Rome With Kids By J.M. Pasquesi
Reviewed by Susan R Norton
Travel is a very special gift we can give our children, one
giant step beyond learning from a book. Any hands on experience is worth its
wait in euros and will be long remembered and taken into adulthood as an
unforgettable treasure.
Having said this, there is no better guide to take us
through a child’s view of Rome than J.M. Pasquesi. She and her children have
lived in that eternally exciting city Italians call Roma for more than ten
years. She shares with us her research geared at family adventures, punctuated
by plenty of pizza, pasta and play.
She also informs us about all those secret stories that
stay in a child’s memory on to adulthood. For example, After just finishing his
famous statue named Pietè at age 24, Michelangelo overheard a group of Italians
wondering who had created this marvelous marble wonder and his name never came
up. That night he snuck back and added his signature. Can you find it? It’s on
the ribbon falling off the Virgin’s left shoulder. I wish I had known that when
I visited the Vatican because this is the only known sculpture by Michelangelo
that was signed.
Pasquesi leads us down the yellow brick road of tours for
kids with tons of adventure and active movement. Boredom is a nasty word to her.
With that in mind, she sculpted some eleven mini-tours, some short (one hour),
some longer (two to three hours). There are even special tips like “bring
binoculars when visiting the Sistine Chapel”.
Being a child at heart, I deeply appreciated this book of
surprised information and tales of old. There is even a section of “Rome On The
Web” where you find out more about Italian mystery, myth and mayhem, along with
where to get the best gelato!
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