If you could select one thing/area in Rome to visit with a private guide...

Hi Ruth -
If I had to pick one, if would be the Forum +Palatine Hill (they're connected so they count as one site as where ticketing is concerned). It's an important but complex group of ruins/excavations that benefit from the guidance of a knowledgable professional to understand what you're looking at and how some of the former structures functioned.

Many of the tours also include the Colosseum...which isn't as much of a challenge to get one's head around but can be nice to visit with a guide, if a tour includes all three sites. Some of the tours may also include parts that can only be accessed with an escort.

"Walks of Italy" small-group tours get very high marks from RS posters who've used them. This tour includes all 3 sites plus the guide-restricted Colosseum underground:

https://www.walksofitaly.com/rome-tours/colosseum-underground-tours/

A couple other oft-recommended small-group companies are:

Context: they offer both private and small-group tours:
https://www.contexttravel.com/cities/rome/tours/roma-antica-colosseum-roman-forum-and-palatine-hill-tour-with-skip-the-line-tickets

Roman Guy:
https://theromanguy.com/tours/italy/italy-best-sellers/colosseum-dungeons-tour-with-roman-forum-palantine-hill

There are others but these are excellent resources to start with. :O)

Agree with Kathy
Forum/Palatine Hill

We did the Walks if Italy colosseum plus tour but unfortunately we had a few stragglers in our group that slowed us all down so our time in Forum was abbreviated
We have since gone back and toured Forum on our own but it is a complex area, wish we had had a guide

Hi Ruth - I don't have any advice on private guides; but I do have 1 suggestion. The Borghese Gallery. It's not something that's usually on a must see for the 1st time in Rome. However, I went on my second visit & it's my favorite spot in the city. The sculpture is breathtaking. Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents.

FYI: I agree with the other 2 posts. The Forum & the Palatine Hill & the Colosseum can seem like a hunk of busted rocks unless you have a good guide to bring it to life for you. The history behind it & what went on there. I saw that the first time with a very enthusiastic Latin professor. So, I had a good guide for that & it was awesome.

Hi Ruth,
I have a couple of suggestions. In 2006 (our first visit to Rome) we did a private walking tour of Jewish Rome with Micaela Pavoncello. We've hired private guides throughout Europe, but none have compared to "Mika." Her knowledge of Jewish Roma, passion and enthusiasm made the tour a memory of a lifetime. The decision to take her tour was based on recommendations from relatives, and a story I read by Rick Steves. We will be making our third visit to Rome next fall and will revisit our favorite stores and restaurant in the Ghetto.

As far as a small group tour, I give another vote to Walks of Italy for the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Tour. We were fortunate that our group was limited to eight that day. High praise for the knowledgeable guide.

Hi Ruth,
I would go with Context tours - we have taken tours with The Roman Guy and Walks of Italy and their "small" groups can be not so small (10-15), requiring use of the dreaded "whispers", and the quality of the guides is quite variable. We have found the "docents" of Context to be true experts as they all have graduate degrees (masters and Ph.Ds) in their respective disciplines. Group size maxes out at 6 so you don't have to use those stupid "whispers". They have a variety of different specialized tours - we enjoyed their Colosseum and Roman Forum tour that takes you to the lower level of the Colosseum (limited to small groups), the tour of "underground" Rome, and the tour of some of the lesser touristed churches. I would also recommend doing a food tour. Context has one (that I have not taken). I did participate in an evening tour of Trastevere by Eating Italy - group of around 10 and we sampled enough so we didn't need dinner. They also have other food tours that are reasonably priced. If you really want to splurge on a food tour, Sophie Minchilli and Katie Parla offer several private food tours - I have gone with both over my past few trips to Italy and they are both outstanding. You can check out their websites. Ho9pe this helps!

Kathy D

As Kathy recommends, certainly the Forum/Colosseum/Palatine Hill area is best with a guide, and I mean truly a private guide where you are the only patrons. You will get your money’s worth as the guide tunes into your group’s interests. We’ve done this twice, with Francesca Caruso (a Rick Steves’ favorite as she does all of their Rome tour) and with her colleague, Sonia Tavoletta. Sonia is much easier to book than Francesca. Contact her at SoniaTavoletta63@gmaIl.com. I don’t know her current hourly rate, but for two people a few years ago, it was competitive with booking a small tour with Walks of Italy. You will need 3 to 4 hours for the entire complex.

I agree with the others about a private tour of the Forum/Coliseum/Palatine Hill. I gave one to my husband as a birthday present while in Rome during our honeymoon. He still talks about it 10 years later. Our guide tuned in to what my husband was especially interested in. She guided us around the tour groups and into more secluded areas to explore and explain. I’m sorry but I can’t remember her name. She did pick us up in our hotel.

I am a student of Roman History and would choose the Forum and Palatine Hill to have a private guide.

My family and I have done private tours in Rome twice before, and will be doing 2 more on a trip to Rome in April.

We did the Vatican/St. Peters, and the Colosseum/Roman Forum.

Of the 2 locations, if only picking one, I would do the Colosseum/Roman Forum. The history is amazing, and having someone take you through it who can tell you what you are looking at is so worth it.

We used Marta Marsali each time (and will be doing so again). We found her when we tried to book Rick Steve's suggested guide who was booked already. She was a suggested alternate.

https://www.guidedtourofrome.com/

She charged 60 Euro an hour with a 3 hour minimum which was just enough time so it was 180 Euro for the whole tour regardless of the number of participants, and well worth every Euro.

The Borghese gallery is well worth a visit, but you can take the English tour there with a group and that will be fine.

Yup, a guided tour of the Forum/Palantine Hill/Colosseum -- I used Context Travel and was more than pleased; our guide led a great tour (their small group tours are generally 4-6 people).

And also, yes, definitely see the Borghese Gallery -- one of my favourite stops in Rome. Allow yourself an hour or so to wander around the Borghese Gardens too.

Vatican. Overwhelming otherwise.