Rome

VATICAN TOUR
Full-Day Guided Tour – Day 1 (Approximately 7 Hours)

Morning: Vatican City Highlights
Begin the day with an expert-guided visit to the Vatican Museums, where you'll explore some of the most iconic collections and spaces:

• Pinecone Courtyard
• Palazzetto del Belvedere
• Pio-Clementino Collection (featuring the Laocoön, Belvedere Apollo, and Belvedere Torso)
• Round Hall & Greek Cross Room
• Galleries of Candelabra, Tapestries, and Geographical Maps

The highlight of the morning is the Sistine Chapel, home to Michelangelo’s world-famous ceiling and Last Judgment fresco on the Altar Wall. Since silence is required in this sacred space, your guide will provide detailed explanations before entering using visual aids. You’ll then have free time to quietly admire the masterpiece.

Thanks to special guide-only access from the Sistine Chapel, we will enter St. Peter’s Basilica directly, avoiding the long public queues. This access costs €1.50 per person and is the only current way to bypass the lines, despite what some guidebooks may state.

Inside the Basilica, discover its spiritual and artistic treasures:

• Michelangelo’s Pietà
• The Holy Door
• Bernini’s Baldachin and the Cathedra (Chair of St. Peter)
• Papal funerary monuments
• The Dome
• Intricate mosaics created by the Vatican School

The morning concludes with a walk through St. Peter’s Square, where you’ll learn about Bernini's Colonnade, the central Egyptian obelisk, and the Apostolic Palace.

HEART OF ROME WALK

After a brief break in St. Peter’s Square (for a quick snack, coffee, or optional shopping), we begin the Heart of Rome Walking Tour, a perfect introduction to the city's historical center. The route includes charming piazzas, ornate fountains, baroque churches, and ancient monuments.

We start at Castel Sant’Angelo (exterior explanation), originally built as Emperor Hadrian’s mausoleum and later transformed into a medieval papal fortress.

Crossing the scenic Ponte Sant’Angelo, adorned by Bernini with angels bearing symbols of Christ's Passion, we continue to Piazza Navona. There, admire Bernini’s masterpiece, the Fountain of the Four Rivers, where river gods (Danube, Nile, Ganges, and Rio de la Plata) support an obelisk as water cascades all around.

A short walk leads us to the magnificent Pantheon, one of the best-preserved ancient Roman buildings. Constructed under Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD and later converted into a church, its vast dome and perfect symmetry continue to awe visitors.

Next, visit St. Ignazio's Church, famous for its three-dimensional ceiling fresco by Father Pozzo—an excellent example of Counter-Reformation artistry.

Our final stop is the iconic Trevi Fountain, one of the most beautiful in the world. Don’t forget to toss a coin into the fountain to ensure your return to Rome!

End of the Tour: The van will take you back to Hotel Navona. You’ll have the evening free for dinner, and we’ll be happy to recommend local dining options nearby.

ANCIENT ROME
Second day half-day tour (approximately 7 hours)

The visit begins at the Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains, where Michelangelo’s statue of Moses is displayed near the altar. The artist spent 40 years sculpting this masterpiece.

A 10-minute walk brings us to the Colosseum, Italy’s most iconic monument and a symbol of the Eternal City. Inside, you’ll be fascinated by stories of gladiator combats, wild animal hunts, naval battles, and more.

We then continue to the imposing remains of the Imperial Palace on the Palatine Hill, including the Stadium, the Domus Augustana, and the Domus Flavia. From this vantage point, the view of the Circus Maximus is truly spectacular.

Our walk continues down into the valley of the Roman Forum to admire its breathtaking archaeological ruins: Temple of Castor and Pollux, Temple of Saturn, Temple of the Divine Julius Caesar, Basilica Aemilia, the Arch of Titus, the Arch of Septimius Severus, the Sacred Way, ancient Roman shops, and more.

We will then climb up to Imperial Forums Avenue, a grand boulevard built by Benito Mussolini for Fascist military parades. The street is surrounded by the impressive remains of the Imperial Forums.

Time permitting, additional sites may be added based on the group’s energy and weather conditions (especially during the summer heat or jet lag). These may include: the Cathedral of Saint John in Lateran with the Holy Stairs and Holy of Holies, Campo de’ Fiori, or Palazzo Farnese.

The tour concludes with a transfer to Hotel or Train Station.