A Friend in Rome

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A Friend in Rome

Rome was not built in a day...hence, you need some days (or some trips) to see it all!

visit our page to have infos on events, news, special venues, little treasure in Rome. If you live here or if you plan to visit the city...that's a different point of view to discover it!

24/01/2025

OVER ROME

You do not expect the best thing from the attic of the colosseum is the view over Rome, but it is in fact amazing considering the 50 mt of high and the central location.

The interior of the amphitheatre from the top is also great and during the winter months it's much easier to find a slot, which is quite hard to get during the high season. Official tickets are on sale here: https://colosseo.it/en/tickets/full-experience-attic-panoramic-lift/

23/01/2025

How and when to book the following sites in Rome:
Pantheon, Borghese Gallery, Colosseum, Papal Audience, Vatican excavations ?

All in this blog post > https://afriendinrome.it/?p=2689

22/01/2025

We are happy to recommend the artistic labs of Gioia at Michelangelo for a day .

Perfect for families, but also for adults who wish to learn in a hands-on experience. Here is the website for more infos: https://www.michelangeloforaday.com/

21/01/2025

Children are always attracted by pure beauty and uniqueness. Therefore they will love Rome! That said, Rome is not an “easy” city for families with very young children (few toilets around and not equipped for babies, late opening of the restaurants, uneven pavements and steps everywhere which are nightmares for strollers, traffic and noise…things like that!). You need organizational skills (which you surely have, being a parent!) and some assistance: we can help you put together a balanced plan including some nice breaks, we recommend you prepare the trip with your children by watching some movies or reading nice books about Rome and we can offer you some “themed” tours according to the special interests of your children. Kids usually like animals, knights, ghosts... but also gladiators and ancient civilizations (there’s no better place than Rome, then!). Girls are often of an artistic bent and like drawing and learning art techniques. We can offer special tours to encourage these natural inclinations and interests. And, of course, every child likes playing: a simple treasure hunt in the Vatican or some quizzes in the Roman Forum makes them attentive until the end of the tour!

20/01/2025

CURIOSITIES ... on the side of the church of S.Salvatore alle Coppelle (not far from the Pantheon) it is still possible to see the "epigraphy/box of the spy" dating back to the Jubilee of 1750: it was possible to anonymously denounce sick pilgrims and avoid the spread of pestilences!

19/01/2025

18/01/2025

UNDERGROUND ROME

The church of San Vito, walking distance from Santa Maria Maggiore, has a small archaeological site under its floor with part of an ancient Roman road, an aqueduct and city walls!

16/01/2025

Oh yes! We have been listed and recommended so far by Lonely Planet, Time Out and Italia! magazine ...

15/01/2025

Happy to recommend the travel services of Dana's global Travel for Italy and not only. We are a team of tour guides and can only deal with tours and activities in Rome and around.
If you look for a package including accommodations and transportation, you need a travel agent. Here the link:

https://www.facebook.com/danasglobaltravel/

14/01/2025

HIDDEN ROME

Not hidden, considering the panoramic position near the Spanish Steps, but Villa Medici is not visited so much as it should be, maybe because it is still the academy of fine arts for France in Rome and travelers do not think they can have access.

In fact there are daily guided tours, also in English, check here for reservations: https://www.ticketlandia.com/m/event/guided-tour-villa-medici

13/01/2025

Our tips about how to arrange a tour at the Vatican without us are all collected (and revised) here:

[Revised January 2025] A tour at the Vatican is probably the first line in your “to do list” for a trip to Rome (which is ironical, in fact, as the Vatican is not in Rome, neither in Italy… It’s a foreign country! But you already know that, right?)

12/01/2025

Are you fond of art history?

We can customise tours for you, especially if focused on one of the major artists who lived and worked in Rome like :

Michelangelo
Raffaello
Caravaggio
Bernini
Borromini
Canova

Send a request to [email protected]

11/01/2025

In 2024 we decided to stay out of the Vatican Museums (all explained here https://afriendinrome.it/?p=5324). Despite the great request of Vatican tours we expect this year for the Jubilee, we confirm our choice.

These are pictures taken in the last years by myself or some colleagues.

We understand if you still want to go, it's a jewel box of masterpieces and maybe not every day it will be so chaotic.

But think twice, ask yourself if this is really a priority for you, especially if you are traveling with kids or seniors.

And ask us for peaceful alternatives, we have tons of those!

10/01/2025

How did the Isola tiberina look like in the ancient times?

09/01/2025

I'm in the process of revising our blog and this is a very useful article, just updated, about the underground of the Colosseum, which you ask a lot about.

Long story short, we do not take you there, but we understand the attraction and we explain here how it works and our suggestion: https://afriendinrome.it/?p=3589

In 2024 I only toured the underground of the Colosseum once, for this lovely bunch of ladies! Nevertheless, I had an amazing year of tours to all sort of destinations, from suburban 'hoods to new museums in town (Forma Urbis), from villages near Rome to many lesser known underground sites and it was always rewarding for me and appreciated by my guests... in Rome there's more than the Colosseum, trust us!

08/01/2025

CHURCHES OF ROME

The hidden San Bernardo alle Terme is a church next to Diocletian Baths which still boasts the original Roman dome, a small "pantheon" with no crowds.
The Palladian interior is also an interesting example of the counter-reformed architecture in Rome.

07/01/2025

Rugby fans!

These are the dates of the matches taking place in Rome for the Six Nations Rugby

- Italia Vs Galles – 8th of February 2025 - h 5.15

- Italia Vs Francia – 23rd of February - h 16

- Italia Vs Irlanda – 15th of March – h 15,15

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http://www.afriendinrome.it/

Notifiche

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Video

That time when brothers Lumière filmed the Ponte di Ripetta in Rome!

Tour guides recruiting

It’s quite shocking to us here in Italy to hear that a US operator is hiring tour guides among actors and teachers, giving them scripts to memorize. Here tour guides are Rome’s experts, scholars with university background most of the time (surely for us at A Friend in Rome) who can answer all your questions and who grow their knowledge day after day, not because it’s a job but because it’s their passion. Of course it’s also a job, but you would not last more that 2 or 3 seasons if it was just for “paying the bills”. Our team has full time tour guides based in Rome, mostly born and raised in Rome and with a innate passion for this city and for sharing it with you.

Yesterday in Rome for Patrons’ day (saints Peter and Paul) the traditional fireworks on Castel Sant’Angelo (“girandola”)

This is the list for pro…Those who have been to Rome at least a couple of times… those who go off-the-beaten-path for real! I’m curious to know how many of you have been to these places … and if not, prepare your bucket list 😉

Moving conclusion by James May of his series of six episodes dedicated to Italy

Lately I'm almost addicted to podcasts, such a good way to learn and be informed about the topics you like. I'm happy to recommend you this one about traveling to Italy, "Untold Italy" (untolditaly.com) by @Katy Clarke . Here she is interviewing Corinna Cooke - Author and in these extract of 2' she gives a tip about food tours. Well, that's exactly how we do them! You hire our guide for 2/3 hrs and you pay for your own food and wine, following our suggestions. You end up spending way less than a forfeited "food tour" and you eat what you really want and like. We also have guide/sommeliers in our team, so we can provide wine tastings during a tour. Just ask!

Be careful when you plan your next trip to Rome: if your stay includes the first Sunday of the month, museums will be open for free. And this is *not* a good news! Last April I had tickets booked for a lovely family to go to the Colosseum on the first Sunday of the month. The "free Sundays" had been suspended for Covid emergency, but they were resumed "last minute" in April. Our tickets were refunded, but we had to go an hour earlier than opening to queue and hope for a ticket to be still available when they started distributing them (there is a limited number). In this video (sorry, I'm talking in Italian on it) you see the line at 8.15 a.m. (opening is at 9.00). We made it that day, but it was still no peak season and every new free Sunday of the month is expected to be worse. Therefore, we do NOT offer tours to the Colosseum on the free Sundays anymore. For other museums/excavations we have to consider an early start. Still there is so much to do in Rome that doesn't require a ticket, let's plan something different!

103 other adventures in and around rome

Bill Richards explains here our sections dedicated to #kids in our book 📚 “103 Other Adventures in and around Rome” : do you know that together with his wife Ashley they are the Family on the Loose: The Art of Traveling with Kids and already wrote two books? Links in the first comments !

103 other adventures in and around Rome guide book

During our interview (link in the first comment) my co-author Bill of Family on the Loose: The Art of Traveling with Kids endorsed the role of a tour guide during your explorations. Before coming to Rome he never booked guided tours, he started here, with me, and we met this way, at the park of the aqueducts! When an experienced traveler appreciates our job, it’s really rewarding! I still believe the best option is a combination of guided and autonomous experiences to savour a new destination, that’s why our book “103 other adventures in and around Rome” can help you to decide when to explore on own and when you need assistance. Here the link to order it : https://www.amazon.com/103-Other-Adventures-Around-Rome/dp/0988635615/ref=zg_bs_17015_8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=1ERRDCK2CND7Z6FQQY8K

Planning a trip to Rome off the beaten paths

An extract from a video interview (link in the first comment) to Bill Family on the Loose: The Art of Traveling with Kids and myself about the importance of planning before an important trip, for instance helped by our guide book “103 Other Adventures in and around Rome” 😁! Here is the link on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/103-Other-Adventures-Around-Rome/dp/0988635615/ref=zg_bs_17015_8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=1ERRDCK2CND7Z6FQQY8K

Christenings in the Sistine Chapel 9.1.2022

Today the traditional celebration of the #christenings officiated by #PopeFrancis took place in the Sistine chapel. Sixteen babies received their baptism in this occasion (last year it didn’t took place because of Covid)