Fun, free Rome scavenger hunt for kids for the area between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona parents can download for free: this is a fun walking activity for kids, to help them stay motivated and engaged while strolling around Rome.
The Pantheon and Piazza Navona are two of the main landmarks in Rome and they are very close to one another. You can walk between one and the other in a handful of minutes but this short distance hides a secret or actually: several secrets!
This area is the heart of Rome city center, a place continuously inhabited since ancient Roman times, and each corner, building, statue, piazza and fountain tells a story.
These stories are fun and fascinating for adults and for kids but they don’t reveal themselves easily: to get to know them, you need a local to share them with you and this is what I am here today.
Today, I share with you a scavenger hunt for kids in the Navona / Pantheon area that will help the kids stay motivated as they explore, learn and thing or two about the city while having fun and will also help parents learn about Rome and truly experience this beautiful city with their kids. I hope you enjoy it!
How to use this printable Rome scavenger hunt for kids
I am a Rome mama and I have designed this printable scavenger hunt to make exploring Rome with kids as fun and as easy as possible.
This hunt is not the traditional type: it does not tie you to a particular route, you do not need to constantly look at the map (missing what is around you!) to find the items on them and the cues are not in a specific order either – all this by design!
The printables are created with items your kids will find in the area between Pantheon and Navona not matter what route you take. This means that you can stroll any street you fancy, turn any corner you want and peek into any church, yard or cafe you fancy, and still keep the game going!
You can start from Piazza Navona and go to the Pantheon or the other way round, however you prefer!
Your kids will find all items on it and they may even find a lot more – because once the ‘explorer mode’ is on, it is incredible how much kids find interesting!
I have not included prized in these hunts but you can easily offer incentives too – for instance a gelato at the end of an extra reward if they find something not on the list – for instance, while looking for an elephant, they may find a dolphin… incentivising them to look for even more things can work really well and is fun too!
I hope you have fun with these! I make this type of game for my kids for all the city we visit and it always a great way for them to have fun exploring: they are one of my secrets superpowers to visit Rome with kids and have everyone happy! Safe travels to Rome!
Rome Scavenger hunt for kids printables
I made a couple of version of this, one more visual, and one in list format.
Scavenger Hunt Piazza Navona / Pantheon: fact cards
A police car – In this area, kids are likely to find a larger than usual number of police cars, and also a lot of security, guarding the entrance to important instututions. Out of the several in this area, the most important and the one with more cars is the Senate, in the historic palazzo: Palazzo Madama.
A spiral dome– One of the most significant figures in the history of Rome’s architecture is Francesco Borromini, responsible of many of the most significant Baroque works of art in the city. In this area, you can spot the wonderful and peculiar Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza, easy to recognise thanks to its unique dome, in the form of a spiral. The church is often close to the public but kids can still spot the dome from outside (especially from Piazza Sant’Eustachio area).
The books fountain – The area between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon used to be the seat of Rome’s University. As a homage to this old vocation, you find here the ‘Fountain of the books’, a drinking fountain which uses books as a decorative motive .
An SPQR sign – SPQR is an acronym that stands for for Senatus PopulusQue Romanus which means: of the Senate and the People of Rome. This is a way to say ‘this belongs to the city’, it is a symbol of Rome, and a sign your kids can spot on public items such as bins, drains, street lamps etc.
The fountain of the four rivers The fountain of the 4 rivers is one of the most famous and distinctive in Rome. It was built by architect Bernini and has a peculiar story and symbolism worth learning (some is fun for kids too). You can find my guide to the fountain here >> what you need to know about the fountain of the 4 rivers.
A sign saying ‘Stadio di Domiziano’ – Piazza Navona is one of the most famous squares in Rome and has a unique history as it wasn’t born as a square but as a chariot stadium! if you look around, you can still spot its original shape and imagine the chariots racing here. Even better: you can go to the back of the square and visit the foundations of the ancient Roman stadium, now open to the public. They are cool to see and the museum has a virtual reality headset which helps see how the stadium used to be – interesting also for kids
San Luigi dei Francesi Church – San Luigi dei Francesi is one of the most famous churches in Rome especially thanks to a wonderful series of paining by Caravaggio in one of its side chapels. Entrance is free and well worth your time.
A coffee shop called ‘Sant’Eustachio il Caffe’ If you like coffee, make sure you kids spot this one as Sant’Eustachio is said to have the best coffee in Rome (it is also the one you may have seen in Eat, Pray, Love as a lot of the Rome part of the movie is filmed in this area)
The head of a stag – In this area, your kids may notice several depictions of stag’s heads, with big antlers and a cross between them. This is because of St Eustace (Sant’Eustachio) whose church is here: the story goes that he was a hunter and, one day, say the sign of the cross in between a stag’s antlers and a call of the heart to convert to Christianity. His church is on the piazza by the same name and it is well worth seeing The stags’ heads are primarily on the top of its church, on the coffee packets of Sant’Eustachio Il Caffe’ cafe and on the fountain of the books, but there are more to be discovered as you stroll.
Cobbles – Did you know? The Italian word for ‘cobble’ is sanpietrino (lit. Little Saint Peter): the name is said to come from the place where cobbles got used first: St Peters’ Square!
A nasone – Nasone in Italian means ‘big nose’, and it is the name we give to the most common type of drinking fountains in Rome, those that have a spout that resembles… a long nose! Get your kids to stand beside one and block the flow of water with their hand: the water will come out of a secondary hole and create an arch they can use to drink. This find can also work as ‘2-in-1’ as on most nasoni you also have the spar sign!
A marine animal – Sea creatures, real or imaginary, are a common decorative motif on fountains. Your kids may be able to spot dolphins, fish of various types, tritons and a lot more. Some are realistic, some have really funny expressions – I always get my kids to look for an ‘angry dolphin’ and, as random as it sounds, makes for a good scavenger hunt clue and they will find it! The angriest of all is in Piazza Navona, on the fountain of the Moor.
A Madonnella – Madonnella is the Roman name for the depiction of the Madonna you find on many of the crossroads in Rome city center. The images were used as protection for the passers by and are commonly but not uniquely on street corners or crossroads, where you need to make a decision about what road to take. The idea was that the Virgin would look over you and protect you as you make your decision.
The Pantheon – the Pantheon is one of the most significant landmarks in Rome and one I recommend you devote a goof half hour or more to visit outside and inside. You can find all info about it here > my essential guide to the Pantheon in Rome.