Tours in Rome

• Tour 1
St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums (3 hours)
The Basilica of Saint Peter, officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano, is, along with the Colosseum, one of the most famous sights of Rome. The interior of St. Peter's is the largest among the Christian churches of the world. This Cathedral is a place of pilgrimage, attracting millions of believers every year. It is famous not only for its liturgical functions, and its historical significance, but also for its art and architecture… the awesome dome designed by Michelangelo, gold mosaics of the highest value and the heart rending version of The Pieta by Michelangelo, tombs and sculptures by Bernini. The Vatican Museums, inside the Vatican City, are among the greatest museums of the world. On exhibit are works of art, incomparable in their value, collected by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries. The Sistine Chapel is within the Vatican Museums, as also is the Etruscan Museum and the Egyptian Museum. Beneath the high altar is the Sacred Grotto… the resting place of The Popes.

• Tour 2
Churches of Rome. (4 hours)
Rome is home to four major papal Basilicas, formerly called "patriarchal basilicas":
1) Basilica of St. Peter (Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano)
2) Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls (Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura)
3) Basilica of St. John Lateran (Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano)
4) Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore)
Another one, though called minor basilica, would be
5) Basilica of St. Lawrence outside the Walls (Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura)
A tour of Rome’s churches will take you to see those mentioned above or any other church you personally might have chosen to visit – there are “only” about 900 of them.
6) The Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, honours the relics of the crucifixion and the only clone of the Robe of Turin.

• Tour 3
Rome by Night (4 hours)
You haven’t really seen Rome if you haven’t seen it by night. Drive by the colosseum, well-lit under the dark sky, or the glittering St. Peter’s basilica. Visit the Trevi fountain when there’s almost no-one around or enjoy a ride to the “Gianicolo”, overlooking the whole city, where couples meet for a romantic kiss. The tour includes time for dinner in a restaurant of your choice – we recommend a roof top restaurant or a typical roman trattoria where you will rub shoulders with the Romans and enjoy fettuccine and bucatino!! (Please note: The cost of dinner is not included in the tour!)

• Tour 4
Renaissance Rome (3 hours)
Explore the legacies of the Renaissance popes, built in the latter half of the 15th century when the seat of the Italian Renaissance moved from Florence to Rome. The Papacy wanted to equal and surpass the splendor and opulence of other Italian cities and thus extravagant churches, bridges, and public spaces were built, such as Ponte Sisto, Piazza Navona, the Sistine Chapel and, of course, St. Peter's Basilica. Artists of this period were e.g. Michelangelo, Raphael, and Botticelli, to name only a few. See it all in 3 hours from the comfort of your chauffeur-driven air-conditioned Mercedes-Benz vehicle with a private guide (extra cost!) or in the company of your English-speaking driver, who can give you the basic information about all the monuments.

• Tour 5
Ancient Rome (3 hours)
Numerous are the legacies left to us from The Ancient Roman Civilization.. The most famous is the amphitheatre for gladiatorial battles, The Colosseum. It seated approximately 60,000 spectators and is the largest of it’s kind ever built in the Roman Empire. Other historical monuments are the Pantheon,which is the largest pagan temple; The Circus Maximus, famed for its chariot races; the Castel Sant' Angelo with its secret corridor to The Vatican(added, of course, many years afterwards), the Mausoleum of Augustus, the Bocca della Verità (which you’ve probably seen already in the 1953 movie Roman Holiday), and many others. The tour will be with your English-speaking chauffeur, who can give you all the basic historical information you require, but is not permitted to enter the sites with you. If you decide to excavate deeper, we provide you with an official guide, at an extra cost.

• Tour 6
OSTIA ANTICA
About twenty-four kilometers south-west of Rome lies Ostia Antica, the ancient harbour town at the mouth of the river Tiber. It is now a large archeological site. Although partly ruined you will still find ancient buildings and magnificent frescoes, in a state of excellent preservation. In the spring-time a walk under the splendid cypress trees is a welcome change from the chaos of the city.

• Tour 7
Tivoli with Villa d’Este and Hadrian’s Villa
Tivoli, is a small town distanced about 30 km from Rome, often called Tivoli Gardens and compared to the Gardens of Babylon, with it’s terraced beauty. It had the honour of being the summer resort of the Emperors and Bishops. The Villa Adriana is an example of the former, while Villa D’este is an example of the latter. These two are now UNESCO World Heritage sites. Villa d’Este , a masterpiece of the Renaissance culture, is famous for fountains constructed on different levels. It was the inspiration of Franz Liszt for his famous musical composition, Giochi d'Acqua. Villa Adriana, the holiday Villa of the Emperor Hadrian, is a blend of Greek, Persian and Egyptian architecture. Magnificient in it’s ruined splendour, it gives us a vivid idea of life in ancient Roman times…. Thermal Baths, Temples, Palaces, slave quarters and underground passages that connected the entire villa.


Tours in Italy

• Tour 1
The Amalfi-coast: Amalfi, Positano, Sorrento, Pompeii
Renowned for its rugged terrain, scenic beauty, picturesque towns and diversity, the Amalfi-coast is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Most people have heard of Pompeii, the small hill-town constructed along the fertile slopes of the volcano Vesuvius, and devoured by tons of boiling lava in the year 79 A.D.. The ruins of Pompei can be visited, and bear evidence of an advanced civilization, lost forever. Less known, but even more beautiful are the small towns along the Amalfi-coast. The ride along the winding cliff-roads is breathtaking , and the little villages which seem ready to slip into the crystal sea below, contribute to the spectacular panorama.

• Tour 2
A day-trip to Umbria
Umbria, a mountainous region, is located north of the Latium, where the capital Rome is situated. Less acknowledged for its scenery than its neighbor Tuscany, Umbria nevertheless is home to several beautiful and famous towns:
Gubbio, a very small medieval town a the foot of the Ingino mountains. It boasts of beautiful monuments and craftsmanship.
Perugia, an historical town with a rich tradition of art and artists and today home to the Foreigners University (Università per Stranieri), where students from all over the world study the Italian language and culture.
Orvieto, built by the Etruscans in the 9th to 8th Century B.C. is a graceful town standing on top of a tufa plateau and dominating the area around it. The Duomo, and the well of St.Patrick are two of the famous sights.
Assisi, famous for the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi (St. Francis)
Towns of further interest are Spello, Todi, and Spoletto, to name a few.
Umbria is also famous for its cuisine and wine, and if you wish we can combine the tour with a lunch in one of the numerous trattorias.

• Tour 3
Florence and Tuscany
Tuscany, with its rolling hills and cypress-trees in varying shades of green, beige and ocher, is among the most beautiful regions of Italy. Some of the most famous Tuscan towns are Florence, Pisa and Siena. Each one of them is worth a visit, be it for The David by Michelangelo and the Ponte Vecchio of Florence, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, or Siena with it’s medieval character and Gothic buildings, the town where a horse-race (The Palio) is held, right in the town-centre, in the summer.