Highlights
- 3-hour Imperial Rome tour in Italy with an expert guide
- See the Roman Forum from Pizza del Campidoglio on Capitoline Hill
- Visit the Church of St Peter in Chains on this Rome afternoon tour
- Admire the Tomb of Pope Julius II, and see Michelangelo’s legendary Moses sculpture
- Enjoy a skip-the-line Colosseum tour and learn all about the gladiatorial games
Recent Photos of this Tour
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Fiori ImperaliOne of the wonderful postcard views from the centro storrico horizon architectural collage.Photo by: Marie HIreland, 01 2013 -
Cruise Pictures 561Moses by MichaelangeloPhoto by: texasbobUSA, 11 2012 -
Cruise Pictures 559The chains place on Saint Peter as he was led to his crufixion.Photo by: texasbobUSA, 11 2012 -
colleseum and rome and Capril ...from outside collesiumPhoto by: Susan H07 2012 -
colleseum and rome and Capril ...inside collesiumPhoto by: Susan H07 2012 -
Imported Photos 00372Inside the colloseumPhoto by: Tom S07 2011 -
Useful Information
Admire views of the Roman Forum from Capitoline Hill
Stroll to Capitoline Hill for a walk around Piazza del Campidoglio -- the beautiful 16th-century square designed by the Renaissance maestro Michelangelo. Soak up views of the Roman Forum that sits below it, and envisage life during the days when Rome was founded, around 500 BC.
Return to your coach and ride through Rome’s downtown streets, passing pretty Aventine Hill and Circus Maximus, where chariot races were held during the times of Imperial Rome. Learn about the venue itself, and hear how it was once large enough to seat a quarter of Rome’s population!
Continue to the Church of St Peter in Chains (Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli), and head inside for a look around this fascinating 5th-century gem. As its name suggests, the church’s main attraction is the chains that bound St Peter when he was imprisoned in Rome’s Mamertine Prison. After a brief spell in the ancient city of Constantinople, the chains were returned to Rome in two pieces, yet were said to have miraculously joined together when they reached the church’s altar.
Equally intriguing is the church’s Tomb of Pope Julius II, a lavish marble vault designed and sculpted by Michelangelo. His iconic Moses sculpture takes center stage on the façade of the tomb, and as you gaze up at it in awe, your guide will talk your through its defining features.
Leave the Church of St Peter in Chains and continue your tour, by coach, to the world-famous Colosseum. Skip past the long entrance lines with your priority-access ticket and head straight inside to see where Rome’s brutal gladiatorial games once took place. Walk around the first tier with your guide, seeing where the city’s different social classes once sat, and looking into the arena to see where the battles were fought.
Your tour then finishes outside the Colosseum in the late afternoon.
Reviewed by joram, April 2013
A lovely way to start your visit of Rome. Maximo is such a lively storyteller.
Enjoyed this experience, one of the best tour group companies to book with.
Reviewed by Wade E, April 2013
This was a wonderful tour but very physically exerting. We took this tour after the morning tour of the Vatican. My 80+ year-old mother was too tired to manage all the walking and stairs involved in the afternoon tour. BUT for the 3 of us who went, it was well worth the exertion. Our guide was very knowledgeable - easily able to fill a 15-minute wait to enter the Coliseum. His English was easily understood. At the beginning, on the bus, 3 different guides explained what we were seeing in 3 different languages. I was wondering how this was going to work. When we exited the bus, we were divided by language and the rest of the tour was a joy. A must-do tour.
