestius, for example, which Minnie spied from a taxi and recognised from the book.

And secondly, you’re joined by a few special guests, starting with Rhea Silvia, mother to Romulus and Remus – and thereby effectively the mother of Rome.

In her Roman draperies and laurel crown (which Minnie got to borrow later on for a photo by the Forum), my daughter decided she could well be a real princess and latched onto her as a new friend. A definite highlight and a nice twist to have her explaining Rome’s history – her story, in fact – as part of the tour.

Later on, when we travelled forward in time from Ancient Rome to the Renaissance at Piazza Navona, Rhea Silvia vanished as if by magic – my daughter peering off into alleyways to see where she had gone.

Fortunately another guest – La Pimpaccia, sister-in-law to a pope – arrived in her place to tell the story of nepotism and influence in a city ruled by religion. Who just so happened to have a striking resemblance to Rhea Silvia!

The other special guest was the tour’s mascot, Tapsy, a giant mole who turns up at some point during the tour: sometimes part-way through, or in our case, to wave us off.

I know friends who’ve taken the tour and whose kids have decided Tapsy was the highlight, begging to be next to him. Minnie, alas, was less impressed, announcing he didn’t look like her idea of a mole and flatly refusing even a high five.

Tapsy took this cruel dismissal rather well. There’s no critic like a seven-year-old!

But whatever your kids’ approach to giant moles, this family tour of Rome is a really fun way to get an overview of Roman history.

For another way to discover Roman history, check out my pick of the best kids books about Rome

Staying in Trastevere, we had decided to walk across the river to our meeting point at the Circus Maximus, although it’s worth knowing that most Classic Rome tours begin at the Arch of Constantine near the Colosseum.

I’d still recommend sauntering the length of the Circus Maximus beforehand if you can – there’s no better way to get a feeling of the vast size of this former chariot racing circuit.

It wasn’t until the tour started that I realised just how many people would have been crammed inside: estimates vary but it would have held around 200,000 spectators, possibly more, all screaming for their favourites.

And on the Palatine hill, one other spectator could have watched in opulent splendour – the emperor’s palace looked down onto the track, enjoying his own private view without needing to sit among the great unwashed.

It was little facts like this which helped bring the city to life as we wandered. From here we sauntered to the Colosseum and Arch of Constantine.

And while we didn’t go inside (although you can with other Tapsy tours), we spotted the Roman numerals marking the different entrances and the holes in the stone: a legacy of Roman recycling, where the iron rods used to support the amphitheatre were taken out and melted down for weaponry in the Middle Ages.

If you’re planning on visiting the Colosseum in Rome (and you should!), check out these tips before you do

Past the scattered ruins of the Forum, Rhea Silvia – a Vestal virgin herself – pointed out the temple of Vesta with its eternal flame, as we spotted statues of emperors across the road and that Latin inscription: SPQR (Senatus Populusque Romanus) on lampposts and drains.

If small legs are flagging when you come to yet another hill, this time the Capitoline, there were a few helpful distractions.

First that photo taken against the background of the Forum decked out in triumphal laurel wreath: my daugher valiantly wafted the polaroid around, watching in fascination as it developed before her eyes.

Next she was challenged to guess which twin was Romulus and which was Remus, after scampering towards the statue of the she-wolf.

Then – after a loo stop and marvelling at the huge statue of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius in the Campidoglio – we hopped into a little people carrier to rest our legs on the five-minute trip to Piazza Navona.

One of my own favourite places in Rome, Minnie was transfixed by the fountains and we wandered around spotting the animals depicted in them, as well as ticking off the four rivers represented in Bernini’s famous masterpiece.

She seemed rather more unmoved by getting to see the ancient Roman ruins around the corner on a street level that’s well below where it is today, although I loved this little insight – something I’d never spotted in previous trips to the city.

With only a couple of stops left, our guide Maria spotted that my seven-year-old was definitely tiring by this point of the tour, so we moved on swiftly to the Pantheon with its oculus, the famous opening in the dome.

And after a light drizzle obligingly started as we went inside, we got a chance to discover that rain definitely can come through the opening while we learned about the odd air patterns in the dome – even if the potential slipperiness of the roped-off section of marble underneath seemed to fascinate my daughter more.

Fortunately there was an energy boost ahead in our final stop of Campo de’ Fiori – a little surprise to end on (except that I knew it was coming and had already told her. Oops!)

Still… pizza is always welcome. Especially when it’s pizza bianca: deliciously moreish slices of base drizzled with olive oil and salt, and a perfect snack before lunch.

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Tucking into a few pieces each, we also got to see the daily market in the square with fruit, vegetables, olive oil and some garishly bright bottles including a pistachio liqueur.

All overseen by the hooded statue of Giordano Bruno, the former friar whose love of science and the secrets of the universe eventually saw him burned here as a heretic.

We glossed over the exact details of the square’s dark past, where the inquisition’s fires had signalled the end for so many. In the sun, shining once more, it’s full of light, of noise, of cheer.

And right around the corner, our guide had a lunch recommendation for us: Rossopomodoro in Largo di Torre Argentina with some great woodfired pizza.

We’d certainly earned it. Thousands of years of history – and thousands of steps – plus one princess, one giant mole and dozens of facts, it was a great introduction to Rome for our first morning in the city.

Need to know: Tapsy Tour of Rome

There are different itineraries available for a Tapsy Tour of Rome – we took the Classic Rome tour, while the Ancient Rome option takes you inside the Colosseum as well.

The tour costs 60 Euros per adult and 40 Euros per child, although you can also get prices for private group tours on request.

The Classic Rome tour lasts for around three hours: our guide was great about keeping us moving when there were so many fascinating things to see without it ever feeling rushed.

The family tours of Rome run regularly in English from March to October, as well as some dates outside these months. Contact Tapsy Tours for more information or email info@tapsy.eu

For a virtual tour of Rome or to help plan your own family holiday, check out my guide to exploring the Eternal City online, as well as my guide to Italy with kids

PIN FOR LATER: FAMILY TOUR OF ROME – TAPSY TOUR REVIEW

Disclosure: Our Tapsy Tour of Rome was free for the purposes of review – all opinions in my Tapsy Tour review are my own (except for the one about giant moles, which is my daughter’s).

Images copyright MummyTravels

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