A Friend in Rome

19/09/2024

DAY TRIPS from Rome

We encourage you to explore the surrounding areas of Rome, a day trip takes you out from the confusion of the city centre and let you appreciate a bit of what "most of Italy" really is!

Moreover, around Rome we have incredible treasures, but quite eclipsed by the fame of the Eternal city. Let's start with Subiaco, the crib of western monasticism, where St Benedict founded his first monasteries, including the Holy Cave (Sacro Speco) where he personally meditated as a hermit for 3 years.

17/09/2024

Payments through apps in Italy: we are often asked if you can pay for our tours with Vemno, or Zelle or Cahsapp... unfortunately these platforms are not available in Italy at present.

We can use Wise, Paypal or a pos machine accepting your cards, but every guide here in Rome is a freelance and decides autonomously the best system for them, so it won't always be the same way of payment, we will inform you on a final note depending on who is in charge of your tours.

16/09/2024

CHURCHES OF ROME

Only famous for the painting by Caravaggio (Madonna dei Pellegrini), the church of Sant'Agostino deserves a longer visit: it was recently restored and it's full of beauty and surprises, including a fresco by Raphael, but also works by Guercino, Sansovino and Lanfranco.

The church is also the burial site of Santa Monica, mother of St Augustin.

13/09/2024

OVER ROME

One of the most panoramic view over Rome and the archaeological park can be enjoyed from the terrace of the Palatine hill, the hill where Rome started to exist!

You can have access with the Colosseum tickets or with the "Forum Pass" ticket (much easier to get, even on the same day of tour visit (and including so much!)

12/09/2024

Can you recognise some of the movies in this clip?

So many movies have been filmed in Rome, a natural set!

Montaggio a cura di Alberto Cerqua.Pubblicità amatoriale volta a favorire il turismo a Roma mediante alcune immagini di film, recenti e non, girati nella cap...

10/09/2024

MUSEUMS OF ROME

There is a little, neglected, free museum inside the large park of Villa Borghese: it's the former house-atelier of a sculptor who was "super famous" in the XIX century and now quite forgotten. His name is Pietro Canonica and his art is not missing beauty and inspiration.

Moreover we have the chance to enter the home of a man of the last century. He met great personalities of his time and the gallery of the portraits is impressive.
Most of the works on display are in fact preparation works for the final statues which are now spread around the world, from Russia to Latin America.

We are happy to include this stop in our walk in the Borghese park, a different side of the city of Rome still in the very centre!

06/09/2024

If you have not visited these 30 sites yet... well, you need to come back.

If you have.... you need to come back nevertheless ;) ...Rome is more!

04/09/2024

The temple of the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux, in the Roman Forum

02/09/2024

Rome is often defined “an open-air museum” and this is probably true: in fact the whole historical centre is inserted in the list of the UNESCO World Heritage sites.

But Rome is also home to about 3.000.000 people who live here like anywhere else, going to schools or offices, shopping, enjoying their spare time.

Our suggestion is to try and “live” the city for a little while, instead of just “seeing” it:
- you can rent an apartment in a suburban area
- cook a meal at your apartment, which implies food shopping in markets or stores
- move around by bike or Vespa to experience roads and traffic
- take buses, metro or a train to move around
- attend a service in the local church if you do that at home
- go jogging where the locals go, if you are used to this practice or join a gym/yoga centre for a session…

Here some suggestions for venues to include during your stay:
https://afriendinrome.it/?p=5716

01/09/2024

01/09/2024

Sometimes restoration reveals a lot!

(Like the presence of censorship, now removed.
"Venus and Eros" by Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio)

31/08/2024

This year we launched a new experience: you can spend a day in a real farm not far from Rome and learn about the seasonal activities, taste some local wine, cook some genuine food and relax.

The fall is probably the best time to enjoy this atmosphere with grapes and olives ready to be harvested....Book your "farm experience" with us > [email protected]

We will suspend the activity in November and resume it in the springtime.

30/08/2024

Who needs a friend to explore Rome?

In Rome we see many different categories of travellers and each one has slightly different needs. Our experience can be of great help, both in planning and during the stay. For instance:

§ Business travellers have very limited time to explore the city, mostly in the late afternoon or in the evening: we can assist in planning activities for their travel companions who are free during the day and suggest night opportunities for tours.

§ Families travelling need help to prepare a well balanced program of sightseeing, they need suggestions for fun activities during their spare time and tailor-made tours according to the age and interests of their kids

§ Solo travellers usually appreciate a general orientation in town with a local, some tips to organise their time in Rome and to meet other travellers, they need to feel at home

§ Pilgrims need us to learn about the origins of Christianity and visit the most spiritual sites in Rome (which are not the famous ones!)

We are very happy to customise tours and activities according to your travel “status” and make your Roman holiday perfect just for you!

29/08/2024

An episode of the podcast Italy we totally agree with.

It is about traveling in a more sustainable way: slowing down, visiting less famous attractions, spending money on genuine food or souvenirs, meeting "real" local people and increasing awareness. Have a listen!

Italy is a dream to be savored slowly. Find out how you can travel through the big cities and tourist areas, avoid huge crowds and experience la dolce vita for

27/08/2024

A tour with a local guide is also the occasion to talk about current events, trends, differences between countries...

An interesting topic is usually "criminality" and the rate of murders in Italy in a year comes usually as a surprising figure to most travellers (271 people total in a year in the whole country). Below are data of the last 20 years.

Being on holiday doesn't exclude meditation on life, politics and society, does it?

25/08/2024

HIDDEN ROME

At the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone (in Flaminio district) not only you can enjoy a great calendar of shows (classic and pop concerts, lectures, festivals and ballet) but also an archeological collection and a museum.

In fact when the big complex was built (almost 30 years ago now) an ancient roman villa/farm of the early stages of Roma was discovered and its story is really fascinating!

24/08/2024

In Rome any place can become a museum, from a metro station to a school... or a hotel like the Bulgari hotel where, just stepping in, you find an ancient statue of the Emperor Augustus, part of the Torlonia collection and restored by the Maison!

Bulgari hotel overlooks the Piazza Augusto Imperatore which is under a deep restyling process and will become soon a focal point in the centre of Rome.

22/08/2024

Are you looking for an authentic local souvenir?

GENTILINI cookies can be easily taken home with you, they are also sold in nice metal boxes and they have a long tradition in Rome. The lab opened in 1890, they produced an Italian version of the "oswego" cookies, but in time they expanded a lot their production still maintaining high quality.

You can easily find them in Italian supermarkets and they are still produced in Rome, along the ancient Via Tiburtina.

20/08/2024

CHURCHES OF ROME

A bit distant from the centre (but not so much ! And close to other points of interest like Villa Torlonia and the Coppedé district) the mausoleum of Costanza is now a church and it is probably the best preserved example of late antiquity architecture in Rome.

My pictures are not so great here, it wasn't a sunny day... but I think this way I'm preserving the amazement you will surely experience just entering that small door... trust me!

18/08/2024

This is an unpopular post.

But Rome is getting full of these golf carts and I totally get the point: it's hot and you do not want to get tired sightseeing, but still see the highlights of the city.
You think it's fun for the kids and efficient. And all this is true.

But, I repeat myself, a city it's not a theme park.

In order to know Rome you have to "experience" it on your feet. You need to get tired and stop and seat down in a café enjoying a cold drink or a gelato. You need time.

If you cannot suffer the heat, try finding a different season to visit.

If you want to see more in less time, even a bit far from the centre, we offer e-bike tours or Vespa tours: these are "local" ways to move around and you'll mingle with the locals instead of standing out and "watching us" like exotic animals in a zoo.

If someone in your party has mobility issues, we are happy to reserve these carts for a good reason. But let's leave this option to those who have little alternative.

16/08/2024

Do you know how many visitors entered the Colosseum in 2023?

12 MILLIONS.

And - same year - how many visited :

Ostia Antica ? 274K
Villa Adriana? 230K
Portus excavations? 10K
Villa di Livia? 5K

If you do not like crowds, there are alternatives.

Check with us > [email protected]

15/08/2024

Buon Ferragosto!

A Roman terrace, a cold cocktail and my hat off... I'm taking some days off: "good guides take holidays!"

14/08/2024

A bit of Rome's etiquette to avoid cultural contrasts: how to deal with fountains, churches, police forces and works of art > read more https://afriendinrome.it/?p=5709

12/08/2024

MUSEUMS OF ROME

The "Napoleonic Museum" was a true discovery for me too! Often ignored, despite being just next to Piazza Navona (and open for free), it is a little gem to learn about the history of Rome from the time of French Revolution (which largely impacted Italian history) until the Belle Epoque.

It's a true residence of a descendant of the famous Napoleon I and tells endless stories of the members of this large important family, so tied to the history of our city.

A nice shelter in the hot days of summer and a treasure for connoisseurs!

10/08/2024

Slavery is a big topic in our "ancient Rome tours".

It is so different from what most travellers have in mind, here there is good summary of the subject together with two "slave identifications": a pendant and a collar of late imperial age.

09/08/2024

08/08/2024

Beautiful rendering of how the basilica of S.Stefano Rotondo looked like in its "prime days" !

PS I'm often asked which is my favourite church in Rome... this is surely one of TOP THREE!

07/08/2024

Looking for amphitheatres outside Rome is a nice game!

Here in Capua, Verona and Lucca during this 2024 breaks.

06/08/2024

Did you fall in love with the Italian coffee? Did you buy the moka as a souvenir ?

Here some instructions by Live in Italy Magazine to make the perfect coffee at home.

Here are five things to keep in mind to prepare the perfect moka coffee at home.

05/08/2024

My new blog post is about 2025 trips to Rome clashing with the Jubilee events.

Are you planning a Roman holiday next year?

Don't be scared,
avoid worst dates
and just follow our tips !

Read the article: https://afriendinrome.it/?p=5705