Private Family Cooking Class with Market Stop

Markets as a sensory adventure for children

A food market is a lively place for children: the smell of herbs, the bright piles of fruit, the call of vendors and the cheese counters and bakeries give plenty to look at. Simple games help, such as finding five colours of vegetable, guessing a fruit by smell or spotting something unfamiliar. In Rome, remember that the polite habit is to ask a vendor before handling produce, and market aisles can be narrow, so younger children are easier to look after when kept close.

Roman snacks that children often enjoy

• Pizza bianca, a soft, oily flatbread sprinkled with salt, easy to tear and share.
• Supplì, fried rice croquettes with a molten cheese centre.
• Maritozzo, a sweet Roman bun split and filled with whipped cream, traditionally a breakfast treat.
• Gelato, available all over the city and eaten at almost any hour.

Kitchen skills that suit young cooks

Many Italian recipes involve tasks that children can enjoy: rolling and shaping dough, tearing basil, mixing, sprinkling cheese or arranging toppings. Cooking at home, it helps to give each child a clear job, keep knives and hot surfaces to adults, wash hands first and expect a certain amount of mess. Patience matters more than perfection, and uneven shapes taste just as good.

Dietary needs in a family group

Families often include a mix of tastes and needs: a fussy eater, a vegetarian, a child with a nut allergy. Italian cuisine adapts well, since many classic dishes are simple, but it also hides ingredients in unexpected places, such as nuts in pesto, eggs in fresh pasta and cured pork in sauces. Plain, clear communication when booking anything food-related avoids surprises.

Rome with children

Rome has a great many places that appeal to younger visitors, and most are easy to reach on foot:

• The Colosseum, whose scale impresses almost everyone.
• Villa Borghese, a large park with space to run, cycle and row on a small lake.
• Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, where street performers and fountains add to the atmosphere.
• The Trevi Fountain, where coins thrown over the shoulder are said to ensure a return to Rome.

Italian days start late and end late. Dinner is rarely served before the evening, so a snack in the afternoon keeps energy up. In the height of summer, plan outdoor sightseeing in the morning or late afternoon, and rest in the middle of the day.