Itinerary:

Capitoline Hill - view of the Roman Forum and Via Imperiale Forums - Piazza Venezia - Pantheon - Piazza Navona

The Rome sightseeing tour is a time machine that takes you on a fascinating journey where, in a couple of hours, you'll travel back over a thousand and a half years and encounter Rome from Antiquity to the Baroque period.

Learn about the history of the founding of the city and climb one of the seven hills, the Capitoline Hill, which is topped by a square designed by Michelangelo.

See the Roman Forum, a place that over the centuries has evolved from a swamp and cemetery to become the pulsating political, social and economic centre of Antiquity's most powerful state, only to become a grazing ground for cows.

The Via Imperiale Forums is a wide avenue in the centre of the city, where the former grandeur of ancient Rome is felt with particular force. The ruins of ancient structures on either side are what remains of the five forums, which took a century and a half to build. It began with Julius Caesar, who managed to inaugurate his forum in 46 BC. The forum of Traiana, built in 112 A.D., whose ruins are opposite Caesar's forum, completes the series.

Inaugurated in 1932 and laid out by Mussolini, the Via Imperiale Forums connects the Colosseum with Piazza Venezia, named after the palazzo of the same name. The splendid Renaissance building, commissioned by Cardinal Pietro Barbo of Venice, later Pope Paolo II, is an example of urban secular architecture in 15th century Rome. Once a papal residence, in 1921 the palazzo became the seat of the government of Mussolini, who would address the people of Rome from the balcony.

A steep bend in time at the Pantheon takes you back to the age of antiquity. Founded in 27 BC by Marcus Agrippa, friend and associate of Augustus, the Pantheon takes on its present form in the second century AD during the time of Emperor Hadrian.

In the Middle Ages the Pantheon managed to avoid the fate of most ancient structures being dismantled for building material thanks to the Byzantine Emperor Phocas who gave the building to the Roman Pope Boniface IV. In 609, Boniface consecrates the pagan temple into a Christian church, dedicating it to the Holy Virgin Mary, the intercessor of all martyrs, still active today.

Tired and with zero energy? Before the last dash, pause to recharge with some great coffee. Near the Pantheon there are two old coffee houses to choose from: Sant Eustachio or Tazza d Oro.

Then a couple of steps and you're in Piazza Navona. A symbol of Baroque Rome, the square is steeped in history. Even the name hints at its original purpose - a stadium for sporting events, built in the first century A.D. in the time of the Emperor Domitian ("agona" in ancient Greek means "rivalry, competition").

The square acquires its present appearance in the 17th century thanks to Pope Innocent X Pamphili, who decided to ennoble the area adjacent to his family residence, where today the Embassy of Brazil is located.

At the centre of the square is the Fountain of the Four Rivers by Bernini, symbol of the power of the Roman Church and the spread of Catholicism over the four continents. Opposite the fountain is the Church of Saint Agnes, erected in honour of an early Christian saint who, according to legend, was murdered on the site. Once the palace chapel of the Pamphili family, the church is not only an example of Baroque temple architecture, but is also the place where Innocent X's body found eternal rest.

For whom:

Are you in Rome for the first time and have only a few hours to explore the city and its main attractions

You've been in the city before but you want to refresh your memory and get in the right frame of mind before you immerse yourself in the ambience of Rome and wander around your favourite places.

You're an avid traveller, in love with Rome and always coming back, but you've never been on a guided tour - you have the opportunity to spend a few hours with a like-minded person who is in love with the city as you are and lives in it. You should know what a pleasure it is to talk about something you love, to exchange knowledge and to learn something new in pleasant company.

Important:

During the tour, we don't enter the Roman Forum, but explore it from the outside from the vantage point behind Capitoline Square.

Take your place in the "time machine" and book your tour in advance: that way you will ensure the most convenient time and day.

Any questions, requests or personal preferences? Email us and we'll be happy to get back to you.