Day 01
Rome by Night from Piazza Navona to the Colosseum
- Meet your guide in Piazza Navona. Our tour starts in Rome's most picturesque square, where the ancient Romans once watched athletic contests (agones). Today's piazza sits above the ancient stadium and boasts Gian Lorenzo Bernini's stunning Fountain of the Four Rivers as its centerpiece.
- Admire the Pantheon without the crowds. A five-minute walk from Piazza Navona takes us to the world-famous Pantheon. Constructed more than two thousand years ago by the eccentric emperor Hadrian, the Pantheon was consecrated as a monument to all the pagan gods (pan theos, in Greek meaning all the gods). This second-century temple is one of the best-preserved monuments in the Roman Empire, and its unreinforced concrete dome still perplexes architects.
- Discover the Trevi Fountain at the quietest time of day. Our next stop is the iconic Trevi Fountain. Immortalized by Anita Ekberg wading through its water in Federico Fellini's iconic film La Dolce Vita, the Trevi Fountain is one of the most romantic spots in the Eternal City. Snap your photos of the monument in the moonlight, listen to your guide decipher its symbols, and toss a coin over your shoulder to guarantee your return to Rome.
- Stroll through ancient Rome on your Rome by Night Walking Tour. We emerge from Rome's winding backstreets onto Piazza Venezia. Stretching from the foot of the Capitoline Hill, against the backdrop of the Altar of the Fatherland, Piazza Venezia is Rome's most recognizable square and a repository of history involving figures from Napoleon to Mussolini. Your guide will lead you down the Via dei Fori Imperiali, the boulevard that cuts through ancient Rome, past Trajan's Column and alongside the forums of Trajan, Augustus, and Nerva. Your guide will feed your curiosity and nourish you with knowledge about ancient Rome and its empire as you make your way toward the most famous monument of all: the Colosseum.
- Your Rome by Night Walking Tour ends beneath the Colosseum. The Colosseum is one of the most awe-inspiring attractions to have survived from antiquity. As a colossal feat of architecture and engineering, its form has been replicated throughout the ages, manifested in stadiums and sports venues around the world. But while its form is familiar to us, the spectacles it accommodated are entirely alien and remind us of the violent nature of Roman culture.
