This is my favorite tour, as it is always a little different, and a tour I often still do, myself, especially in the off-season when it is not too hot and I am not as bogged down with admin. So if you want to meet me, let’s have dinner or do this tour!
Heart of Rome is a walking tour that will take you through the heart of the Eternal City, to
famous sites like Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps,
but also to lesser-known but equally breathtaking places like St. Ivo, St. Ignazio, Piazza di
Pietra/Temple to Hadrian, Piazza Colonna and the Prime Minister’s Palace.
The Renaissance – literally a "rebirth" of the classic cultures of ancient Greece and Rome -
is often associated with Florence, but in fact, the Renaissance art explosion the Medici started in Florence moved south once the Popes settled back to Rome after their 14th century exile in France.
The Church, and rich and ambitious families such as the Borghese, Barberini, Doria-Pamphili,
Farnese and Chigi, funded and fueled painting, sculpture and architecture at a pace and scale not seen since ancient times. Michelangelo and Raphael created High Renaissance masterpieces in Rome, and the boom only intensified during the Counter-Reformation, leading to the opulent Baroque.
Throughout the tour, visitors will be get to know two key players from the Baroque 1600’s – rival geniuses Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini - whose architectural and sculptural visions have left an indelible mark on the beauty of the city.
Another version of the tour skips Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps - which can easily be visited on one’s own - to concentrate on the older and richer west side of the Via del Corso: Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Sant’Ivo, Sant’Ignazio, Piazza di Pietra/Temple to Hadrian, Piazza Colonna and the Prime Minister’s Palace (as above), but also Campo dei Fiori, Piazza Farnese, Largo Argentina and the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi (with its 3 Caravaggio paintings).
My new favorite way to do this tour is to start on the magnificent Janiculum Hill (aka Gianicolo), wander through Trastevere, and the west part of town, with the option to cross over to Spanish Steps and Trevi, or allow the traveler to visit them on their own.
Pantheon requires tickets. You can do walk up or I can reserve in advance. To date Trevi is not ticketed though there is a line if you want to go all the way down the steps to the fountain’s edge.
"Heart of Rome" is a terrific orientation to the city and can be conducted during the day or evening. It is a fascinating mix of old and new – as many of these Renaissance and Baroque treasures are built upon or hearken to ancient sites and stories, thereby adding to the continuous fabric of Rome’s unique history.
Longer tours could include Jewish Ghetto, Augustus’ Tomb, Ara Pacis, Piazza del Popolo, Castel Sant’Angelo and more. Custom tours available - if you’ve read about something that sounds interesting to you, please do let me know!
