Teenagers
By day four, the answer to another basilica is no. These are the days that get a yes.
42 things to book14 placesthe nearest is in Rome itself
There is a particular moment on a family holiday in Rome when the teenagers stop pretending. It usually arrives in the third museum of the trip, and the only cure is to leave the city and do something physical.
Fortunately the country around Rome is unusually good at this. There is white water an hour east, gorges to descend, caves with rivers in them, ziplines over a mountain edge, quads on farm tracks, a surf school on the beach and skydiving in two directions.
Most of it needs no experience and all of it is guided. Minimum ages are set by the operator and shown on the card — for the harder things it is often around twelve to fourteen, which is exactly the age this page is for.
The thing that makes these days work is not that they are exciting — plenty of things in Rome are exciting and get nowhere. It is that the teenager is the one doing it. Nobody is explaining anything, nobody is queuing, and for three hours they are better at something than you are, which is the whole trick.
Book by minimum age rather than by enthusiasm, because the operator's number is the one that decides. Adventure parks take almost anybody with a height rule; caves and the easier rafting tend to open up around eight to ten; canyoning, the flying things and the harder off-road are usually twelve to fourteen and up. All of it is on the card in the operator's words, and a phone call settles the edge cases.
The underground grid is the one worth arguing for even when it is not the one they pick. A town with a second town underneath it, a rope bridge strung inside a medieval cistern, a river you wade through in a cave — it is the one thing on the list that has no equivalent at home, and it is the day they describe when they get back.
Rated by the operator, not by us. Rafting, canyoning, flying, off-road and climbing, all guided and all needing nothing except a willingness to get wet or dirty.
Closest to Rome first. Never by who pays us.
In the airAn hour-long trial flight from Rome Urbe in a light aeroplane, with the passenger given a turn at the controls under the direct supervision of a flight instructor.
See the day
In the airAn introductory flight at the controls of a helicopter with an instructor beside you, at the school's base inside Rome Urbe airport, ten kilometres from the centre and inside th…
See the day
Down the riverThe association that runs the Casa del Fiume visitor centre inside the Valle dell'Aniene nature reserve in Rome.
See the day
Off roadAn outdoor rental karting track on the western edge of Rome, open in the evenings.
See the day
On the waterA surf school at Ostia Lido with programmes for children, teenagers and adults, a summer surf camp and an adaptive surfing programme.
See the day
In the airA gift box sold by a travel company: the buyer chooses either a helicopter or a two-seat light aircraft flight over the villas south of Rome.
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Down the riverA circular route inside the Valle dell'Aniene nature reserve in Rome: a guided walk along the reserve paths, then a raft descent of the river past old bridges and small rapids, …
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Down the riverA raft descent of the urban stretch of the Tiber.
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In the airA tandem skydive from over 4,000 metres with about sixty seconds of free fall, preceded by ground training on the phases of the jump, the position to hold in free fall and canop…
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On the waterA CONI-accredited water sports school on the Ostia seafront, at the VLounge beach club.
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Down the riverPaddle under Castel Sant'Angelo and past Tiber Island, down the middle of Rome.
A sports club — you join them for the day
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In the airA shared-seat helicopter tour that flies over the city of Rome on standard routes and out to Lake Bracciano and its castle.
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In the airThe private version of the same helicopter route: the operator describes it as an overflight of Rome with a view of the monuments, from standard routes, out to Lake Bracciano an…
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In the airA hands-on flight product sold as a one-off experience rather than as a course, in which the customer takes the controls of a helicopter alongside an instructor.
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On the waterNinety minutes on a wakeboard on the Tiber, without leaving Rome.
A sports club — you join them for the day
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On the waterA kitesurf school working several spots on the Roman coast, with a base at Fregene.
See the dayCaves, tunnels, Etruscan wells and an entire town underneath another town. It is cool, it is strange, and it works when the weather does not.
Closest to Rome first. Never by who pays us.
Under the groundA six-hour guided day around the underground hydraulic works of the Lake Nemi basin — horizontal wells and tunnels, some still carrying water.
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Under the groundA guided visit to the cathedral of Santa Maria Annunziata at Anagni and its museum: the chapter library, the old treasury, the Caetani chapel, the oratory of Saint Thomas Becket…
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Under the groundThe tourist office of Orte runs guided descents into the tunnels under the old town: the Etruscan-Roman aqueduct, the medieval dovecote and the snow well, and on the third weeke…
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Under the groundA trip that combines caving with canyoning progression techniques: you walk through underground chambers, cross fixed sections and rope traverses with a helmet, harness and head…
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Under the groundA guided visit to natural caves inside the Monti Simbruini park, wearing a helmet and head torch, through tunnels and narrow passages.
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Under the groundInside the Lacus, a vaulted thirteenth-century room under Piazza Garibaldi, an indoor adventure course with rope bridges, a zip line and an artificial climbing wall, built with …
A sports club — you join them for the day
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Under the groundA guided visit to the rooms under the former convent of San Domenico: a frescoed church, a Roman cistern and the cell used by the Holy Office, whose graffiti are still being res…
A sports club — you join them for the day
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Under the groundA combined visit: the Ruspoli castle and its gardens, then the tunnels dug under Vignanello known as 'I Connutti'.
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Under the groundA caving trip on foot through the active branch of the Falvaterra system, walking in water at about 14-15 degrees.
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Under the groundThe longer caving route through the active Falvaterra system.
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Under the groundA short guided walk along an underground river inside the Falvaterra and Rio Obaco natural monument.
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Under the groundA viewing visit to a karst sinkhole about 60 metres deep and roughly 300 metres wide, formed when the roof of a cave collapsed.
See the daySurf, wakeboard, kayak, sail, dive. Lakes half an hour out, the sea an hour further.
Closest to Rome first. Never by who pays us.
On the waterA day out under sail from the Porto Turistico di Roma at Ostia.
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On the waterA sailing base on the Lake Bracciano shore at Polline, inside the regional park, with its own beach.
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On the waterA kitesurf school at Fregene running three levels of course: beginner, intermediate and advanced, each covering specific manoeuvres and safety technique.
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On the waterA kitesurf school working the Fregene, Focene, Maccarese and Passoscuro spots north of Rome.
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On the waterFour guided outings from the beach club on Lake Albano, all the same length and the same price: on a paddleboard along the Francigena shore, aboard the club's sailing boat, on f…
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On the waterKayak rental on Lake Albano below Castel Gandolfo.
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On the waterAn SSI diving school based at Frascati that organises guided dives on the coast north and south of Rome, including Santa Marinella and Tor Paterno, plus try-dive sessions, cours…
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On the waterThree hours paddling across Lake Albano, gear included, children from six up.
€42.40 per person
Books on ckacademy.it
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On the waterA lakeside beach club on Lake Albano at Castel Gandolfo.
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On the waterForty-five minutes from Piramide by train, then you take the helm off Ostia.
€45 per person
Books on barcadicarta.it
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On the waterA cable wakeboard park on a flat-water lake near Rome, with a six-pole 320 metre Sesitec system, four carriers and eight obstacles.
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On the waterNo boat: a cable tows you across, and one hour on it is enough to find out.
€25 their price
A sports club — you join them for the day
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On the waterGuests sit on a floating platform out on Lake Nemi and are served by staff.
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On the waterAn hour on Lake Nemi on a stand-up paddleboard with a federal instructor, board and gear included.
See the dayDriving time from the middle of Rome, on the road network and without traffic. It tells you whether the day stands up; it is not a timetable.
Getting there
The day stays yours: you leave when you want, stop where you want, and come back when the light goes.
Affiliate link — you pay their price, never more, and they pay us. You book with Localrent, and anything about that booking goes through them.
See prices on LocalrentNo parking to find, no wrong turns, and you leave when the day is done.
Affiliate link — you pay their price, never more, and they pay us. You book with Welcome Pickups, and anything about that booking goes through them.
See prices on Welcome PickupsWater and height, mostly. Rafting and canyoning on the rivers east of the city, ziplines and adventure parks in the woods, quads on the hill tracks, and the coast for surf and diving. All of it is an hour or so away.
Minimum ages are the operator's and are on the card where they publish them. As a rough shape: adventure parks from small, rafting and caving from about eight to ten, canyoning and the flying things from around twelve to fourteen.
Not usually — several operators are happy to take the teenagers and leave you with the coffee. Some activities require an accompanying adult; the card says so.
The caves do not notice, and neither does canyoning, since you are in the water anyway. There is a separate wet-weather guide on this site.
Rafting and canyoning on the rivers east of the city, a zipline over a mountain edge, a quad in convoy, a tandem skydive on the coast, surfing or wakeboarding, caving, and the underground courses at Narni. Fourteen is the age at which almost all of it opens up.
If it involves water, height or an engine, generally yes. What does not work is another town with another church in it on day four. The three grids above are filtered for the first kind, using the operator's own rating rather than our impression.
Several operators are happy to take them and leave you with a coffee; others require an accompanying adult, and the card says which. Under-eighteens generally need a parent's consent on the day whatever the activity, so somebody has to be there to sign.
Something everybody does at their own level. Rafting on the Aniene, an adventure park with courses at different heights, a day on the lake with kayaks and paddleboards, or a cave. All four keep a mixed-age group together, which is the hard part.
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