Child-friendly places in Rome? Ideas?

Where do I get child-friendly food in Rome?

Blogger and food writer Eleonora Baldwin has a great list in her Rome City Guide for Kids. It also lays out parks and playgrounds. Meanwhile, the Delicious Baby blog provides useful (if highly personal) hotel tips. Viator, though less comprehensive, also chips in. Rick Steves has the annoying habit of guide-book ethnocentrism, which includes apologizing for Rome because unlike the States it doesn't have whole areas dedicated to children. Parks are rare, he writes. Rare? Really? Villa Borghese covers a fifth of the city and begins above the Spanish Steps. There's Villa Pamphili (above Trastevere) and Villa Ada in north Rome, 20 minutes walk from the center. Meanwhile, on streets, parks and public place, mothers show off their kids; they can stop traffic and transcend language. You don't need parks or malls for that.

Cash, plastic or traveler's checks?

Cash, plastic or traveler's checks?

Credit or debit cards are the way to go, assuming you're not docked with a major surcharge on cash advances by your bank or provider. Those can range from a dollar to $10 or more on some credit card accounts. There are now plenty of ATMs (Bancomat).

Traveler's Checks are old news. Personal checks are a dead end. Cash exchange outlets are few (unlike London, say) and their surcharges outrageous. Several are located on both sides of Via della Conciliazione, the boulevard that leads to St. Peter's. You can also change cash in any bank but the waiting in line, documentation and paperwork don't make it worthwhile.

Swallow the surcharge bullet and use plastic. (While there are still some no-credit card holdouts in shopping and dining, they're few and far between in urban centers.

Hitting the countryside is another matter. Ensure you travel with necessary but not excessive amounts of cash. Don't undertake a rural side-trip without each person having at least €100 cash for emergency situations).

Also, with all due respect to American Express, many Italian businesses don't accept it. Visa's the name of the game. If you're dead-set on Amex, call ahead to ensure acceptance.

What's the status of Wi-Fi availability in Rome?

What's the status of Wi-Fi availability in Rome?

Despite what you may have heard, Rome is not necessarily kind to Wi-Fi — which is a paradox since cybercafes are a dying breed. Cutting to the chase, here are your options. RomaWireless is the city's provider. To register, you need to get to a hot zone (see the map) and have an Italian mobile phone number (stress on Italian; try Roam Simple or Link Em). At hotspots, an authentication/registration page will appear, including a validation number reachable free of change. Once you're logged on, the first hour is free. When that lapses, you can log in for another hour, and so on. Rome Wireless is Google-service friendly but resistant to Facebook and services with security-conscious log-ins.

Where to go? Sprawling Villa Borghese (outdoors) has a number of sure-thing spots, including the Pincio and Casina Valadier above Piazza del Popolo. Villa Doria Pamphili is listed but the signal is often weak. Same is true with Villa Ada and Villa Torlonia, two smaller parks that are listed but not always reliable.

The Spanish Steps are also covered but the day-and-night madness makes it nearly impossible to find any place to settle down and work. The Rome Auditorium, in the northern part of the city has an outdoor café where the signal seems stable (the 217 bus from Termini takes you close). The Adriana Café (Vicolo Orto di Napoli, 10, corner of Via Del Babuino) is another good work spot but the drink and food prices are steep. RomaWireless keeps promising stable connection to FON network spots, but that's still no sure thing.

When it comes to Internet cafes, you’ll find a number of hole-in-the-wall spots near the Termini railway station. In San Lorenzo, near Rome's university, see The Cafe'. Near the Vatican, check out Vi@Rete. In Trastevere, there's Bibli , which also has free Wi-Fi. Internet Train has a number of spots in the city (under Lazio) as well as elsewhere in Italy, including Florence (Toscana), Milan (Lombardia) and Turin (Piemonte).

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