Rome, Italy: an urban open-air museum

Is your love true? Find out at La Bocca della Verità (the Mouth of Truth) at the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Legend has it that if you tell a lie while holding your hand in the sculpture’s mouth, it gets bitten off. Villa Farnesina was commissioned in the 16th century by banker Agostino Chigi, who hired Raphael to paint the building’s interior. So enamoured was the painter with a local baker’s daughter, that the job almost didn’t get finished. Chigi finally had to allow her to stay at the villa so that Raphaël’s romantic frescoes depicting Venus and Cupid would get done.

It would be a shame to come all the way to Rome and have to miss some of its most important sights because the little ones are bored. Rome Tours with Kids solves this problem by catering to the whole family. What’s more, these tours offer special access to places like the Vatican and the Colosseum that other tourists are not afforded. Set up as a miniature town where kids can play at being grown-ups, Explora, Rome’s interactive children’s museum, is a great place to spend an afternoon. There’s a free playground just outside for some last-minute energy expenditure too.

One of the best ways to understand Rome is through its food. The Espresso & Gelato Food Tour offered by Gourmetaly takes groups out to order caffè Roman-style, taste delectable gelato in flavours like chocolate wine and raspberry sage, and savour the city’s best tiramisu.