Its a scene often played out in Rome sightseers wandering the city and looking on in awe at its treasures, bored children straggling behind. Now a map-guide, newly-translated into English, called Rome for Kids and Families, aims to help children get as much out of the citys history as their parents.

Author of the guide, Olga Romano Cervone, explains: Whenever we were at bookshops where the map-guide was sold, we had English-speaking parents urging us to bring out a version in their language; the original version was a great success and we hope this will be the same.

Cervone, from Rome, wrote the guide in Italian and published it through the Polaris company, which she co-founded with Ricardo Radolfi four years ago. She then asked two Scottish friends living in Rome Sara Hutchinson and Alan Fyfe to translate the guide into English.

The author adds that the map-guide is suitable for both tourists and those living in the city. Information ranges from how St Peters Basilica was lit by thousands of candles before the advent of electricity, to the best places to learn a musical instrument. One section simply states: Museums are not boring.

Rome for Kids and Families. Polaris.