Who needs a friend to explore Rome?

Posted on Aug 3, 2024 in Planning Support

In Rome we see many different categories of travellers and each one has slightly different needs. Our experience can be of great help, both in planning and during the stay. For instance: Business travellers have very limited time to explore the city, mostly in the late afternoon or in the evening: we can assist in […]

2025: Rome trips and the Jubilee

Posted on Aug 1, 2024 in Planning Support

Have you heard of the Jubilee? It is an important spiritual event taking place generally every 25 years  for the Catholic world to join in Rome and ask for forgiveness.  The coming year – 2025 – will be this Holy Year. If you are planning to come for this reason, best  way to get infos […]

25 ideas for your “Ancient Rome” tour

Posted on Oct 3, 2023 in Arts and History, Planning Support

[revised January 2024] Most of  our visitors in Rome have in their “must see list” what is generally called “ancient Rome“. They usually mean the archeological area in the very centre of Rome, represented by the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill. But in Rome we have “ancient roman stuff” everywhere! With this article we want […]

No “must sees” tickets? Try these alternatives.

Posted on May 4, 2023 in Arts and History, Planning Support

[revised March 2024] “Everybody goes to the same handful of sites. If you just go to those sites, you’re going to have a trip that is shaped by crowds. Or you can break free from that and realise that you can study the options and choose sites that are best for you. You can go […]

Vatican tours? We quit.

Posted on May 2, 2023 in Planning Support, On your own, Time out to reflect

When I began as a tour guide – 15 years ago – I wouldn’t say the Vatican Museums were ever empty, they were definitely busy, yet bearable and occasionally even pleasant. There are unique masterpieces in the collections, and I’m not just talking about the Sistine chapel: we also have Raphael, Botticelli, Perugino, Caravaggio, all […]

Free museums? No, thanks!

Posted on Mar 10, 2023 in Planning Support, On your own

[revised December 2023] You might have heard that in Italy we have the so called “domeniche gratuite” which means one Sunday each month (the first Sunday) most museums (all national museums and many city museums) are open for free. “Wow, that’s great news!” should be the reaction. While the real comment is “Bugger!”. Yes, it […]

How to start planning a trip to Rome: 5 tips

Posted on Apr 21, 2020 in On your own, Time out to reflect, Planning Support

  [revised November 2023] In time of Covid-19 we learnt that sometimes you cannot travel and you just have to wait and dream. But this is not necessarily a lost time. Have you ever heard of the “Grand Tour”?  It was a “travel habit” of the bygone days, just reserved to upper classes (and mostly male […]

Eating in Rome

Posted on Dec 13, 2019 in Foodies & Shopaholics, Planning Support, On your own

[revised February 2024] There is such a wide choice of places and options to eat in Rome: street food? A gelato? A fancy restaurant with a view? A traditional trattoria? A wine-bar for fine tastings? Midnight cornetto?… It’s impossible to list them all… We are “out there” everyday and we constantly ask for feedbacks from […]

Sleeping in Rome

Posted on Dec 12, 2019 in Planning Support, On your own

[revised December 2023] There are thousands of different options for your accommodation in Rome and it is quite impossible to have a full updated list of all the hotels, B&Bs, hostels, religious institutions, campings, apartments… we simply recommend caution in the choice of location, especially if you are visiting Rome for the first time: lodgings’ websites […]

How to visit Colosseum’s underground

Posted on Dec 11, 2019 in Planning Support, On your own

[revised November 2023] In the last years, the visit of the Colosseum has been enriched with new areas, i.e. the underground layer, the arena, the third tier called the “belvedere”. Unfortunately people interested in this kind of visit are more numerous than the available slots and the way these tickets are put on sale is […]