Description: A good thing to do with children in Rome is the
The Time Elevator. Located near the Trevi Fountain (Barberini Metro Stop), they offer several films a day in English. This is a multi-sensory experience in which you can "ride" through time with a guide. There are several different films at any time, but we were only interested in seeing a show about ancient Rome.
What was it like? It was a nice reprieve from the heat. We were given earphones to hear the narrative, and we found seats in the back of the room. (Young kids below a certain height have to go on the non-moving seats.) This works a little bit like the
Back to the Future ride in Disney World as the seat shakes and lifts as you "move through time", but it's not quite as cool. The show isn't super long, less than an hour, but it's well-suited to children.
Now I must say
my son scoffed a bit at the presentation as he is almost fourteen, a lover of Roman history, and... well... "just a bit too mature" for this kind of thing.
For instance, when Julius Caesar is stabbed in the Roman Forum via the film, I got an elbow in the rib because this is a myth perpetuated by William Shakespeare. Caesar was
actually murdered in a different section of Rome, and my kid knows it. He wanted
accuracy as well as entertainment. (Bless him. Hollywood is going to prove a disappointment!)
Still, I think the simplified narrative is perfect for kids under 12.The moving seat is good, and I liked the mist of water that you feel during a fountain scene.
Any other negatives? It's expensive. Just under 20 Euros for an adult ticket. You can get different combos that might give you a better value.
Any pluses that mitigate price?I think that Rome is a very grown-up place. Yeah, kids love gladiators and swords, but ruins take a bit of historical background and a lot of grown up imagination to be impressive. Crowds jostle families in hours of relentless heat. Lines are long, and museums stuffed to the gills with antiquities aren't exactly your average 8-year-old's idea of a good time. This is a place to take
under 12s that will give a basic (though not textbook accurate) account of the city that might get them more interested in the whole trip.
Other suggestions? Go check the times for the appropriate English show, buy your tickets, then eat at any number of pizza places you'll find in the area before the show. Take the kids over to the Trevi Fountain while you're waiting and have them throw a coin into the water over their shoulder. (This is a tradition for anyone wishing to return again to Rome.) Then go back to the theatre to relax in the airconditioning.
Bottom line?Yes, the Time Elevator is a wee bit of a tourist trap, but you've gotta do
something for the little munchkins that will really please
them before you make them stand in line to see the Sistine Chapel.
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