Rome is internationally renowned for its historical heritage; in fact the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums (only to mention a few) are among the most visited tourist destinations and Rome’s historic center is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Nevertheless, if you are a curious traveler and you’re looking for very cool spots in the Eternal City, this is a focus on 4 recently opened attractions recommended for families and groups of friends.
These tips are the result of collaboration with Segway Roma staff, local experts who offer Segway rental service and guided tours in the historic center.
The Stadium of Domitian
Stadio Domiziano, Credits: http://stadiodomiziano.com/gallery/
You probably already know Navona Square, an important example of Baroque Roman architecture where stands the amazing Fountain of the Four Rivers designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. This square became a public space during the XV century, while before was the place where the Romans went to watch the games (called “agones”), in fact the square follows the form of the open space of the stadium.
Now you can explore the remains of this Stadium, built in I century AD and opened in 2014 after careful restoration works.
Read also “Enjoy Rome like a local”
This impressive building is called Stadium of Domitian (the name derives from the Emperor Titus Flavius Domitianus) and is the first masonry stadium ever built in ancient Rome.
The guided tours with archaeologists are the best way to discover the origins of this place: for example did you know that the Emperor Domitianus commissioned this Stadium to host competitive athletics inspired by Olympics games in Greece?
Stadio Domiziano, Credits: http://stadiodomiziano.com/gallery/
Furthermore, this venue periodically hosts art exhibitions, conventions and historical reenactments dedicated to the Roman Age.
Start a time travel into the past of the Eternal City!
Official website: stadiodomiziano.com/en/.
Luneur Theme Park, the ideal attraction for kids
Luneur. Credits: media.urbanpost.it/wp-content
On 27th October, just in time for Halloween, the Italy’s oldest amusement park reopened in Rome: it’s Luneur, located in Eur district, at Via delle Tre Fontane 100.
This park, opened for the first time in 1953, was very popular among Roman people and now inaugurated after 8 years of closure.
Luneur is now called the Garden of Wonders and is targeted to children under the age of 13, who will enjoy the 25 new attractions and the 2 nature trails inside the seven-hectare park.
If you are on vacation with kids or you’re a fan of theme parks, you could spend a funny day at Luneur, open from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm on Saturdays, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Sundays and from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm on the other days.
It’s useful to check the official website for timetable and scheduled events: www.luneurpark.it/welcome.
This amusement park boasts a record: on the opening day, entered the Guinness World Record for the largest number of pinwheels in a field (300!).
Cinecittà World, celebrate the history of cinema in Rome
Cinecittà world attraction. Credits: http://www.cinecittaworld.it/
Rome is a very prestigious location for movies and has a strong tradition of great directors and beautiful actors that innovated cinema, especially from the Fifties until the Seventies.
Cinecittà World is the first Italian theme park dedicated to cinema and is designed by the production designer Dante Ferretti, who won the Academy Award 3 times (for the movies The Aviator, Hugo Cabret and Sweeney Todd).
This park, situated at Via Castel Romano 200, offer 20 attractions, musical shows and, of course, authentic movie sets!
Grab the chance to visit Cinecittà Street, that reproduces New York in the Twenties, or enter the Ennio’s Creek, where the popular western movies directed by Sergio Leone (called spaghetti western) come back on the scene!
This kind of set could be the favorite one by Quentin Tarantino!
The Altair movie set is dedicated to science fiction lovers, while Aktium is devoted to “peplum”, a historical movie genre invented in Italy at the end of the Fifties.
If you are a movie buff or you want to know more about the legacy of Italian cinema, this theme park is a must-see.
Official website: www.cinecittaworld.it/en.
Cinecittà world western movie set Credits: http://www.cinecittaworld.it/
Sea Life aquarium is coming
Acquario Roma. Credits: http://www.prolocoroma.it/acquario-roma/
The underwater world is full of natural treasures and is very important to know how to protect the environment and the marine wildlife above all.
Visit an aquarium could be the first step of a deeper knowledge of the sea creatures, especially if you never did scuba diving.
Sea Life will be the first aquarium in Rome and is located within Central Lake park of EUR; here you will closely admire seahorses, rays, sharks, sea turtles, octopus and many more.
There also will be a rockpool where you’ll find starfish and sea anemones, while the expert staff will provide more info about these fascinating creatures.
The aquarium is almost ready to welcome visitors but it will open in 2017, so check the website when you’re planning your next holiday in Rome: www2.visitsealife.com/rome/.
These 4 brand new attractions are a further reason to explore the city with your friends or family, it will be an unforgettable travel experience.
13 Comments
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Sandy N Vyjay
Rome is an amazing place. We loved every bit of Rome while we were there. Specially the park and aquarium are so fascinating.
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Anita Hendrieka
The aquarium looks like a new fantastic attraction! I have been to Rome once before so I would love to visit again and check out these new additions to the itinerary.
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Mar Pages
Rome really is living up to its name “Eternal City”. SO much to do there and now even more things added to the itinerary. I’d especially love to visit the Stadium of Domitian and learn even more about the history of this city.
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Megan Jerrard
Some fabulous attractions I hadn’t heard of! Rome would be an amazing experience for children, and a great way to get them excited about culture and history. For that reason the Stadium of Domitian looks quite exciting to me!
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Kerri
Looks like some good things for kids. Can’t say that I imagined this stuff to be in Rome – only think about all the historical icons.
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Shobha
very cool! I was just in Rome last week without the kids and thinking that I need to bring them back. I’m sure they would love that amusement park which sounds similar to the Prater in Vienna.
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Laura Lynch
These all look like great activities for the family. I always love aquariums, and the kids would certainly love the theme park and the Cinnecita world. Thanks for the tips. I didn’t know about any of these.
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Skye
Love that these are some new sights to see in Rome. I have visited quite a few times and it’s always nice to find some new spots to add to the itinerary. I had never even heard of Cinecittà World until now. It looks really fun and definitely unexpected for Rome!
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noel
Wow, I’ve never heard of these attractions and I’m fascinated by the Stadium of Domitian and would love to visit this some day and actually see some of the artifacts and displays on this famous landmark.
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Hugo Cura
Rome is an amazing city with so much to see and do! The monuments are second to none. These are great suggestions and I particularly like to visit aquariums.
Robert Bowley
I am quite new to the blogging world and am happy to discover your wonderful travel blog. It’s great to learn about these beautiful places and be inspired to adventure more. thank you
Rob