Rome in One Day Private Tour: Best of Rome with Hotel Pick-up

Palatine Hill is considered to be the birthplace of the Italian capital and is believed to have been inhabited since the year 1000 B.C. During the Republican Period, Roman citizens belonging to the upper class settled in Palatine Hill and built sumptuous palaces, of which important traces are still preserved. According to the legend Roman mythology talks of the cave that was inhabited by Luperca, the she-wolf that took care of Romulus and Remus, which is located on Palatine Hill. According to the legend, when the brothers grew up they decided to form a city on the banks of the river, but when they could not come to an agreement on some points of the decision, Romulus killed Remus and founded the city of Rome.

If you are looking for Rome points of interest, you shouldn’t miss the Pincio Terrace, connected to Borghese gardens by a pedestrian bridge that crosses Via del Muro Torto in the narrow cleft below. Pincian Hill isn’t included among the Seven Hills of Rome, but is one of the most favorite panoramic viewpoints by the Romans.

The Colosseum is the main symbol of Rome. It's an imposing construction that, with almost 2,000 years of history, will bring you back in time to discover the way of life in the Roman Empire. The construction of the Colosseum began in the year 72 under the empire of Vespasian and was finished in the year 80 during the rule of the emperor Titus. After completion, the Colosseum became the greatest Roman amphitheater, measuring 188 meters in length, 156 meters in width, and 57 meters in height.

Catcacombs Tour. The Christians did not agree with the pagan custom of burning the bodies of their dead, for which reason to solve problems created from a lack of space and the high price of land they decided to create these vast underground cemeteries. The catacombs possess a huge number of subterranean passageways that form real labyrinths that are several kilometres long, along which rows of rectangular niches were dug out. The corpses were wrapped in a sheet and placed in the niches, which were then covered with gravestones made of marble or, more commonly, baked clay. Subsequently, the name of the deceased was carved on the cover accompanied by a Christian symbol. Roman law at the time prohibited the burial of the deceased in the interior of the city, for which reason all of the catacombs were located outside of the walls. These separated and hidden places below ground constituted the perfect refuge in which the Christians could bury their own, freely using Christian symbols.

The huge legendary sculpture has a diameter of 1.75 meters and is dedicated to the God of the Sea, represented by a male bearded face with holes for the eyes, nose and mouth. According to legend A husband who mistrusted his wife took her to the Mouth of Truth to test her faithfulness. The woman reacted by pretending to swoon and her lover caught her in his arms. After this, the woman swore before the Mouth of Truth that she had only been in the arms of her husband and of the man that had just caught her. This is just one of the many legends that exist regarding the famous sculpture that, with the passing of time, continues to generate enormous anticipation.

The spectacular terrace overlooking Rome It stands on the right bank of the Tiber river and climbs the hill of the same name, dotted with plane trees. It is the Belvedere of the Janiculum, among the most evocative views of the entire capital. At the center of the large square stands the imposing equestrian statue of Garibaldi, a bronze monument which depicts the Hero of the Two Worlds on horseback on a high marble pedestal, on which episodes of his life and the allegorical figures of Europe and of America. What is most striking, however, is the Terrace over Rome, from which the gaze wanders over the Eternal City and the parade of many monuments, from the Pantheon to the Altare della Patria, until getting lost in the Lazio mountains. It doesn't matter whether it's sunrise or sunset: the Gianicolo Belvedere offers intense emotions at any time of the day.

The splendour of the baths Going to the baths was a favourite pastime of the Romans, who visited them regularly both to maintain their hygiene and to improve their social relations. In the vast precinct that held the baths, the citizens could not only use the public baths, but also dedicate their time to doing exercise, visiting the library, walking through the gardens or worshiping to the god Mithras and other pagan divinities by visiting the temple. The baths make up an architectural wonder when you keep in mind the date of their construction, since they included effective water supply systems, as well as heating and drainage systems. The wood-fired ovens that were fed by the slaves served to heat the floors and walls of the baths, in addition to the water. Covered with marble and decorated with valued works of art, the Baths of Caracalla were the most sumptuous baths to be built in ancient times

Constructed from pieces of previous buildings, the Arch of Constantine is the most modern of the triumphal arches that were built in ancient Rome. It is 21 meters high, 25 meters wide and is made up of three arches. In the reliefs on the monument, which were carved on blocks of marble, display statues taken from Trajan's Forum and some reliefs showing Marcus Aurelius distributing bread among the poor, as well as a representation of Trajan after his victory over the Dacians. The inscription on the upper part, originally cast in bronze letters, states the following: "To the Emperor Caesar Flavius Constantinus, the greatest, pius, and blessed Augustus: because he, inspired by the divine, and by the greatness of his mind, has delivered the state from the tyrant and all of his followers at the same time, with his army and only the force of arms, the Senate and People of Rome have dedicated this arch, decorated with triumphs."

Trastevere is one of the most pleasant neighbourhoods in the city. Its peaceful and bohemian atmosphere is capable of dazzling tourists without failing to attract assiduous Roman citizens. The life of the neighbourhood is especially concentrated around the Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere, where you can see the ancient Basilica of Our Lady in Trastevere. The great fountain in front of the temple serves as a meeting place, a resting spot, or simply somewhere to have an ice cream on a hot day. A walk through the narrow cobbled streets of the Trastevere shows hidden treasures such as modest medieval churches, small shops with the most unusual objects, or even some scenes of everyday life seemingly taken from a forgotten age.

Built between the years 100 and 110 A.D, Trajan's Market is believed to be the first covered shopping mall in history. Situated on Via dei Fori Imperiali, Trajan's Market is an archaeological complex that currently holds the Museum of Imperial Forums (Museo dei Fori Imperiali). It's considered to be Rome’s first “shopping center”. The complex, made of red brick and concrete, had six levels where there were once up to 150 different shops and apartments. Museo dei Fori Imperiali When you visit the Imperial Forum Museum, you can stroll through Mercati di Traiano's various levels, as well as admire several exhibitions that show the Imperial Forums' different aspects. The exhibitions are comprised of models and videos that accompany the various remains that are left from the Imperial Forums to try to transport visitors to classical Roman times.

Legend has it that the Tiber Island was formed, to say the least, in a rather curious manner: the angry Romans, after having overthrown in a popular uprising the reviled tyrant Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, threw his wheat and grain into the Tiber. The accumulation of mud around it is said to have gradually lead to the forming of the island. In truth tuff rock, rather like that near the Capitoline Hill, compacted forming the natural geological foundation for the sand, dragged here by the river’s current, to rest. In fact, it is often also called the Stone Ship, an indirect reference to this very association. In 291 B.C., a terrible plague swept through the city of Rome, wiping out much of its population. The priests, after having consulted the Sybilline books, despatched a delegation on a ship to Epidaurus, a small city in ancient Greece and site of a sanctuary to Aesculapius, to bring back a statue of this God of Medicine and Healing.

The Area Sacra is the place in which the ruins of the oldest temples in Rome are found. Currently the area is dominated by hundreds of cats that live among the ruins of the buildings.The discovery The Area Sacra was discovered between 1926 and 1930 during construction work on a building. The area was occupied by four temples built in the third century B.C., and by the Theatre and Curia of Pompey, the place in which Julius Caesar was murdered. As it's not known to whom the temples were dedicated, they were renamed with the letters A, B, C, and D.