Look up, Look Closer: The Case for Analogue Adventures

A child with flour-dusted hands, entirely absorbed in the soft tactility of dough, falls quiet in concentration. The same wonder is felt as a small finger points skywards, following the erratic flight of a bumblebee – noticing that the orange pom-poms clinging to its legs are, on closer inspection, minute pockets of pollen. These are the seemingly small moments, observed offline, that are exactly the kind of adventure the best family holidays create. One where each destination invites children and teens to become absorbed in the world around them – not their devices – making, discovering and noticing along the way.

Rome: A City Made by Hand

Best for: ages 8+, also enjoyed by teenagers and adults

For children, Rome is one enormous creative playground. A morning at gladiator school sees little ones practising the real drills of Ancient Rome, before the city sets a new challenge. The Barberini bees – the emblem of one of Rome's most powerful families – buzz silently across Rome, carved into Bernini's Fountain of the Triton, the grand Palazzo Barberini and countless façades in between. Spotting the first is all it takes before the hunt is on, with children racing ahead to be the first to point out another tiny bee hidden in plain sight. At Campo de' Fiori, colourful market stalls become an Italian lesson without anyone noticing, as basilico and pomodoro quickly find their way into young vocabularies, rewarded with a perfectly ripe pesca for the next adventure.

Armed with a growing appreciation for the flavours of the city, that same spirit of creativity continues in the Pizza Cooking Masterclass at Hotel de Russie. A flour-covered apron, a place beside a master pizzaiolo, and the joyous magic of turning flour and water into an authentic Italian pizza offer a lesson in craftsmanship that may just spark a lifelong love of cooking.

Sicily: Learning from Nature

Best for: ages 5+, teenagers and adults

A paddle slices through crystal-clear water, its handler growing more confident with every stroke. A pony's ears flick back and forth as it ambles through ancient olive groves, responding to every gentle tug of the reins. As daylight fades, the Milky Way slowly emerges across one of Europe’s clearest skies, revealing a constellation of wonder for wide-eyed budding astronomers. At Verdura Resort, Sicily has a wonderful way of reminding families that nature provides the very best entertainment.

And as the pace of island life slows, so too does the way children discover the world around them. Honey hunting with the resident bees asks something different – stillness, patience and the willingness to watch rather than touch. Suited up and guided by a beekeeper, families follow the hum from hive to hive. Children learn first-hand how the bees’ labours give us a spoonful of honey - best experienced still-warm, straight from the comb.

Florence: The Joy of Discovery

Best for: ages 10+, teenagers and adults

Florence has a wonderful habit of rewarding curious explorers. Behind Renaissance façades lie ingenious inventions, fascinating stories and unexpected discoveries, inviting children to look a little closer and ask "how?" as often as "where next?". Through Hotel Savoy’s My Happy Florence experience, the city turns into a treasure map, weaving between the frescoed halls of Palazzo Davanzati and the ingenious contraptions of the Museo Galileo, with an obligatory gelato stop to refuel. It is a rare thing – a history lesson that doesn’t feel like one, perfectly pitched for a broad age range, from curious youngsters to teenagers who might otherwise resist a museum. Add a ride on a barchetto beneath the Ponte Vecchio, or a bike tour along the Arno, and the whole family finds their favourite part.

What unites each destination, each experience is time – the sense of it slowing, if only for an afternoon, while children make with their own hands, watch attentively and actively discover. It is a small thing to build a holiday around and, families so often find, precisely the thing they remember most.

Each of these family experiences can become part of your stay at Rocco Forte Hotels – small adventures, arranged just for you.