At first sight, to the tourist, the appearance of the Roman Forum and
Palatine Hill are as daunting as the names, dates, and references that
many tour guides then "pile on top" of the archaeology as part of their
"explanations"! . In my approach, a brief introduction to some key names
and concepts rapidly helps the visitor understand what he is seeing -- and
connect it to familiar names like Julius Caesar, the Senate, or the myths
of the She-Wolf and
Romulus and Remus.
Choose from the following TOUR DESCRIPTIONS the one of most
interest to you. Also at the bottom of this page you will find MAPS to
help you locate the departure points of each tour within the City.
And contact me to arrange a convenient date and time for our walk!
 | | The Forum and Palatine : this tour focuses on archaic, | | | republican, and imperial Rome, visiting the Old Senate; the
Arches of Titus and Constantine; the Temples of Saturn, the
Vestal Virgins, and Juius Caesar; the huts of Romulus,
Domizian's Palace, the House of Augustus (CLICK here),
and the Farnese Gardens (mornings or afternoons, 2 hrs.)
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| | Isola Tiberina and Jewish Ghetto : this itinerary starts at the | | | Isola Tiberina and Ponte Fabricio and proceeds to the nearby
area of Bocca della Verità and the Temple of Hercules,
closely connected with the City's early Trojan and Greek
settlers. From there, we visit the Portico of Ottavia, the
Theater of Marcellus, and other points in the old Ghetto
(mornings or afternoons, 2 hrs.) (Ask about the same tour --with
meal included-- in fine restaurant of this old quarter.)
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| | Campidoglio and Trajan's Column : this walk focuses on the | | | civic and sacred spaces of these two neighboring areas,
highlighting legends associated with the Emperor Augustus in
the church of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli as well as the famous
architectural design by Michelangelo for the Capitoline hill.
Last stop is the well-known Column of Trajan, flanked once by
Hadrian's Latin and Greek libraries in the Imperial Forum
(mornings or afternoons, 2 hrs.) (Ask about the same tour --with
meal included-- in nearby Birreria Peroni .)
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| | The Pantheon and Santa Maria sopra Minerva : this itinerary | | | concentrates on the architectural wonders of Hadrian's temple
to all the gods (Pantheon) and its neighboring church of
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Santa Maria sopra Minerva -- highlighting sculptures by Bernini
and Michelangelo in the latter church as well as in Piazza Navona
(mornings, 2hrs.) (Top off this tour with the small "deluxe" touch of
a gelatto near the Pantheon or a cup of some of Rome's best coffee
in closeby piazza St.Eustachio.)
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