Our tour starts with a visit to the Vatican Museums, among the treasures that you will see are the famous sculptures of the Laocoon and the Apollo of the Belvedere, the Raphael Rooms (part of the private apartments of Pope Julius II), and the Sistine Chapel, frescoed by Michelangelo and by the generation of artists that preceded and inspired him, considered to be the greatest masterpiece of Western art. We’ll then visit St. Peter’s Basilica, the heart of Catholicism with its rich decoration, history, and magnificent art such as the Pietà by Michelangelo.
After a good lunch in a typical restaurant, we’ll visit the nearby St. Angel Castle, the former Tomb of Emperor Hadrian, that after the fall of the Roman Empire was made the fortified residence the popes utilized during the unstable periods. We’ll then cross the Tiber River on an Ancient Roman bridge decorated with Baroque statues of angels, and after a short walk along a Renaissance district we’ll get the famous Piazza Navona, with the beautiful baroque fountains by Bernini; in the area, we’ll visit some beautiful churches such as Santa Maria Della Pace with a unique Baroque façade by Cortona and a great Renaissance cloister by Bramante; San Luigi dei Francesi with paintings by Caravaggio; San Maria sopra Minerva with artworks by Michelangelo, Filippino Lippi, and Bernini.
Our last stop will be at the Pantheon, the best-conserved temple of ancient Rome, dating back to the second century, a prototype of hundreds of building all over the Western World.
With our private tour, besides skipping the line to get in, it will be easier for you to listen and follow the tour despite the everyday crowd, and the guide will be happy to accommodate your requests going faster through the monuments that you are not interested in, or stopping longer to see what is more relevant for you.
Itinerary: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, Basilica of St. Peter, St. Peter’s Square, St. Angel Castle (Emperor Hadrian’s mausoleum), Piazza Navona, St. Maria della Pace Church (Cortona’s facade, Bramante’s cloister), St. Luigi dei Francesi Church (Caravaggio’s paintings), Pantheon, St. Maria sopra Minerva Church (Michelangelo’s Christ, Filippino Lippi’s frescoes).
Duration: approx. 8 hours (including 1-hour break for lunch);
Meeting point: clients’ hotel in Rome;
Meeting time: 8.45 AM;
Private guide: included;
Radio whispers (for groups larger than 3 people; 6 Euros per person): not included;
Entrance fees with priority access (32 Euros per person): not included;
