Rome For Kids™

Join us in the Eternal City with your family for our Kids & Family cooking class & tour.  Children and parents alike will soak up the history of ancient Rome, while touring the city and cooking with Chef Barbara.  Chef Barbara takes every food-loving family on a journey through Rome’s outdoor marketplace, then gets everyone involved in making pizza and pasta while learning fun facts about the Eternal City!

Your three cooking classes provide a great opportunity for families to learn about Rome through its cuisine and tours through the city and Rome marketplace tour. In addition to your Cooking program, we will give you our personal addresses for the best things to do with children, while keeping parents interested as well, creating unforgettable memories for all.

As featured in December 2011 – Click here to read more!

Rome Kids & Family Cooking Classes

Your hands-on cooking classes take you into the heart of Rome, with Chef Barbara’s authentic Roman-style cooking, where the past comes alive through pasta making, pizza making, delicious desserts and Italian gelato. Professional and kind, Chef Barbara has both talent and passion, and leads her classes with a fervent love for cooking while creating a fun atmosphere for everyone. Journey through the classical cuisine of the Eternal City, where history and traditions come alive.

Chef Barbara welcomes each guest to her private palazzo and kitchen in the heart of Rome.  You’ll learn to cook traditional Roman classics from antipasto to fresh pasta and sauces, main courses and desserts with farm-to-table ingredients from the nearby outdoor market.

Chef Barbara shares her family recipes in making delicious Roman recipes with experience and techniques that Chef Barbara has gained through years of experience.  She shares her knowledge of selecting the finest local seasonal ingredients at the market, then transforming them into Roman antipasto, fresh pasta, sauces, main courses and desserts.

During your hands-on cooking classes, you will learn how to mix and roll out fresh pasta that will be used to make lasagne, ravioli and gnocchi with seasonal sauces.  You’ll also learn the history and techniques of ancient Roman foods as you slice, dice and cook with Chef Barbara.  Learn to cook delicious Roman cuisine while immersing yourself in the food, wine and culture of Rome.

If you love pizza, the pizza-making has guests mixing, rolling, then baking in a brick-oven with the official pizzaiolo, pizza chef.  Top your pizza with fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, grilled vegetables, salumi, ham, olives or artichokes!

In the traditional cooking class, you will create a full course menu featuring Roman fare with delicious stuffed artichokes and eggplant, carbonara – pasta served in a sauce with crispy guanciale, cured pork cheeks, tangy pecorino Romanocheese and eggs; gricia – carbonara without eggs; amatriciana pasta with tomatoes and cream; cacio e pepe, pasta served in a creamy pecorino and spicy black pepper sauce; and coda alla vaccinara, oxtail stew cooked in tomatoes and wine with cloves, black pepper, pine nuts and raisins.  Roman desserts are always delightful and include crostata ricotta e visciole, an open pie filled with a cherry filling, tiramisu, and creamy gelato.

Chef Barbara’s unique cooking style is hands-on while offering tips and technique that will have you cooking like a Roman! A recipe book is included.  Recipes  vary depending on the seasons, so we encourage each guest to bring a notebook to the kitchen.

Also included is a trip to the outside Marketplace with Chef Barbara.  Visit rows of stands selling prized vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, and artisan cheese and experience the bustling marketplace that is the heart of Italian daily life. Meet Chef Barbara at the market and get ready as she leads the way shopping over baskets piled high with fruits, vegetable, fish, meat and cheese. She knows just where to go for the freshest and best ingredients. Shop with the Chef and learn about the regional products along with food notes on Rome’s past. After the market visit, return to her kitchen for hands-on cooking class creating delicious Roman fare.  Transfers to the kitchen not included.  In each cooking class, food allergies are carefully respected and gluten free menus are available upon request.

Pizza Making

Learn how to mix, roll and prepare authentic pizza, then select your topping of mozzarella cheese, salumi, sausage, ham and vegetables.  During your pasta-making class, Chef Barbara shows you the art of mixing, blending, kneading, twisting, and rolling a variety of pasta shapes.  Then, you will learn how to prepare the seasonal sauces to go with them.

Shop With The Chef at the Testaccio Market

Start your morning at the outdoor market where you will meet Chef Barbara for an early morning tour in the heart of Rome.  Experience how to choose fresh seasonal ingredients for cooking, and learn about artisan products you’ll use in your cooking classes – from San Marzano tomatoes, to the smallest cherry tomatoes, pomodorini, to artisan cheese, bread and fruits and vegetables.

Following each class, everyone enjoys the food that was prepared in the kitchen with a toast of wine included, and soft drinks for children.  Weather permitting, everyone dines on the terrace for a beautiful view overlooking the city of Rome.

A recipe book is included with Chef Barbara’s creations; recipes may vary depending on the seasons, so we encourage each guest to bring a notebook and camera into the kitchen.

Rome Landmarks

Journey into a Rome where history comes alive for children of all ages, leaving everyone wide-eyed in this breathtaking city, where the past and present live side by side. Rome offers a broad spectrum of sites and activities for families to take pleasure in. Visit the Bocca Della Verita, and wait to see if it closes its mouth (if you are lying)! Visit the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, a gothic church built on top of the ruins of the Roman temple of the goddess Minerva, where history and present day ties unravel themselves. Kids will love the Cappucini Crypt, decorated with historic relics; or experience the optical illusion as you look upward in the dome of San Ignazio. The Villa Borghese offers bike rentals, pony rides, and a good amount of shade on hot Roman summer days. Want to visit the Vatican but keep the kids amused, too? Don’t worry as the Vatican has mummies and statues throughout to keep kids interested along the way! Take time out and dine at any one of the local trattorias built into ancient stones.  Enjoy Roman pizza and gelato as we head to Giolitti, with an endless list of flavors from dark chocolate, strawberry, fragola, pineapple, ananas, chocolate chip, stracciatella, and Nutella to name a few.

Noted as one of the best gelato shops in Rome, the Giolitti family welcomes you to their family-owned gelateria, for endless flavors that you can enjoy. The ice cream shop started out selling milk, until their Nonna Giolitti decided to expand and make home-made gelato, which they have since been making for over 100 years! Nonna’s advertising campaign started when shel’d sit her 8 children outside of the shop enjoying their creamy ice-cream. Upon being complimented on her beautiful little family, she always graciously replied that their rosy cheeks and happy faces were thanks to the many flavors of gelato they enjoyed! Today the family continues making artisan gelato in hundreds of flavors, including watermelon, baci, and nutella!!!

Rome Accommodations

Rome 3-Star

Our charming jewel-box 3-Star hotel is located between the 18th-century Spanish Steps and the elegant Via Veneto. The conveniently located hotel has been newly renovated, while preserving its old world charm. Privately owned, clean and bright, the hotel has a professional staff to help you with all your questions while staying in the Eternal City. The property has welcomed travellers since the days of the Grand Tour, and was a favorite for many writers throughout time. The archeological treasures on display in the spacious hall, the elegant furniture, antique paintings, and 18th-century entryway are all part of the priceless décor.  The hotel staff cater to their guests’ every need with a winning combination of welcoming warmth and high professional standards. Elegantly furnished rooms, a reading room near the bar and a rooftop offering a spectacular view of the historical city make this home-away-from-home a haven of relaxation in bustling Rome. Each room offers a private bathroom, air conditioning/heat, minibar, Satellite TV, hair dryer & Wi-Fi internet.

Rome 4-Star

Our welcoming 4-star hotel is located between the 18th-century Spanish Steps and Piazza Del Popolo. The hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Rome, with its atmospheric streets full of history and surrounded by the most elegant shops, making it the perfect haven after a day of sightseeing or shopping. Here, the owners have succeeded in perfectly blending the timeless style of the old Fellini films with modern-day comfort. An intimate atmosphere, refined in every detail, combines the warmth of wood and gold in a contemporary and sophisticated design. Rooms are all different, each with its own exclusive details designed to offer guests maximum comfort. Each room offers a private bathroom, air conditioning/heat, minibar, personal safe, satellite TV, hair dryer & wi-fi internet. Enjoy a drink at the hotel’s piano bar, or treat yourself to a lunch or dinner at the restaurant and pizzeria.

Click for Property Photo Gallery

Itinerary: 6 days, 5 nights

Our Kids & Family program is available 12 months per year. You can check in and start your program on any day of the week.

Day 1: Arrival and Check in

• Arrival transfer from Rome Airport or Train station to your hotel in central Rome.
• Check in and relax.
• Chef’s Welcome Dinner at our favorite trattoria. Beverages not included and are available at a surcharge.

Day 2: Cooking Class 1 & Ancient Rome

• Breakfast is served.
• Cooking Class 1 features Chef Barbara’s hands-on pizza-making class. From start to finish, mix, knead, toss and bake your dough to form the perfect Italian pizza! Learn the history, myths, and modern marvels of the multi-faceted Italian pizza. Lunch follows on your foods prepared in class with a toast of local red or white wine and soft drink for children.
• City Sight Seeing Roma Tour.
• Dinner free and on your own. Cooking Vacations provides our favorite restaurant hot picks.

Day 3: Rome Testaccio Market Tour & Cooking Class 2

• Breakfast is served.
• Rome Testaccio Market Tour:  Meet Chef Barbara at the Testaccio Market for a one-hour tour of Rome’s history and to see Rome’s fresh-produce, artisan cheese, wine, fish, meat, bread and more – a true traditional way of life. The market is brimming with local in-season fruit and vegetables, and top quality meat and fish. The Testaccio market on Piazza Testaccio is a famous markets noted for its excellent quality produce. It’s a great place to find such delicious dinner table delights as the baby chicory shoots, broad beans, and Roman artichokes.  The market has always been a fun place to meet your neighbor in the morning and catch up on the day’s news. Be sure to visit the late actor Marcello Mastoianni’s cousin’s fish stand, with Marcello’s face on the sign.
• Chef Barbara leads the market tour visit followed by a cooking class in her kitchen.  Transfer back to the kitchen not included.
• Cooking Class 2: Join Chef Barbara and prepare a full Roman menu including two primi piatti, first courses, and two secondi piatti, second courses, all kid-friendly of course! Lunch follows on the foods prepared in class with a toast of local red or white wine and soft drink for children.
• Dinner free and on your own. Cooking Vacations provides our favorite restaurant hot picks.

Day 4: Cooking Class 3 & Piazzas of Rome

• Breakfast is served.
• Cooking Class 3: Pasta making with Chef Barbara. Roll up your sleeves and work alongside your Chef to turn out different pasta shapes and delicious fresh sauces to go with them. Lunch follows on the foods prepared in class with a toast of local red or white wine and soft drink for children.
• Spend the afternoon exploring the Piazzas of downtown Rome. Visit the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and the Campo De’ Fiori. The Fontana Dei Quattro Fiumi, the Fountain of Four Rivers, found in Piazza Navona, is one of Bernini’s most celebrated masterpieces. The fountain symbolises the four great rivers known in ancient times; the Nile, Ganges, Danube and Rio de la Plata. Stroll into Piazza Barberini, where kids are certain to enjoy Bernini’s Fountain of the Bees.
• Kid’s Tip: Don’t miss the San’Ignazio church, near the Pantheon, famous for its false dome. From the entrance the ceiling appears to be a painted dome; however, as you walk in through the church, you will discover it is an illusion.
• Tired from a long day? Stop by the famous Tazza D’Oro, just by the Pantheon, and reward yourselves with a work-of-art cappuccino for Mom and Dad, and a hot chocolate for the kids, so thick and scrumptious as if it were melted chocolate! One of the most famous Cafes in all of Rome.
• Dinner free and on your own. Cooking Vacations provides our favorite restaurant hot picks.

Day 5: Colosseum Tour & Gelato Tasting Tour

• Breakfast is served.
• Colosseum Tour with English speaking guide.  Kids can become gladiators for a day, as you are guided through the ancient amphitheatre with your English-speaking guide.  The Colosseum is the largest amphitheatre ever built and is considered one of the greatest works of architecture and engineering.  The Colosseum, at the east side of the Roman Forum, is an ancient landmark not to be missed. Construction began under the emperor Vespasian in 72 AD, and was completed in 80 AD under his successor and heir Titus.  Explore the arches, columns and staging of Rome’s greatest landmark.
• Following, Gelato Tasting Tour.  Every child loves gelato and there is no better place than Rome to taste the many flavors.  Our expert food guide takes us on a gelato tasting tour with discussion and tastings included.
• Spend the day visiting Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican, this is a suggestion, or walk to the Spanish Stairs, take some photos and enjoy a little shopping – in Rome’s most famous shopping area.
• ***You can also add on a half or full day tour to the Vatican with our English speaking guide, including the Vatican, Sistine Chapel or even our Cooking Vacations’ Food Lover’s Walk.  Please let us know your interests and will be happy to assist.
• Audience with the Pope.  If it’s Wednesday, the Pope holds the General Audience in Saint Peter’s Square, so arrive early to get seats. People travel from all over the world to be a part of this event, and the Pope even moves through the crowd on his Popemobile, a sure fun and memorable event for all.
• Walk in the Piazza of Saint Peter’s Basilica and challenge the kids to find the two spots where the columns surrounding the piazza align. Then head into Saint Peter’s to admire this incredible cathedral. Inside you will find Michelangelo’s Pieta’ (1499), Bernini’s ornate Baldacchino (1633), carved all in bronze, and his celestial Throne of Saint Peter (1666), among the many marvels.
• Next visit the Vatican Museums, just a short walk from Saint Peter’s to visit the awe-inspiring Sistine Chapel. Kids, did you know artists often painted themselves into their paintings? See if you can find Michelangelo’s face in The Last Judgment, on the wall behind the altar.
• Kid’s Tip 2: Have the kid’s write a postcard from the Vatican Museums and mail from there; they will have the post mark not from Italy, but from the Vatican City!
• Dinner is free and on your own. Suggestions provided at the hotel.
• Kid’s Tip 3: Your last night is the perfect evening to visit the Trevi Fountain, extraordinary by day, but truly magical when lit up at night. Toss your coins in the fountain for luck and to make sure that you will return to the Eternal City. Just near the Trevi Fountain, try an ice cream at Il Gelato di San Crispino, another famous ice-cream shop in Rome.

Day 6: Check Out & Departure

• Breakfast is served.
• Check out and departure.
• Transfer to Rome Airport or Train Station.

Note: This sample itinerary schedule may vary due to inclement weather, saints days; festivals. All activities, in the event of rescheduling, are always included during the week.