A famous quote say
" Only in Rome you can understand Rome"
Imagine how much more you can understand of Rome if you experience it through the eyes and heart of a local, and one who used to work as travel guide in Rome! I will plan for you the stops and tours considered a "must-see" in traditional itineraries, but I will also enrich your itineraries with my personal "must-see", exciting local experiences, unique hidden gems and photographic spots to make your time in Rome truly memorable. I will recommend favorite restaurants and scenic spots for a drink to toast authentically to one of the most beautiful cities of the world, my Roma Caput Mundi. Check out below some of my favorite places, curiosities and districts. Hoover over the images for more information. But there is so much more to see. Use this page to get some inspiration then contact me, so that I can get a better sense of what you would like to see in Rome, and I can start designing your own Roman Holiday!
“A fool is one who admires other cities without visiting Rome.”
Francesco Petrarca
MY FAVORITE TOP 10 TOURS
There are countless tours to choose from in both private or small group format. The most popular attractions of Rome can be visited in different ways. My preferences are always for sightseeing tours guided by local guides and that maximize the potential to be escape crowds, so that you can truly enjoy the beauty of what you are admiring. Below some of my favorite tours. Let's meet to discuss what you dream to see in Rome, evaluate more options and select your own favorite tours.
Click on images for info on tours
COOKING CLASSES
There are fantastic food tours that I can recommend, which will take you to a mix of food stops and family run gems, where you’ll get to meet the passionate people who are dedicated to creating Roman cuisine, talk ingredients, recipes, and traditions, while walking along charming squares, intriguing intricate alleyways and hidden corners where locals gather. Rome is also an amazing destination to take a cooking class and learn some of the secrets of the authentic Italian cuisine and the special regional ingredients and recipes that distinguish the regional Roman cuisine. Let’s discuss options and find out which one is the perfect culinary experience for you!
BIKE TOURS
In the last years, the government of Rome has covered the city with bike trails, and bike sightseeing tours have been proliferating. If you want to plan some biking adventures. I collaborate with one of the best bike rental company, which offers wonderful, guided biking tours of Rome.
If you prefer to bike on your own, I will arrange the rental and I will be glad to give you suggestions and maps for wonderful itineraries and trails.
MY FAVORITE OFF THE BEATEN path EXPERIENCES
The most famous monuments and landmark of Rome will leave you breathless. Stunning, amazing, unbelievable pieces of history and art that will give you amazing emotions when in front of them. You cannot leave Rome without seeing these landmarks. Yet, there are parts of Rome that are less known, or better we Romans know them and love them :) but out of town visitors know them less. They represent the Rome of Romans, where city life takes place, in some cases dominated by a past rich of history or a present rich in art and cuisine. I can design for you a walking itinerary, but some of these gems are not easy to navigate on your own, plus you would surely want to have a local to tell you about their history, stories, people and make sure you truly get the essence of what you are visiting and do not miss a corner. Below you find my suggestions for wonderful tours to adventure in my favorite of these locations.
Click on images for info on tours
Panorama from
the aventino
There are many panoramic terraces and gardens in Rome, and I will map them out for you. But one is particularly dear to me. The Aventino Hill area is around the corner from Circo Massimo, and it is considered an elegant area of town home to several embassies and stunning homes. There are some great spots in this area that I do not want you to miss, like the Giardino degli Aranci, from where you will see one of the most spectacular panoramic view over Rome. There is also a complex of three unique churches that are very lovely and popular among Romans for weddings. Plus, a tiny hidden gem also waits for you up there!
a STROLL in monti
Monti is the area around the Colosseum that even if central has, however, preserved parts of residential atmosphere. This is the area where I spent a lot of time with my grandpa growing up, so an area I am very attached to and cannot wait to have my clients experience. I am in love with the colors along these alleys: the terracotta, deep oranges, deep reds, the yellows! So typical of Rome! Make sure your camera has tons of storage! A stroll in this area will bring you through cool alleys and interesting old buildings, statues and fountains, one of the oldest markets in town, wonderful artisanal shops and artists studios.
AN EVENING IN TRASTEVERE
Trastevere is this charming neighborhood of Roma that, like Monti, truly feels more like a small town than part of the capital city. It is conveniently located at the border of the historic center on the other side of the Tiber river. This is a charming area with cobblestone alleys, colorful buildings dripping with ivy, amazing churches, particularly interesting fountains, and above all it is lively area of town packed with food shops, lovely cafes, authentic Roman restaurants, and bars packed with locals. An evening in Trastevere is a must and I will be glad to recommend my favorite restaurants! But there is so much more to explore than food and drinks! Let me arrange a guided tour or why not, a food tour to visit some of the historic food shops of the area.
a sunday at the park
Did you know that Rome is one of the greenest European cities with more than 35% covered by public green areas?
Some of the largest parks are named after old aristocratic families who resided in villas inside of these parks during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. If you want to feel the Roman life behind of our monuments, I suggest a Sunday picnic in one of Rome’s amazing parks, especially the ones located outside of the city center. I can help you with the plan. Besides historical ruins or gorgeous villas to visit, some parks have little lakes where you can rent a rowboat, lovely botanical gardens, and great bike/hiking trails.
For some of the main historical parks I can also arrange for you a guided visit.
MY FAVORITE grand palaces and residences
Rome is full of grand palaces, former residences of aristocratic families who have shaped the history of Rome, from Ancient Roman times to Renaissance to modern times. Some of these buildings have now become museums or host embassies or have been assigned to house local or national administrative offices. Luckily some of these buildings are still accessible for guided tours or they can be admired externally if internal access is not permitted. I can advise you either way, design itineraries that include either a guided tour or an amazing photo moment. Below some of my favorite Roman buildings.
my favorite churches
As expected, Rome is the city of the world with the largest number of churches. A recent count says there are approximately 900 churches. Although most visitors come to see St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, there are numerous articles meant to narrow down the "most beautiful churches' in Rome hoping to motivate tourists to explore Rome Christianity outside of the Vatican. Here are my choices of the churches that I find unique each in its own way.
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my favorite FOUNTAINS
Fontana di Trevi is worldwide famous, and everyone who goes to Rome visit it. But did you know that Rome has more fountains than any other city in the world, with over 2000 fountains, 50 monumental, hundreds of smaller ones and thousands of what we call nasoni (big noses - first photo). Nasoni are used for supplying free drinking water, so make sure to always have a bottle with you to fill it up. I cannot imagine Rome without its fountains! I will be glad to map out some of my favorite that you will encounter in your itineraries, or to organize a guided walking tours to learn their history.
HIDDEN GEMs and legends of rome
There are some places in Rome that are truly strange, bizarre and above all hidden! Locals and tourist pass by without noticing these details or without knowing about the intriguing stories and legends connected to some of these sites. But not me! Since I was a little girl, I have always been so interested about the hidden Rome and have spent a lot of time finding out where hidden gems are and the stories they hide. Bringing people - my clients as well as my beloved Roman friends and family - to discover these sites and the fascinating legend that Rome hides is truly one of my favorite activities.
Hoover over the images.
Do you know the answers? Let's go find it out together in my itineraries.
my favorite DAY TRIPS
There are so many options of day trips from Rome. I select great sightseeing companies that can even take you out for a day to tour Tuscany, or to the Naples’s bay to visit the idyllic Capri or Amalfi Coast. Or perhaps it is Umbria and the San Francis Basilica in Assisi that you wish to visit. They pick you up and drop off in Rome. I can also arrange train tickets for you to spend a day in Florence on your own if your Italian itinerary does not allocate more time for it. Some other cities are a easy train ride from Rome. Let’s discuss what you would like. But when I am in Rome and when I used to live in Rome, the destinations below are what I like. A short drive from Rome that I surely would love for you to see. I can arrange a rental car for you to drive there on your own, or a driver to sit back and be driven, or even a guided tour to make sure you learn about the history and enjoy all sights of these fantastic places.
CIVITA DI BAGNOREGIO
Another Italian gem I have been lucky to visit many times, and that I desire for my clients not to miss. Another easy day trip from Rome. Nothing like it and in fact it is included in all lists I am aware of most beautiful medieval villages in Italy. It’s what's known as "the dying town”; it sits atop a plateau of rock only connected to the rest of the world by a narrow 366 meter pedestrian bridge that goes over the mini canyon and the Tiber river valley. The main entrance is a huge stone passage cut by the Etruscans 2,500 years ago and decorated later on in the 12th century with a Romanesque arch. Passing through the portal, you will enter another world one stuck in the Middle Ages and a glimpse into a rural town that seems stopped in time.
sperlonga
Located roughly halfway between Rome and Naples, the tiny beach town of Sperlonga is an opportunity to experience life with locals completely far away from tourist crowds. It was the site of a villa built by Emperor Tiberius in the 1st century C.E and its fantastic long beaches made of this town a seaside retreat during the ancient Roman era. You will be in awe of this town: the backdrop of gleaming white houses, white walkways, white arches— with an occasional shot of vivid color from draping ivy or bougainvillea. I just love it and am sure you will too. Besides a lovely day at the beach and fantastic seafood coastal restaurants, the town is famous for the archeological museum on the site of the former ancient Roman villa, as well as the maritime grotto built under Emperor Tiberius once filled with numerous marble sculptures depicting the exploits of Ulysses. Many sightseeing cruises sail from the Sperlonga’s harbor, another activity to complement your day in Sperlonga.
VILLA D'ESTE
20 miles East of Rome is the town of Tivoli, where you find Villa D’Este, one of the most beautiful residences of the Renaissance. The Villa d'Este is a 16th-century villa famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance garden and especially for its profusion of fountains. Several fountains are in fact located in the heart of the Italian style gardens, and they create a peaceful symphony of carved stone, shade, sunlight and water that attracts many Italian and foreign visitors, and that always leaves me in awe no matter how many times I see it. The Villa is now an Italian state museum and is also listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. The guided tours that I arrange leave from Rome and return to Rome, and they also offer in some cases the opportunity of visiting the archeological remains of Emperor Hadrian’s Villa, a villa dated back to 2nd century AD, and that is also located in Tivoli.
Castelli romani
While its name hints at an abundance of Roman castles, Castelli Romani is made up of scenic hilltop villages in the hills just outside of Rome, around volcanic lakes and in secluded valleys. This is also a winemaking region, where there are many vineyards to visit as well as farm-to-table delicious restaurants and farms. The food in this area is as superb and genuine as it gets! Many lakeside restaurants and food stops make a day trip popular among Romans. The towns are lovely as well, some of course offering glimpse into Medieval times or ancient roman ruins. Frascati, Ariccia and Castel Gandolfo being among my favorite towns where I spent a lot of time growing up. Castel Gandolfo is a lovely lakeside town where you can also admire the summer residence of the Pope. I can arrange transportation, or a guided tour or get a rental car to visit the area on your own.