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Rick Steves' Best of Rome, Day by Day
Our Rome tour serves up Europe's most intoxicating brew of dazzling art, earth-shaking history, and city life with style. Your tour guide will resurrect the grandeur of ancient Rome's Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon, and nearby Ostia Antica. From the Baroque era, you'll marvel at the Borghese Gallery and stand in awe at St. Peter's Basilica. You'll also enjoy today's Rome, with neighborhood walking tours, memorable restaurants, and time to explore on your own. Hop aboard a preview of our Best of Rome in 7 Days tour…andiamo!
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Day 1: Welcome to Rome
We'll gather at our hotel this afternoon for a short meeting and an orientation walk through our neighborhood. We'll get introduced to Rome's efficient metro system and then enjoy an "Am-I-really-here?" dolce vita stroll through the heart of Rome, soaking up the city's evening ambience at the classy Piazza Navona. Our day will end with a chance to get acquainted during a "Welcome to Rome" dinner together.
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Day 2: Ancient Rome
Today we'll walk back in time to ancient Rome, where we'll step inside the larger-than-life Colosseum, hearing vivid tales of this engineering wonder in the peak of Rome's glory, then continue on to the history-drenched Roman Forum (the birthplace of ancient Rome). We'll finish our tour at the remarkably preserved 2,000-year-old Pantheon. Then you'll have the rest of the afternoon and evening free to see San Clemente Church or climb to the top of the Victor Emmanuel Monument to enjoy the city view.
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Day 3: Vatican City and St. Peter's Basilica
This morning a local expert will introduce us to Vatican City, the world's smallest country, and the greatest church in Christendom: the awe-inspiring St. Peter's Basilica, home to Michelangelo's sublime Pietà. The remainder of your day is free to explore more of the Eternal City on your own, including the nearby Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel (reserve in advance), and more of Rome's artistic, historic, and cultural heritage (don't forget to taste some refreshing gelato along the way).
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Day 4: Neighborhood Rome
This morning we'll take a more intimate look at Rome, with a Vespa-dodging walking tour through our guide's favorite neighborhood. Then we'll get another taste of the city, learning about the tradition of Roman cuisine with a hands-on cooking class. After enjoying the mouth-watering results, your evening is free to make your own neighborhood discoveries.
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Day 5: Day Trip to Ostia Antica
Today we'll venture outside the city, touring the ruins of Rome's first colony, Ostia Antica, the ancient seaport which connected Rome to its ever-expanding Mediterranean empire. Unlike Rome's politically oriented Forum, our walk through Ostia gives us a chance to envision the daily lives of merchants and craftsmen and appreciate beautifully preserved mosaics. As we head back to Rome, we'll take a panoramic bus tour as we continue to peel away the jumbled layers of this fascinating city, learning about Rome as Italy's political capital, the capital of Catholicism, and the center of the ancient world. On the way, we'll continue down the ancient "Queen of Roads," the Appian Way, stopping to tour the eerie Catacombs of San Sebastiano. Arriving back in our Rome neighborhood, you'll be free for dinner on your own.
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Day 6: Rome's Baroque Treasures
We'll begin with a guided tour of sheer beauty in the Borghese Gallery. Bernini's most graceful and lifelike sculptures reside here — his athletic David and delicate Apollo and Daphne — as well as masterpieces by Canova, Caravaggio, Titian, and Raphael. Your afternoon is free to relax in the surrounding park, ramble through more of Rome, or do some last-minute shopping. Tonight, we'll have one last dinner together to share travel memories and toast new friends. Salute!
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Day 7: Tour Over After Breakfast
Breakfast is provided, but there are no group activities today. It's a breeze to reach Rome's airports by taxi or train. Your guide will help you with any post-tour planning, leaving you well prepared for the road ahead. Arrivederci, Roma!
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Itinerary specifics subject to change.