Private Caravaggio Walking Tour in Rome: Art, Life & Masterpieces

Highlights

• 3-Hour Private Walking Tour
• Caravaggio Focus
• Guided Visits

What's included

Itinerary

1. 1

   Church of St. Louis of the French

   35min

   Begin your Caravaggio journey at one of the most important stops of the tour. Inside the Contarelli Chapel, discover the extraordinary cycle dedicated to the life of Saint Matthew: The Calling of Saint Matthew, The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, and Saint Matthew and the Angel. Your guide will explain how Caravaggio transformed sacred painting with dramatic realism, powerful contrasts of light and shadow, and deeply human figures.

2. 2

   Stop 2

   25min

   Continue to the Basilica of Sant’Agostino, home to Caravaggio’s celebrated Madonna of the Pilgrims. Learn how the artist shocked his contemporaries by portraying sacred subjects with striking realism, including humble pilgrims with dirty feet and a Madonna modeled after a woman from real Roman life.

3. 3

   Piazza Navona

   20min

   Walk to one of Rome’s most famous squares, connected to one of the turbulent episodes of Caravaggio’s life. Your guide will share the story of the 1605 attack on the notary Mariano Pasqualone, linked to Maddalena Antognetti, known as Lena, one of Caravaggio’s most famous models.

4. 4

   via della maddalena

   15min

   Pass through the area of Via della Maddalena, where Caravaggio is said to have been involved in one of his most colorful disputes: the famous episode of the artichokes at the Osteria del Moro. This stop reveals the artist’s fiery personality and the everyday Rome he inhabited.

5. 5

   Vicolo del Divino Amore

   20min

   Visit the street where Caravaggio lived and worked between 1604 and 1605. Your guide will tell the story of his house-studio, where he reportedly altered the space to obtain the dramatic overhead light that became a signature element of his paintings.

6. 6

   Palazzo Firenze

   25min

   Explore the area linked to the most dramatic turning point in Caravaggio’s life: the fatal fight with Ranuccio Tomassoni in 1606. Learn how a dispute, possibly connected to a game of pallacorda, led to murder, exile, and the beginning of Caravaggio’s final years on the run.

7. 7

   Stop 7

   35min

   Conclude the artistic route at Santa Maria del Popolo, where Caravaggio painted two masterpieces for the Cerasi Chapel: The Conversion of Saint Paul and The Crucifixion of Saint Peter. Your guide will explain the revolutionary composition of these works, their intense realism, and the use of divine light as a symbol of grace.

8. 8

   Piazza del Popolo

   5min

   The tour ends near Piazza del Popolo, where your guide can offer recommendations for continuing your visit independently.

Before you go

Location