Two exciting, interactive ways to get under the skin of Rome and Florence, likely to appeal greatly to teenage (or younger) visitors, are on offer to families at The Rocco Forte Collection’s Hotel Savoy in Florence and Hotel de Russie in Rome. In Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, a treasure hunt around the masterpieces of Michelangelo is a lively way to approach the traditional artistic and cultural attractions of the city; while in Rome, comes the opportunity to learn the art of being a gladiator.

In Florence, the Hotel Savoy has organised a highly creative treasure hunt around the works of Michelangelo. With the help of a tour guide and a tailor-made map of the city containing clues and questions, teenagers are sent on a fast-paced quest through the Museo del Bargello (Drunken Bacchus, David-Apollo, Brutus) and the Galleria dell’Accademia (David). The idea is that each work of art provides a clue to the next, which leads ultimately to the treasure… and, it is hoped, the detective work will also spark a passion for art amongst this demanding age-group.

The Gladiator School, run by the Historical Group of Rome, is located on the Appian Way in an old stadium which has been restyled with red flags and given an authentic wooden floor and seats for the cheering public. Within this setting, teenagers (and their parents, if they wish) take on the mantle of Russell Crowe’s Massimo Decimo Meridio to relive scenes from the ancient Roman world. Dressed in gladiator attire, with real iron armour, shields and helmets, they are trained in gladiatorial rules of hand-to-hand engagement by specialist teachers.

During the day they will learn how gladiators – named after the Roman for sword, ‘gladius’ – were not only war prisoners, slaves or people sentenced to death, but also free men attracted by rewards and glory. Winners were rewarded with gold palms, money and immense popularity (particularly with the ladies). If the winning gladiator was a slave, he could win freedom with ten victories, which were notched up on a metal collar.

All Gladiator School participants will start the day with an exclusive private guided tour of the city by car which has been designed specifically to appeal to teenagers. The tour, exclusively available to guests of Hotel de Russie, takes in the Colosseum, the Forum, Capitol Hill, the Circus Maximus, the Thermae of Caracalla, the Museum of the Roman Legions and a trip around the catacombs of San Domitilla. These tunnels are located under a sunken 4th-century church and are the only catacombs in the city still to contain the bones of early Christians.

The Michelangelo Treasure Hunt for the Hotel Savoy and The Gladiator School for the Hotel de Russie are available to all guests booking The Rocco Forte Collection’s ‘Unforgettable Family Affair’ package which includes:

• A 50 per cent discount on a second classic double room for children when booking an executive double room for parents (rooms will be adjacent or interconnecting)
• Complimentary buffet breakfast for the whole family
• Complimentary meals for children under three and a 50 per cent discount for children up to 12
• A welcome gift for children in their room with age-appropriate amenities

Prices:
Hotel Savoy, Florence – The Family Affair package including the Michelangelo Treasure Hunt experience starts from €1,880 for a two-night stay during August based on a family of four in one executive double room for parents and one classic double room for children (interconnecting or adjacent) including breakfast. The Treasure Hunt is also available to guests booking a double classic room at an additional cost of €370 for two people.

Hotel de Russie, Rome - The Family Affair package including the Gladiator School experience starts from €2,381 for a two-night stay during August based on a family of four in two interconnecting or adjacent double deluxe rooms including breakfast. The Gladiator School Experience is available to guests booking a double classic room at an additional cost of €495.00 for two people.

For further information or to book, please call Hotel de Russie on +39 06 32 88 81 or Hotel Savoy on +39 055 27 35 1 or visit www.roccofortecollection.com

HOLIDAY FUN THIS MAY HALF TERM

Arlington Court and the National Trust's Carriage Collection, Devon
Grow your own dinner, 31 May- 4 June 11am - 3pm
Make your own pot, plant a seed and take it home to grow something yummy.
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 01271 850296.

Brownsea Island, Dorset
How tall will your sunflower grow? 31 May and 1- 6 June 10.30am - 4pm
Drop in at the visitor centre and plant your very own sunflower seed to take home. Watch it grow and let us know how tall it grows, enter our competition and the tallest sunflower will win later in the season. You'll also pick up great tips for turning the sunflowers seeds later in the year into delicious foodie treats for birds in your gardens at home.
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 01202 707744.

Croft Castle and Parkland, Herefordshire
Falconry Day, 31 May 11am - 4pm
Watch some impressive falconry skills as we have a day for birds of prey where you’ll also get the chance to have a go yourself.
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 01568 780246.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, North Yorkshire
Get medieval! 29 - 31 May 10am - 5pm
Delve into times past as you join costumed re-enactors around their abbey encampment. Watch and take part in activities and demonstrations based on 15th century life.
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 01765 608888.

Ham House and Garden, Surrey
Family sow and grow, 29 May – 2 June 11am - 4.30pm
Free seed sowing for children. Come and sow some seeds with us, and take them home to grow in you garden or in your window box.
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 020 8940 1950.

Hughenden Manor, Buckinghamshire
Green Giants 31 May - 4 Jun 11am- 3pm
Find out how to grow your own food with the help of our team in the Walled Garden. Take your own planted pot home and watch it grow!
Normal admission charges apply plus an event charge of £2 per child.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 01494 755573

Quarry Bank Mill and Styal Estate, Cheshire
Pond dipping in the Mill Pond, 1 June 11am - 3pm
Discover which exciting creatures make their home in the mill pond.
Half hour sessions throughout the day.
Normal admission charges apply plus an event charge of £2.50 per child.
Booking is essential for this event please call 01625 445845.
Suitable for children aged 5-11 years old.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Wordsworth House, Cumbria
All a buzz, 1 and 6 June 11am - 4pm
Explore the garden and identify bugs, butterflies and bees with the help of a handy trail pack and find out curious facts about the insects we share our gardens with. Then, when you’re back home, find out what lives in your garden and colour in the bug or butterfly mask that is in your pack.
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional charges.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 01900 824805.

Wimpole Hall, Cambridgeshire
Go potty in the Walled Garden, 1-3 June 12pm - 3pm
Taste some sprouting seeds, pot up a pumpkin and get ready to 'grow your own' at home.
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 01223 206000.

Bateman's, East Sussex
Family fun day, 2 June 11am - 4.30pm
Join us for activities in the garden for young children including storytelling, pond-dipping and face-painting.
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 01435 882302.

Felbrigg Hall, Garden and Park, Norfolk
Busy bees workshop, 2 June 10am - 12.30pm
Join our resident experts for a morning of all things 'bee'. Learn about honeybees and beekeeping with hands-on activities including candle rolling.
Normal admission charges apply plus an event charge of £5 per child, plus one accompanying adult (free).
Booking is essential for this event please call 01263 837444.
All children must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the workshop.
Suitable for children aged 7-12 years.

Corfe Castle, Dorset
Enid Blyton day, 3 June 11am - 4pm
Come and join in the fun at the castle which was the inspiration for Blyton’s famous 'Kirrin Castle'.
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
Booking is not needed for this event.
For more information please call 01929 481294.
Event is held in association with the Ginger Pop shop in the village square.

Smallhythe Place, Kent
'Arabian Nights' - Theatre of Widdershins, 3 June 2pm - 3pm
It's amazing what you can find when you really look hard. Here we have three tales from the queen of all storytellers, the incredible Scheherazade. The first tale she found was hidden in the sands of the desert, the second at the bottom of the ocean, and the third she heard straight from the donkey's mouth. Genies, camels, flying carpets, and suspicious ne'er-do-wells, welcome to the world of the Arabian Nights. Puppets, masks, storytelling and wonderfully atmospheric music.
All tickets £7.50.
Doors open at 1.45pm.
Booking is essential for this event, please call 08442491895.

Biddulph Grange Garden, Staffordshire
Warm up to Wimbledon, 4 June 11am - 4pm
This is your first chance to play tennis on the old tennis lawn at Biddulph Grange garden in nearly 100 years. The tennis nets will be up and rackets and balls to hand, so come along and have some ‘Wimbledon –style’ fun.
Please note the tennis lawn will only be mowed and not marked out.
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional charges.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 01782 517999.

Lanhydrock, Cornwall
Scarecrows, 4 June 12pm - 4pm
Make a scarecrow from recycled materials. Enter the competition at 4pm and win a prize.
Normal admission charges apply plus an event charge of £2 per child.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 01208 265277.

Belton House, Lincolnshire
Belton Wildlife Explorers Club, 5 June 10am - 12pm
Themed wildlife activities and exploration for 7-11 year olds jointly organised with the RSPB. Activities focus on the environment, wildlife and plant life in the gardens and parkland.
Normal admission charges apply plus an event charge of £1 for the first child and £0.50 every child thereafter.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 01476 542974.

Springhill, Co. Londonderry
Mid-Ulster vintage vehicle rally, 5 June 12pm - 5pm
Come and see the largest vintage vehicle rally in Mid-Ulster at Springhill, described as the "prettiest plantation house in Ulster".
Cost - adults £5 and children £2.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 028 8674 8210.

Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire
Wartime Clumber, 5-6 June 11am - 4pm
Experience the home front during World War II with music, song and dance, plus living history re-enactments bringing Clumber’s 1940s past to life. There will be the opportunity for the kids to get involved, including a hilarious Mr Punch show, and all visitors are invited to join in with the spirit of the event by coming in period dress (completely optional, of course).
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 01909 544917.

Castle Ward, Co. Down
Dead men's tales, 5- 28 June
True stories told to you of smuggling, dead bodies and coffins. This excellent motor yacht cruise of Strangford Lough is a perfect way to begin your day visit to Castle Ward.
Cost- adults £17 (including members) and children £12 (including members).
Cost also includes a tour of Castle Ward mansion.
Booking is essential for this event please call 028 4488 1204.
The boat requires a minimum of 8 persons per sailing.

Powis Castle and Garden, Powys
Pot up at Powis, 5-6 June 11am - 5.30pm
Paint a pot, plant a seed and then take it home to grow. Find out more about how and why the kitchen garden was transformed into the formal gardens we see today by taking part in the children's garden quiz.
Normal admission charges plus an event charge of £1.50 for the additional activities.
For more information please call 01938 551929.

Penrhyn Castle, Gwynedd
Abseil down the Ice Tower! 6 June 11am - 4pm
Visit this fairy-tale castle for the experience of a lifetime and the chance to see the castle in a very different way as you climb down it.
Normal admission charges apply plus £3 per abseil.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 01248 353 084.

Wallington, Northumberland
How does your garden grow? 6 June 10.30am - 4.30pm
Enjoy a day of gardening themed fun for all the family, with expert advice and demonstrations from our garden team, children's trail and activities, seed planting, guided walks and talks, plus an array of beautiful local plants and gardening products to buy. Find out how to grow your own and make the most of delicious local and seasonal produce.
Normal admission charges apply plus some small additional event charges.
Booking is not required for this event.
For more information please call 01670 773600.

Food Glorious Food is a National Trust campaign to celebrate and promote sustainably produced local, seasonal and home-grown food. From May through to October 2010 there's a feast of fun to be had in a programme of special events across the country, from farmer’s markets and tasting days to kitchen garden demonstrations, seed planting and cookery workshops. Plus, over 100 participating National Trust properties will be giving away free plug plants and vegetable seeds to visitors as part of an initiative to help families to grow their own food.

For more information on National Trust events, please visit our website at http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/events

NEW BABYSITTING TEXT BOOKING SERVICE FROM SITTERS (WWW.SITTERS.CO.UK)

Sitters (www.sitters.co.uk),the UK’s leading professional evening babysitting service, has added a new text booking service to make it even easier for parents to book a babysitter. This makes the Sitters already invaluable service an even more convenient and hassle-free way for parents to organise their social lives.

As we enter the holiday season, families are starting to prepare for their getaways, and parents might fancy a night out on their own but who do you turn to when they are away from home? In fact, Lucie and Stephen Allen, who set up Sitters, faced this very situation themselves when visiting their holiday home in Dorset - and Sitters was born. As Sitters is a nationwide service, as a member you can book a Sitter wherever you are in the country. And parents can be safe in the knowledge that their children are being cared for by someone professional and responsible.

Sitters is a reliable, convenient and trustworthy service for busy parents so they can enjoy an active stress-free social life.

Quick Facts About Sitters

• Sitters is the UK’s leading evening babysitting provider
• It has short term or temporary daytime nanny service available too
• Its aim is to provide busy parents with a convenient, reliable and trustworthy service so they can enjoy an active, stress-free social life, safe in the knowledge that their children are being well looked after.
• It was originally founded by parents Stephen and Lucie Allen in 1999, who came up with the idea when they were looking for reliable babysitters for their then young sons
• Sitters comprises of a nationwide network of many thousands of carefully vetted, experienced child carers
• Once parents are members they can use the network wherever they are in the UK, at home or when away on holiday or visiting friends.

Please Note
All information is supplied to us by the individual organizations, or agencies acting on their behalf. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, it may be subject to change. Please check with individual organizations for the latest information about all events, products, promotions, or news items. Inclusion in a news item does not imply endorsement by Hot Brands Cool Places. Recipes have not been tested by Hot Brands Cool Places. Hot Brands Cool Places does not accept responsibility for the content of any external site.