We will be spending 3 nights in Rome, arriving from Lucca in the early afternoon on Saturday (Oct 15) and leaving to come home on Tuesday morning (Oct 18). The plan is to take a 1/2 day tour of Rome on Sunday, this would not include the Vatican since I realize it is closed on Sunday. We have tickets for the scavi tour on Monday at 9:30, so perhaps a tour of the Vatican using their guides on Monday afternoon. Would we need a half day tour of Rome on Sunday if we don't include the Vatican? If so, what should we expect or request? We have never been to Italy and would like to get the most out of it. I would expect the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon and National Museum of Rome, but what else, if anything? Any other ideas on how to structure our time in Rome would be appreciated? Thank you for your thoughts.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11329 posts
A half-day tour would nicely cover the Colosseo, Palatino and Foro Romano. That's 3 to 4 hours. We hired Francesca Caruso for just this tour. It was private, just the two of us and Francesca. She led us (BTW this was October too) at the entrance to Rome from the Sky, the elevator to the top of the Vittoriano, where we had a bird's eye view of the city just before sunset. Many companies offer such a tour as well: Context Travel, Walks of Italy. Here's how I would approach your time in Rome: Saturday: Hit the National Museum of Rome. It is open until 19:45. After dinner, take Rick Steves' Night Walk Across Rome. Sunday: Pantheon in the morning (open 9:00-13:00 on Sunday). Also Piazza Navona, Trevi, maybe one of the great churches in this area for the art, if that interests you and if it is open. Afternoon, tour of Ancient Rome as described above. In the evening, take Rick Steves' Dolce Vita Stroll, have an aperitivo along the way. Monday: Day at the Vatican since you already have the Scavi res. (It's a fascinating tour!). You'll end in the Basilica about 11:00. You could take Rick Steves' self-guided audio tour at this time. Then get some lunch and do an afternoon tour of the Vatican museums. You'll end up in the Basilica again but it's worth a second look. Evening: You'll be pretty tired after this day, so a shower, dinner near your lodging. You'll wish you had more time, but this will give you a nice intro to the city. You'll want to come back!
Posted by
OP
Boulder
22 posts
Laurel- Thank you. We tried to book Francesca Caruso, but she is not available. This started us thinking about what we would want from a tour and if 1/2 day was a good idea. Your recommendations make sense and were much appreciated. I tried one of of the people on Francesca's list, but no response, so I guess we'll keep going down the list or try one of the companies you suggested. Yes, not much time in Rome, but this is the end of a 3 week vacation to include most of Northern Italy. If/when we go back perhaps Rome again and then head South. We are excited, and the details are coming together. We have used the archives from this website many times in our planning, great feedback and some interesting discussions. Again, thank you.