After several years of Covid keeping us all home, people were ready to travel again in 2022, and our cousins were among them. It was time to take the kids to the Eternal City. They stayed in Rome for a week, with a couple day trips that included Pompeii! We interviewed them about their experience.

What did you do to prepare for your trip to Rome?

C.S. (age 9): I prepared for Rome by getting the book Mission Rome. I also read books about people and places in Rome like What was Pompeii and Who was Julius Caesar.

J.S.2 (age 14): I didn’t do a lot to prepare, but I made sure I had my phone so I could take a lot of photos and videos of my time there. Later I made a video of our trip.

J.S.1 (age 17): I researched landmarks in the city.

J.S.2’s video of the family trip.

What was the #1 thing that you wanted to see in Italy and why?

C.S.: I most wanted to see Pompeii because I thought it was pretty cool that it is a town that people uncovered from trying to dig a well and it was covered by a lot of rocks from the volcano.

J.S.2: I most wanted to see the ruins, especially Pompeii. It looked really pretty and historic. It was cool thinking about how old everything was.

J.S.1: I most wanted to see the Colosseum because it’s a very famous landmark and has a deep history. It’s an important center to much of Western history.

What did you think about the food? What was your favorite?

C.S.:  The food was amazing because they had pasta and lasagna. My favorite was lasagna.  They also had gelato everywhere and it was very good.

J.S.2: The food was really good, especially the pasta and the gelato. The pizza was some of the best I’ve ever had!

J.S.1:  The food was really good. My favorite was the pizza because it was very authentic.

What surprised you most on your trip?

C.S.: A lot of people walk in the middle of the street and they have to run to the side when a car comes.

J.S.2: I was most surprised by how much I liked Rome. I’ve been to Paris but I like Italy a lot more. It has a lot more history, and the food was much better. I enjoyed it a lot.

J.S.1:  I was most surprised by the amount of ancient ruins and landmarks that are integrated into the city.

What advice would you give someone your age who is visiting Rome for the first time?

C.S.: The advice I would give would be to enjoy all the views because it is really pretty in Rome. Also, eat all of the food! Definitely!

J.S.2: You should go to the Caesar light show at the Roman Forum. It was really cool and fun. I really enjoyed being there at night and learning about life back in Caesar’s time. It’s something you should definitely do!

J.S.1:  I would recommend that they visit the Circus Maximus and do the virtual reality tour. It’s very cool to see how it would have looked thousands of years ago.