RomaPolacchi

Yesterday I received my Departures magazine in the mail. And last night I stayed up until midnight devouring every page of the beautiful issue. This month the magazine is all about Venice-where to stay, what to eat, where to shop. There are extensive sections on every sestiere (quarter) in the beautiful city and a great article on what to do with kids. Now I'm desperate to go to Venice-and as of yesterday I hadn't given the city a thought in months. That's the power of a beautiful magazine.

Next Friday, the Vatican Museums will be open from 7:00-11:00 pm (19:00-23:00). These evening hours, the first of their kind for the Vatican , have been in place at several other world-class museums (the Uffizi and the Louvre) and have been a great success. If it goes well on July 24th, this could be a regular occurrence. What a great way to entertain kids and keep cool at night in Rome!

With a regional tasting menu at 45 Euros, Ca' Matilde in Reggio Emilia is a bargain-and until now has been a well-kept secret. Recently the restaurant, which is part of an inn just outside of Rubinniano, Reggio Emilia, earned a Michelin star . The menu is full of local favorites with modern and creative twists, such as pumpkin tortellini and the favorite dessert of the region, Zuppa Inglese (English trifle with ladyfingers). There's even a kid's menu! The setting of the restaurant and inn is idyllic and certainly worth getting off the beaten track for.

National Geographic Traveler's list of 50 Tours of a Lifetime includes a biking tour of the Italian countryside. The Tuscany and Umbria Insider tour will take you to Cortona, Todi, Assisi and Siena -cycling all the while. And you'll have cooking lessons, chocolate-making demonstrations, wine-tastings and picnics along the way. Backroads hosts the trip and offers 100 hiking, backpacking and cycling trips throughout Italy, many of them family-friendly.

Travel and Leisure recently featured a walking tour website that will customize a day of sightseeing and eating in Rome for you. WalksInsideRome.com will take you to the open-air markets, bakeries, pizzerias and wine bars to sample the culinary delights of Rome-and see how the Romans make them. WalksInsideRome has dozens of customizable private and semi-private tours for art and antiquities connoisseurs, fans of opera, Angels and Demons and La Dolce Vita , and special itineraries designed for kids. The tours are not cheap, but take it from me-having a guided tour of Rome is always worth it. You will never regret a penny spent on your own private Rome. If you like the tours of Rome, they also offer guided walks in Venice , Florence , Trieste and Friuli .

New York Times blogger Matt Gross (a.k.a the Frugal Traveler ) recently visited Italy with his wife and newborn baby girl. On the agenda were Venice and Milan . His posts last week were filled with all kinds of tips on visiting Venice with an infant and finding comfortable and stylish accommodations on a budget in Milan. If you are at all hesitant to take Junior on his first trip to Italy-don't worry! It can be done, even in winter, and you can still have a ton of fun. Remember, Italians love babies.

For the low price of 10 Euros you can purchase the Villa Borghese Card which will get you into one of the sites in the Villa Borghese for free, and the rest of the sites at reduced admission. The sites include the Galleria Borghese (you must book in advance), the Villa Giulia (Etruscan collections) and the Museo Carlo Bilotti . The card also gets you discounts at countless bookstores in the museums, the zoo, cafes, cinemas, parking and even scooter rental! You can even use the card for reduced admission to the Villa Medici , home to the French Academy in Rome. The card is good for one year and can be purchased at various points around Rome including Termini train station and Fiumicino airport. The Villa Borghese is the perfect place for kids in Rome. This card is definitely worth it!

Another holiday gift idea for the young roman tic is the children's classic This Is Rome by Miroslav Sasek. First published in 1960, the book has been updated to reflect changes in the 21st century. Children and grownups who remember the book from their own childhoods will love the charming pictures and stories about the famous monuments of Rome.

If some little girl you know is a fan of the Madeline series (or you are!), the newest edition in the series is about Rome. Madeline and the Cats of Rome is the first new Madeline book in 50 years and was written by John Bemelmans Marciano, the grandson of Ludwig Bemelmans, the author of the original series. Madeline and her classmates head to Rome for a spring vacation and find all sorts of trouble-including thieves and many cats!

You'll definitely have to work to find this little shop nestled between Via dei Cappellari and Via del Pellegrino just off the Campo dei Fiori, but it's worth it. Here you'll find clothes for newborns to 9-year olds, all designed and handmade by the Scandinavian owner, Rachele. Everything is colorful, practical, and even whimsical-especially the crocheted hats with fanciful themes like strawberries. Rachele is located at Vicolo del Bollo 6/7 and is closed on Sundays. (Photo taken from the Civilized Shopper's Guide to Rome ).

It's important for kids to see the world-and it's important for their parents to have a little sanity while showing their kids the world. It certainly helps if you know your hotel is set up for kids. That doesn't mean fun parks and arcades-it just means space to relax knowing that your children won't be in danger or bored to tears. Ciao Bambino! is a website that takes care of the research for you, providing reviews of hotels, like the Ponte Sisto , pictured above, that are baby-ready, toddler friendly and fun for bigger kids too. Instead of worrying about the hotel, you can spend your time planning activities to entertain them when you go out. Or, since you are going to Italy, take advantage of the website's Italy-only customized itinerary planning.

This well-written and clever book takes you back to Ancient Rome as a tourist. From arrival by sea at Ostia to arranging lodgings and entertainment, you will find the book's clear and humorous approach to ancient Roman culture a delight to read. Included in the book are wonderful quotes from Latin authors about daily life in ancient Rome and countless explanations of ancient Roman customs and practices. There are even a few walks that you can still take today. Adults who love history and young people who are students of Latin and the Classics will equally enjoy this boo k. Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day