Contrary to what most people think, Rome is not mere monuments and museums, but has lots of kid friendly attractions as well.

One such place is St.Peter's Basilica where its colorful interiors, bronze statue of St. Peter and dome top view will keep kids more than occupied. Remember not to wear anything short or which exposes the shoulders when visiting.

A definite kids favorite is Luna Park (in Via delle Tre Fontane) which offers all the thrills of an amusement park including a roller coaster, a haunted house and plenty of stalls and games. The park which opens around 3 PM (open on Sunday morning though) and goes on until late, is a great place to end the day.

Another place to visit is Explora (Via Flaminia, 82), which is an interactive museum for kids. Covering areas such as the environment and technology, the museum gives children (and their parents!) a chance to poke, handle and touch different exhibits and learn about them as well. Explora is closed on Mondays.

Other kid friendly attractions include Rome's zoo, Villa Borghese which is made up of several parks, the popular Aquapiper water park (open in summer) and the Time Elevator (Via S.S. Apostoli, 12) which takes you on a virtual journey through Rome's history.

Also not to be missed is the Teatro Verde (Circonvallazione Gianicolense, 10) where kids can enjoy Italian puppetry at its best. Shows take place on weekends from mid October till about the end of April (starts at around 5PM).

As you can see, Rome has plenty of things which children will enjoy and is a great place to expose them to some culture as well.