COLOSSEUM, ROMAN FORUM AND PALATINE HILL
ENJOY THE TOUR WITH AN EXPERT ENGLISH SPEAKING GUIDE
On our Colosseum tour we visit all general access areas plus special access to the 1st and 2nd level. Having a regular colossuem experience, you will go to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, so you get a panoramic view of Ancient Rome throughout the ages. Your tour will be intimate and unhurried while your expert English-speaking guide will have time to tailor the tour to suit the specific needs of the group.
HIGHLIGHTS:
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH US:
WhatsApp infoline +393801944534
booking@iviaggidialuve.com
doastheromansdo@gmail.com
TOUR DETAILS:
THE COLOSSEUM
The most imposing of all roman monuments, the world’s largest amphitheatre, was inaugurated in 80 AD. This remarkable structure stands tall after 2000 years. Only in person can you appreciate this monument for engineering and architecture, since slaves did the back-breaking work.
As you gaze at the arena, your guide will bring to life the spectators’ experience, from the senators in the VIP section to the women in the cheapest seats. The free entertainment came with a price: spectators had to vote for the generous emperor. Later, on the arena stage, feel the rush that gladiators felt. Rising from the underground backstage via lifts, they popped onto the stage from trap doors to the deafening chants of up to 70,000 people.
Thousands of men and wild animals were put to death before a blood-thirsty audience. From the partially reconstructed stage, you’ll get a feel for the gladiators’ experience: the roar of the crowd reverberating off the marble, the blowing sand which covered the arena (better for soaking up blood), the senators and Vestal Virgins studying your every move from their oval-side seating. Even the emperor is watching, perched in his box. Gladiators and executions, lions and elephant hunted for sport, the Colosseum was home to a strange and often grotesque form of public entertainment.
Of course, you’ll also tour more of the Colosseum. Your expert guide will lead you on a one-hour tour of this iconic structure, taking you to the first and second floors and to a balcony from where you’ll get great views over the Roman Forum and Arch of Constantine.
To understand the context in which the Colosseum existed, you have to visit the site of Ancient Rome. With skip the line access at both the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, you’ll avoid long lines to get inside. Follow your expert guide around the ruined homes of Rome’s first emperors, hearing stories of Remus, Romulus and the surprising origins of this great city. Did you know the word ‘palace’ got its start on the Palatine Hill?
THE ROMAN FORUM
is a must-see but without a guide it can be difficult to understand. With an expert archaeologist to lead you, you’ll get the full benefit of your visit. Your guide will bring these ruins to life, showing you the House of the Vestal Virgins, the burial place of Julius Caesar and the senate buildings where so much drama unfolded throughout the centuries. Walk along Via Sacra, the main road taken by victorious Roman soldiers returning home from conquests. You too will pass triumphal arches, including the Arch of Titus commemorating Vespasian’s and later Titus’ victories over Judea. You’ll be astonished by the fourth-century AD Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine. What remains of this enormous public building are high concrete vaults, remarkable for their ability to support weight. Equally impressive are the Temple of Romulus with its bronze door and precious porphyry stone columns and the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina. Both were converted into churches, protecting them from medieval looters. Check out the brick-faced, first-century BC Senate House, repeatedly rebuilt over the years. Learn where Caesar found death and then pay your respects at the altar where he was cremated. Scholars have doubts that this is the original altar but that hasn’t stopped visitors from leaving fresh flowers every day.
THE PALATINE HILL
Rome is famously built on seven hills, but it’s the Palatine Hill that is the most legendary and the most ancient parts of the city. It’s the place, where, according to the legend, in 753 BC Romulus founded Rome, after killing his brother Remo. Because of this, many of Rome’s most famous archaeological sites are on or right around the Palatine Hill. Some of the structures you can still see in some form on the Palatine Hill include the Flavian Palace, a palace thought to be the residence of Emperor Augustus’ wife, and the Hippodrome of Domitian. Archaeologists are still hard at work excavating on the Palatine, and in recent years they’ve found a palace believed to be the birthplace of Augustus, Rome’s first emperor, as well as a cave beneath the hill that they believe was the site of the legendary Lupercalia celebrations. These supposedly took place in the cave where the she-wolf nursed Rome’s founder Romulus and his twin brother Remus, so it’s an incredibly significant discovery.
DO AS THE ROMANS DO:
We know that after a tour like the one in the Ancient Rome you can be tired, so it’s time to have a drink and something to eat. Our private bus will be waiting for us and we will go to one of our favourite place, closeby the Palatine Hill, with its historic churches and covents and the famous key hole from which St Peter’s dome can be seen nestled into the plants of the Malta Knights garden. There we will serve you a complimentary brunch, The menu changes daily but is likely to include local delicacies such as supplì, pizza alla romana, baccalà and many more that are locally produced with fresh seasonal produce!
The tour lasts:
4 hours for Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
1 hour for the brunch
PRICE PER PERSON: € 65.00
WHAT’S INCLUDED:
Licensed English speaking guide
English speaking tour leader who will assist you during the tour
Small group of 15 pax or fewer
Skip the line tickets to the Colosseum
Skip the line tickets to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
Special Access to the Colosseum Upper Level, Arena Floor and the Colosseum Underground
Headsets so you can always hear your guide
Brunch in one of our selected spots to “Do as the Romans do”
Insurance
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED:
Shuttle service to and from the Hotel (we can provide extra charge)
Any additional services not previously listed
DRESS CODE
Casual with comfortable shoes
OPERATING ON: Tuesday
Please be informed that the tour will take place only if the minimum pax number of 10 will be reached.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH US:
WhatsApp infoline +393801944534
booking@iviaggidialuve.com
doastheromansdo@gmail.com
Do you wish to continue visit Rome in the afternoon? Take a look at our tour, keep on discover Ancient Rome with us: