THE CITY OF ALL TIME

There’s no place like Rome. Discover the Eternal City’s well-loved piazze, lavish fountains and picturesque cobblestone alleyways on a private walking tour. Your guide will lead you on a memorable trail through Rome’s city centre and explain how centuries of history forged a modern-day capital of unrivalled fame and magnificence.

An impressive open-air museum, Rome displays treasures from every era. Step into the glossy colour plates of this real life history manual and leaf through the pages as you progress from one street to the next, each bookmarked with its own celebrated monuments. Ancient Roman ruins, medieval churches, Renaissance masterpieces, Baroque gems, Neoclassical squares, 20th century structures all coalesce in an unbroken procession of cultural, artistic and architectural triumphs stretching back over 2,000 years.

Pause in Piazza del Popolo, the majestic gateway to the old city, to admire its iconic twin churches and the grand Egyptian obelisk. Would you believe that in the Dark Ages this splendid square was believed to be haunted by the ghost of Rome’s cruellest emperor – Nero? In Piazza Navona, while you inspect Bernini’s glorious Fountain of the Four Rivers and the facade of Borromini’s Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone, you will hear tales of the most celebrated rivals in the history of art that will certainly raise a smile. Rivalry is one human characteristic that never changes! Next, step inside the Pantheon to see one of the world’s largest free-standing domes with its famous roof open onto the skies. This sublime, exceptionally well preserved monument was described by Michelangelo as “the work of angels rather than humans”. Nearby, just off Piazza della Rotonda you’ll find a coffee bar with a first class reputation – another of Rome’s delights you might not want to miss. Anyone up for a race to the top of the elegant stairway of 135 steps in Piazza di Spagna? Whatever you do, don’t forget to toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain for good luck and to ensure a return trip to Rome.

Admiring the city’s well-known tourist attractions and picture postcard locations is only half of the fun. Many of Rome’s fascinating secrets will be unveiled and hidden wonders revealed along the way. Your guide will animate your tour with stories and anecdotes about the daily lives of past and present-day residents – from ambitious popes, to quarrelsome artists, from yesterday’s powerful emperors to today’s prime movers.

As you take in the sights of this enchanting, one-of-a-kind metropolis you may agree with American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne who stated: “How is it possible to say an unkind or irreverential word of Rome? The city of all time, and of all the world!”