Rome in a Day: Full Day Rome & Vatican Private Tour

Meet your private guide just steps from the Vatican and enjoy priority entrance as we head past the queues and straight inside the Vatican Museums. See the major works of art ranging from ancient Greek and Roman sculptures to Renaissance masterpieces, and learn how the two are closely intertwined. Much of this tour will be dedicated to the rooms of Raphael and the extraordinary frescoed ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. From the commissioning of this colossal masterpiece to the finishing touches applied by Michelangelo Buonarroti, your guide will help you to discern between myth, fact, and popular Hollywood fiction regarding this majestic work of art. From the Sistine Chapel you will exit through a priority access door and  enjoy a brief visit to St. Peter’s Basilica. 

After a break for lunch we'll head to the Colosseum and enjoy pre-reserved entry to the Roman icon built in 72 AD to seat up to 50,000 spectators. Once inside, your guide will paint an accurate picture of the gladiator games that took place in the Roman empire’s most impressive arena.

After walking around the perimeter of the Colosseum, gaze down onto the arena floor and beneath to the maze-like underground level where man and beast awaited their moment of glory or met their fateful death. 

With the Colosseum behind you, travel even further back in time as you enter the Roman Forum: the true heart of ancient Rome with monuments dating as far back as the 7th century BC. Learn of the legendary founding of Rome on the Palatine Hill and how a she-wolf rescued and nursed the young twins Romulus (the first king of Rome) and Remus after they washed up on the banks of the Tiber River. Hear how these famous twins paved the way for future tyrants, emperors, and even Caesars who declared themselves gods throughout the rise and fall of the Roman empire. 

We then change gears and fast forward many a century, as no visit to Rome is complete without a trip to the Trevi Fountain. This Renaissance jewel was immortalized in Fellini’s film “La Dolce Vita” by the actress Anita Ekberg, who dared to take an impromptu dip. Be sure to toss three coins into the blue water before moving on to our next port of call: the Pantheon. Tour this astonishing architectural marvel built nearly 2,000 years ago as a pagan temple to honor the gods, and learn why it is the best preserved of all the Roman ruins in the city.  

Your tour concludes at Piazza Navona, the most beautiful of Rome’s Renaissance squares. As you stroll across this picturesque promenade that lies above what was once the Emperor Domitian’s stadium, you’ll enjoy the scene of buskers and street artists as Bernini’s remarkable Baroque fountains take center stage. Enjoy a refreshing aperitivo or dinner in one of the local characteristic trattorias.