Domu Aurea tour cancelled

How lovely you are having a good long stay in Rome. I am sorry your tour was cancelled, but you have so many tours planned, maybe going with the flow is a good idea. I like to have a “pocket list” for big cities: things to do I can pull out when something doesn’t pan out or we have unexpected time available. It is also nice to have a half-day just to relax, do laundry, absorb what you’ve been doing. Pompeii might take a lot out of you so some down time will be welcome. And sometimes things present themselves that you did not know existed so have room in your agenda for that eventuality. Perhaps a walk through Villa Borghese (there is a zoo) or Parco degli Acquedotti (Acqueduct Park) as a change from museums.

Welcome to the forum, annerygungem!

As always, great advice from Laurel. You already have a LOT of tours and scheduled walks planned so I'm guessing some unscheduled time just to kick back and/or independently "peel the onion" that is Rome will be welcome! There is much more to the Eternal City than what you've listed, and with a good guidebook in hand you don't really need guided tours to discover some of her many fascinating corners. See where your feet take you! Oh, and do you and the family have an interest in some of the more impressive of her hundreds of churches? Give us the nod and we can list a few, although I'm sure some of them are along the routes of the walks you're taking.

Along with Parco degli Acquedotti, I'll recommend a walk on some of the Appia Antica: much to see and an enjoyable activity on a sunny day! There are a couple of very old catacombs out there that you might be interested in exploring? Guided tours are mandatory but you don't need pre-reservations, the fees are small; and they have them in English: just show up and get on the list for the next one available. I'll provide more info if this is of interest.

https://www.parcoappiaantica.it

Thank you both for your suggestions! I should also say that we are staying in an apartment between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, and are going to attempt walking to as much as possible. So maybe it is best to just see what we'd like to do when we are on the ground in the city. It was just disappointing to miss out on our "extra" tour with no option to reschedule during our trip. I have churches, restaurants, and gelato stops marked on Google Maps for when we are in certain areas of the city, so I know we will have plenty to see and experience on our "down days".

Are you sure that the tour was actually cancelled?

I ask because I too was signed up for a Domus Aurea tour, and then I got notification that it has been modified to include a Raphael exhibit as well. There will be a 6 Euro surcharge because of the additional exhibit.

So maybe it's worth verifying to see it your tour has been cancelled completely, or merely "upgraded". Good luck!

Welcome to the forum Anne.
If you are going to the Appian Way, a friend of mine went horseback riding there. Her companion doesn’t ride but they had very beginner friendly horse for him to ride. Your kids may enjoy something different. http://www.ridingancientrome.it/our-riding-tours/

We liked Eating Italy’s Sunday tour of the Jewish Ghetto. They have other tours you may also enjoy https://www.eatingeurope.com/rome/

A trip to Ostia Antica could be an easy but worthwhile day.

Are you sure that the tour was actually cancelled?
I ask because I too was signed up for a Domus Aurea tour, and then I got notification that it has been modified to include a Raphael exhibit as well. There will be a 6 Euro surcharge because of the additional exhibit.
So maybe it's worth verifying to see it your tour has been cancelled completely, or merely "upgraded". Good luck!

What date was your original tour? Ours was for 22 MAR. I wish ours had been modified, but the email we received stated they were refunding our credit card.

Now I'm trying to find out about the Raffaello e la Domus Aurea. According to this link: https://www.coopculture.it/events.cfm?id=1447 it runs from March 24 of this year to January 10, 2021. But other than ticket prices, there's not much information.

I'll keep looking, though. We're going to be in Rome later this year, and this looks interesting.

Thanks, anne!

We liked Eating Italy’s Sunday tour of the Jewish Ghetto. They have other tours you may also enjoy

A food tour does sound fun! I was looking at the Testaccio or Trastevere food tours possibly. Has anyone done these with kids? Not sure how long they'd last--hubby and I would sure enjoy the whole experience. I would also consider a pasta or pizza making class with my daughter, but the boys are not interested. Maybe they could do something else at the same time...lots to think about. I've spent almost a year researching and planning this trip, and thought I had a good mix of tours, activities, and unplanned days mixed in, and now I am second guessing and thinking we might be missing out--I guess that's why we should just plan for this to be our first of many trips to Italy.

A trip to Ostia Antica could be an easy but worthwhile day.

That is definitely on my list of possibilities--especially if we get some nice weather. We don't need advance tickets for that, correct?

Anne,
If you guys like cats, check out the Torre Argentina cat sanctuary. You can hold/pet/ visit the cats. It is free, but you might want to leave a few Euro donation.
Enjoy your trip.

Anne, it sounds like the tour was cancelled because they'll be setting up the exhibit. It's a shame but not a tragedy. I was also going to suggest Ostia Antica, with Rick's audio guide, though if you're already going to Pompeii, it might not be as interesting. Maybe a small group day tour to Hadrian's Villa and Tivoli. . . .

A trip to Ostia Antica could be an easy but worthwhile day.
That is definitely on my list of possibilities--especially if we get some nice weather. We don't need advance tickets for that, correct?

Correct.

I went in June, and the line at any Costco checkout lane is usually longer

Now I'm trying to find out about the Raffaello e la Domus Aurea. According to this link: https://www.coopculture.it/events.cfm?id=1447 it runs from March 24 of this year to January 10, 2021. But other than ticket prices, there's not much information.
I'll keep looking, though. We're going to be in Rome later this year, and this looks interesting.
Thanks, anne!

The co-op culture site is not all that informative, I agree. Anything dealing with the 500th anniversary of Rafael this year would be really interesting. My 14 year old is making grotesques in a 3D Art class, so this exhibit would have been very timely for us. Just wish it started a week earlier for our trip. Glad to let others know about it, though!

Anne, we were signed up for a Through Eternity group tour in mid May. So it was actually Through Eternity that contacted me to let me know that they had been notified of the special exhibit and surcharge.

If you tour was completely cancelled because the Raphael exhibit is being set up, I suppose there is nothing to be done about it, sadly. But maybe check to see if Through Eternity (or any other tour operator) has some other dates available that would work with your itinerary?