Night at the Colosseum, Rome

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Take part in Rome’s most extraordinary experience. View the Colosseum under the moonlight while enjoying a prosecco aperitivo! These after-hours tours will make your visit to Rome unforgettable.

Gain special access to underground areas and the arena floor to get a close-up look at where the gladiators walked.

Experience the spooky side of the Colosseum, an arena in which many people died. You’ll enter the Colosseum through the Gate of Death, where a virtual reality re-enactment will take you back to the Roman era so you can see first-hand what the Colosseum looked like in its heyday.

CLICK TO ORDER TICKETS: Night at the Colosseum, Rome

Colosseum and Roman Forum Pass, Rome

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Any visit to Rome must include a visit to the ancient heart of the city, including the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill.

Why spend your valuable time in Rome waiting in long lines when you can take an entertaining and informative tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum with skip-the-line access. Hear from expert English-speaking guides about what went on during antiquity’s greatest show on earth, as well as what daily life was like in ancient Rome. Walk in the footsteps of Julius Caesar and see the spot where his body was cremated. Learn about the history of ancient Rome and how it went from a republic to a dictatorship.

Enjoy the Flavian Amphitheatre, also known as the Roman Colosseum, one of the seven wonders of the world, a UNESCO site, the symbol of Rome and Italy, the most long lasting, cultural and social institution in Rome, attracting more than 15,000 visitors every day.

The visit to the Palatine Hill means going back to the origins of the eternal city – the southwest corner of the hill was the place where the first wooden huts of the first Romans were found, and according to legend, the spot where the twins Romulus and Remus were abandoned and then raised by a she-wolf. The hill still preserves the archaeological remains of four houses of emperors with fountains, dining and sleeping rooms, showing the luxury and political power they had with secret recesses and underground corridors where betrayals, conspiracies, adulteries and the typical intrigue of the royal families took place.

Then, walk on the most important ancient Roman street, the Via Sacra, to the Forum, the beating heart of the political, social and religious life of the Romans and the biggest archaeological area of Rome. A ramp connecting to the Forum from the street called Via dei Fori Imperiali built by Mussolini in 1932, works as a time machine – the further down you go, the more ancient the level, showing 2000 years of history in 10 meters (30 feet) of stratification. It was the main square with banks, shopping malls, religious buildings and the center of political power and administration of justice. Location of the most famous speeches of the most influential personalities including the one of Mark Antony regarding Julius Caesar, the Forum reflects the attitude of the Romans as very theatrical people.

Due to security changes, all visitors must first pass through security checks and a metal detector. There is no way to skip this line and the average wait time is approximately 1.5 hours (as of April 2016).

CLICK TO ORDER TICKETS: Colosseum and Roman Forum Pass, Rome

Cinecittà World (Theme Park), Rome

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Cinecittà World, known for producing movies such as Ben-Hur and La Dolce Vita, is the first Italian amusement Park dedicated to Cinema and Television. Located just a few kilometers from Rome, it offers you the opportunity to live the emotional experience of being part of a real cinema set. In 2017, Cinecittà World added 10 brand new attractions with 24 attractions in total for adults and kids.

In addition, enjoy shows performed in the streets or in theatres, and delicious Italian specialties in the many restaurants.

CLICK TO ORDER TICKETS: Cinecittà World Theme Park

Photo credit Diego Maia @Flickr.com

MAXXI Museum Tickets, Rome

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With its cutting-edge design and 312,000 square-feet of space located on the grounds of a former military barracks in Rome’s Flaminio district, the MAXXI Museum is Italy’s first national contemporary museum.

The name comes from the blending of the words Modern Art (or MA) and XXI, the number 21 in Roman numerals; this is no coincidence since the building’s clean, unadorned lines featuring white concrete walls, stark black steel stairs and a glass roof that filters in natural light are a fitting representation of 21st century aesthetics.

Designed by the Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, the first woman to win, in 2004, the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize, the building’s elegant curves and stunning interior spaces have been very much appreciated on an international level. MAXXI was awarded the prestigious Stirling Prize and was later declared World Building of the Year 2010 at the World Architecture Festival of Barcelona.

Officially called the National Museum of the XXI Century Arts, the building houses two separate museums — MAXXI Art and MAXXI Architecture – and the permanent collection of 300 works includes pieces by Balla, Morandi, De Chirico, and Andy Warhol, among others, providing a nice counterpoint to the classics that fill most of the city’s other museums.

But that’s not all – MAXXI is also a research workshop where, alongside exhibits on contemporary art and architecture, design, fashion, film and advertising are featured in a multidisciplinary cultural center.

CLICK TO ORDER TICKETS: MAXXI Museum Tickets, Rome

Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Tickets, Rome

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The Vatican is Italy’s most popular attraction with almost five million visitors annually. It is an enormous complex of galleries, but the crown jewel is the Sistine Chapel, famous for Michelangelo’s phenomenal ceiling, created along with other painters, and the Raphael Rooms, covered in 16th-century frescoes by the Italian Renaissance painter and architect.

Bypass the crowds by purchasing your tickets ahead of time. Listen to fascinating background on the lives of Renaissance artists and symbols from the Catholic church, with direct admission to the galleries and St. Peter’s Basilica.

CLICK TO ORDER TICKETS: Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Tickets, Rome

Borghese Gallery Tickets, Rome

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Rome’s Borghese Gallery and Museum (Galleria Borghese) is a must-see for art lovers in Rome. Housed in a former villa of the eponymous family, it contains a large part of the family’s vast collection of antiquities, paintings, and sculptures. Its 22 rooms across two floors showcase many important pieces including paintings by Titian, Raphael, Caravaggio, and Rubens. The city of Rome acquired the Villa Borghese in 1903, opening its collection and gardens to the public. The 1911 World Exposition was held in the park and some of the various countries’ pavilions still exist.

Reservations are required in order to visit the museum. Travelers can book skip-the-line tickets, a private or small-group tour, or opt for a Segway tour of the greater Borghese Villa. Art historians often lead small-group tours, which add context to the artwork you’re seeing.

CLICK TO ORDER TICKETS: Borghese Gallery Tickets, Rome

Papal Audience Tickets, Rome

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Experience an emotional and intense moment with this once-in-a-lifetime chance to join Pope Francis during his papal audience in Vatican City.

Attend the weekly address of the pope with this papal audience ticket. In Vatican City, your guide will lead you through the mass of people to a prime location, where you’ll watch the pope address the crowd, and hear about the historical tradition of the papal audience. With a personal audio headset, you’ll be sure to hear everything the guide says above the noise of the crowd. While the weekly audience with the pope draws very large numbers, this ticket provides guided commentary in a group limited to 20 people.

Bookings are essential if you’d like to attend a Papal Audience with Pope Francis I at the Vatican. Tickets are free of charge but they are limited and hard to come by.

Choose from many options, including getting picked up from one of a select group of hotels and enjoy a papacy discussion with your tour escort as part of the experience or join a small tour group where you can follow your guide, navigate the crowd to reach your seat, and have views of the pope when he arrives.

CLICK TO ORDER TICKETS: Papal Audience Tickets, Rome

Rome – Caput Mundi

People tend to associate Italy with ancient Rome and its crazy emperors, but it goes way beyond that in time. In fact, there is evidence that humans have inhabited this area since prehistoric times (see https://www.britannica.com/topic/ancient-Italic-people  and https://www.britannica.com/topic/Villanovan-culture for more information).

The city of Rome has adapted as its nickname Caput Mundi, or “the capital of the world”. It was actually in antiquity the capital of what was then known as the world. This included Europe, Britain, Northern Africa, western Asia, and the Mediterranean Islands. And, yes, one look at a map of Italy and you will see that all roads do lead to Rome.

According to legend, the twin sons of Mars, the god of war, and Rhea, a vestal virgin and daughter of the king of Alba Long, Amulius, were put into a basket and thrown into the Tiber River because the king did not want any successors to the throne. These twins, Romulus and Remus, were then found near a sacred fig tree, the Ficus Ruminalis, by a she-wolf and raised by her, hence the symbol of Rome being the twins suckling a wolf. Later on, the twins were found by a herdsman named Faustulus. They went on to found the city of Rome on the banks of the Tiber River around 753 BC, but Romulus ended up killing Remus and becoming the first king of Rome, which was named after him.

Symbol of Rome - Romulus and Remus.

The symbol of Rome – Romulus and Remus suckling on a she-wolf.

Rome went through many transformations, from winning many battles with their ruthless warriors and ruling over a great portion of the ancient world, to creating the most beautiful art masterpieces, and producing some of the most exquisite food.

The Sistine Chapel Ceiling

The Sistine Chapel Ceiling

With its concentration of ancient ruins, which are still being excavated by the way, to its many restaurants, museums, and shopping, it is not a place where a visitor can see it all in one vacation, nor a topic that can be summed up in one post or article. I have been there many times and still have not seen everything there is to see in this wondrous city.

The Ancient Via Appia

The Ancient Via Appia

I’ve been to many of the ruins, eaten in the finest restaurants, both fancy and mom and pop type eateries. I’ve bought paintings in Piazza Navona, marveled at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, even done some shopping, but the place that really stirs my emotions is the Roman Forum. I don’t know what it is about this place but every time I go there I feel as if I’m home. I remember being there a long time ago, on a sunny afternoon in the springtime, feeling the warm breeze blowing through my hair. I was holding a little flower that I had picked up on one the ancient paths I had walked on. I closed my eyes and for a brief moment I was transported back to ancient Rome. I could almost hear the local Romans going about their business, conversations amongst friends, customers bargaining with vendors that had set up shop along the cobblestone street. Is it possible that I’ve lived there in a previous life? Who knows, but it is definitely quite an experience walking on the same paths as the Caesars did.

Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, Roman Forum

Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, Roman Forum

Circus Maximus, the largest ancient Roman racetrack for chariots and other spectacles,  which now hosts concerts.

Circus Maximus, the largest ancient Roman racetrack for chariots and other spectacles, where Ben-Hur was filmed and which now hosts concerts.

Piazza Navona at night

Piazza Navona at night

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