Intro:
This tour is designed to cover the beautiful city of Rome's major tourist sites.

* If you request a hotel pick up from Rome, your professional English speaking driver will pick you up at your hotel at 9:00 AM sharp, and bring you back to your hotel at approximately 5:00 PM.

* If you request a port pick up from Civitavecchia, your professional English speaking driver will pick you up on the pier at 8:00 AM sharp and will return you back to the port at around 5:00 PM.
From Civitavecchia we will start with an easy and comfortable drive to Rome that will take approximately one hour and 10 minutes. During this time, your private driver will point out various points of interest along the way and answer any questions that you may have about your day. We will drive along a scenic highway through the countryside of Rome and see the Etruscan landscape where the ancient Etruscan people lived in ancient times. Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to the culture and way of life of a people of ancient Italy and Corsica whom the ancient Romans called Etrusci or Tusci.

Our drive will continue along Ostiense Road, arriving at the Pyramid built for Caius Cestio. Due to its incorporation into the city's fortifications, it is one of the most well preserved ancient buildings in Rome today. The pyramid was built about 18 BC-12 BC as a tomb for Gaius Cestius Epulo, a magistrate and member of one of the four great religious corporations in Rome, the Septemviri Epulonum.

The pyramid was made of brick layered over concrete and then covered with slabs of white marble standing on a travertine foundation. The pyramid measures 100 Roman feet (22 m) square at the base and stands 125 Roman feet (27 m) high.

At the time of its construction, the Pyramid of Cestius would have stood by itself out in the open since tombs were forbidden within the city walls. During the Imperial Period, Rome experienced phenomenal growth and by the third century AD, the pyramid would have been surrounded by buildings. Its true provenance was clarified by Pope Alexander VII's excavations in the 1660s, which cleared the vegetation that had overgrown the pyramid, uncovered the inscriptions on its faces, tunneled into the tomb's burial chamber and found the bases of two bronze statues that had stood alongside the pyramid.

The pyramid was an essential sight for many who undertook the Grand Tour in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was much admired by architects, becoming the primary model for pyramids built in the west during this period.
At this stage of the tour, we will be inside the ancient Roman Wall built by Emperor Aureliano. For our next stop, we will arrive at the Circus Maximus, the large ancient stadium where chariot races were held for the pleasure of Roman citizens and royalty. Listen closely and you can almost hear the roar of the crowds and the galloping of the horses’ hooves as they race for the finish.

Majestically sitting behind the stadium, you will see the Palatine Hill where the villas and the domus’ of the emperors were built. A domus was the form of house that wealthy and some middle class families owned in ancient Rome and could be found in almost all of the major cities of the Roman Empire. You can also see the Arch of Constantine and the awesome site of the Colosseum from this vantage point, rising in front of your very eyes.

We will stop here, and you will be able to visit the Colosseum and the Roman Forum on your own if you wish. The 12 Euro tickets include a visit to the Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. You may purchase the tickets in advance online to save time.

Although the tour drivers offer a great deal of information during the drive, they cannot guide you inside any monuments. To get the most out of your short visit to these prominent Ancient Roman monuments, Stefano Rome Tours can arrange a private tour for you with a professional English speaking licensed guide. The fee for a private tour guide is not included in the Rome in a Day Tour fee, and it’s paid separately to the guide directly at the completion of the guided tour. For more information on private guided tours and price quotes, please feel free to contact us by e-mail.

Tips: There are a few things to look out for when visiting the Colosseum. It’s a good idea to have a bottle of water and sunscreen with you because in the warmer months it can get very hot and sunny inside the Colosseum. A hat is also recommended when spending a significant amount of time in the sun. You will also likely notice gladiator characters stationed outside the entrance to the Colosseum who are taking photos with tourists. Be advised that if you do decide to have a photo taken with the gladiators you are expected to pay for it, so  find out in advance from them what their fee is before you have your photo taken.

Following the Colosseum, we will stop at the Piazza Venezia where you will see the Vittorio Emanuele Monument , dedicated to the first king of Italy. The monument is built of pure white marble from Botticino, Brescia, and features majestic stairways, tall Corinthian columns, fountains, a huge equestrian sculpture of Victor Emmanuel and two statues of the goddess Victoria riding on quadrigas (a chariot drawn by four horses abreast). The structure is 135 meters (443 ft) wide and 70 meters (230 ft) high. If the quadrigae and winged victories are included, the height is 81 meters (266 ft) The base of the monument houses the museum of Italian Reunification.

At the time the monument was built, it was controversial among Romans since a large area of the Capitoline Hill was destroyed along with a medieval neighborhood for the sake of building it. Romans regard the monument as pompous and too large. It is clearly visible to most of the city of Rome and is boxy in general shape and lacks a dome or a tower. The monument is also blindingly white, making it highly conspicuous as it sits among the ochre buildings surrounding it. Its stacked, crowded appearance has caused it to be saddled with several nicknames from "Zuppa Inglese", "the wedding cake", and "the dentures", while Americans liberating Rome in 1944 labeled it "the typewriter", a nickname also adopted by the locals. Even with all of this criticism, the monument still attracts a large number of visitors, and tourists typically enjoy seeing it.

Tip: It is also a wonderful landmark to find your way in the city.

With all of our traveling, you are probably ready for a time of rest, relaxation and the wonderful food that Italy is known for. We can recommend a quick café for about 10 Euros per person or a traditional Italian ristorante (restaurant) for about 15/20 Euros per person.

After lunch, you will visit the tiniest country in the world, the Vatican. Inside the Vatican Museums, you will be amazed and delighted at the vast collection of masterpieces, including the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel.

Admission to the Museum is 14 Euros per person and visitors are asked to check-in bags, backpacks or bulky luggage.

If you wish to have a personal tour guide in the Vatican Museum, Stefano Rome Tours can reserve a licensed English speaking guide one for you at a price of 120 Euro for two hours up to six people, and 150 Euros for two hours up to eight people. We strongly recommend that you allow us to book a personal tour guide for you inside the Vatican. The Vatican Museums is one of the three largest museums in the world with a labyrinth of galleries and halls that can be very confusing. Please notify us in advance if you prefer a private tour guide because during peak travel season they get booked quickly.

It will take two hours to visit the Museum, The Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. Most visitors to the Vatican Museums choose to visit the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel, the more popular areas in the museum.

Tips: Please remember to dress appropriately for the St Peter’s Basilica: no bare shoulders or bare knees. Capri-type pants are completely acceptable for ladies and men can wear shorts if they are long enough to cover the knees. Photography is allowed in St. Peter’s Basilica because most of the immense artworks are made in the mosaic style which is not harmed by photography or flash. The Vatican has the largest mosaic school in the world. If you would like to see the original paintings that were used to complete the mosaics in St. Peter’s, you can see them in the Pinoteca room in the Vatican Museums. Photography is strictly prohibited inside the Sistine Chapel.

For a special treat for those back home, visit the Vatican Post Office where you can purchase stamps and postcards to be written right on site and mailed directly from the Vatican. Gifts are available next door in the gift shop and there is a very clean restroom close to the post office and tourist information center.

For more information about the Vatican Museums, visit the Vatican website here: http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html
Please note that the Vatican Museums is closed on Sundays.

Our next destination will be the Pantheon, once the temple of all Roman gods. It then became a church and burial place for kings and notable artists. It is the best preserved of all ancient Roman buildings, and perhaps the best preserved building of its age in the world. The Pantheon is the oldest standing domed structure in Rome as well as in continuous use throughout its history.

Since the Renaissance, the Pantheon has been used as a tomb. Among those buried there are the painters Raphael and Annibale Carracci, the composer Arcangelo Corelli, and the architect Baldassare Peruzzi. In the 15th century, the Pantheon was adorned with paintings: the best-known is the Annunciation by Melozzo da Forlì. Architects, like Brunelleschi, used the Pantheon as inspiration when designing the dome of the Cathedral of Florence.

Don’t be surprised to see a bird or two flying through the building. The Oculus (Latin for ‘eye’) at the top of the dome has always been open to the weather, allowing rain to enter and fall to the floor, where it is carried away through drains.

We then make our way to the famed Trevi fountain, the largest Baroque fountain in the city. Legend has it that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they will be assured a return to Rome. The Trevi fountain was also the setting of the well known movie Three Coins in a Fountain.  Many people, however, are unaware that the "three coins" of Three Coins in the Fountain were thrown by three different characters. The current interpretation is that two coins will lead to a new romance and three will ensure either a marriage or divorce. Another current version of this legend is that it is lucky to throw three coins with one's right hand over one's left shoulder into the fountain.

The fountain is also the setting for an iconic scene in Federico Fellini's film La Dolce Vita. Approximately 3,000 Euros are thrown into the fountain each day and are collected at night. The money has been used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome's needy.

Tips: The area around the fountain is quite crowded, so be aware of your surroundings and keep your belongings close at hand. Do not accept ‘gifts’ from salesmen around the fountain. They may offer you a rose and when you accept it, they will expect payment from you.


Finally, you can rest and have a seat on the Spanish Steps where you might be tempted to enjoy a scoop of gelato, or two or three while relaxing on the famous 18th century winding steps that connect the square below to the French church of Trinita dei Monti above. The Obelisk Sallustiano, erected in 1789, is a smaller version copy of the large Egyptian obelisk belonging to Pharaoh Ramses II that is the centerpiece of Piazza del Popolo.

Below is the early 1600’s Baroque fountain, “Fontanna della Barcaccio”, or “The Fountain of the Old Boat”, a type of shallow boat popular for carrying wine to the port of Ripetta. The unique fountain is credited to Pietro Bernini, the father of the famous Gian Lorenzo Bernini.  

As you begin to climb the Spanish Steps, the corner building on your right is the house where the famous English poet John Keats lived and died in 1821. The name Spanish Steps was given after the Spanish Embassy that was permanently located there in 1647, and it later became the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See.

After this last stop in Rome’s historic center, your driver will take you back to your hotel.

Thank you for choosing Stefano Rome Tours for your transfers and tours. We hope to see you in Rome soon!

Please note
Please note that the order in which we will visit the sites may vary depending upon traffic conditions or other deciding issues. We will be happy to alter the tour to meet your personal desires. The costs for entry tickets are not included in the tour fee, and any entry tickets that we purchase in advance for you will be added to the final bill. The fees for the tours include tolls and parking and are required in Euro funds.