Anyone will enjoy these tours, but they are especially designed for youngsters or for those who aren't ancient history experts. Families who visit the Eternal City have a unique opportunity to make a boring school subject come alive for their children, and it is really true that a few hours in the ruins, if done correctly, can literally change a young person's life forever. With that in mind, we asked the guides to create two exciting itineraries full of laughs and learning - and a couple of good old-fashioned scares to boot!

Full-Day Catacombs, Roman Empire Museum, Coliseum & Forum
Half-Day Catacombs & San Clemente

Full-Day Catacombs, Roman Empire Museum, Coliseum & Forum

If you bring children to Italy, you really owe it to them to make ancient Rome magical, and this is the tour that does it. Your guide, a longtime Rome resident, will meet you in the lobby of your hotel and travel with you by private car to the ancient Appian Way, passing the Circus Maximus, laid out below the villas of the ancient emperors, just as it was 2000 years ago.

 

The Appian Way was once the most important road in the world, and still today it maintains a feeling of faded glory. You'll see where the original marble pavers have been scarred by centuries of chariot wheels; you'll walk past the tombs of the Imperial families; you'll spot ancient road signs that have survived for two millennia. Because there is no traffic on this road, and it is surrounded by quiet Roman countryside (and the estates of a few Roman millionaires!), you can really imagine how it may have been when Spartacus led thousands of uprising slaves along its length so many years ago.

 

You'll also visit the most important and interesting Roman catacomb. You'll be allowed to enter on your own, without a group, and once inside your guide will distribute flashlights as you descend into the dark tunnels where clandestine Christians worshipped and were buried. You'll see the loculi where their sheet-wrapped bodies were laid to rest, and you'll learn to decipher the secret symbols that only Christians understood.

 

Next you're on your way to Mussolini's version of Imperial Rome, a neighborhood of gigantic faux-Roman monuments. One of the most impressive structures is the Museum of Ancient Civilization. Sadly neglected (but blessedly empty!), this just might be the best place on earth to ignite a youngster's interest in history. Because it is hard to get here on your own, and there are no explanations for visitors, it's the perfect place to see with a guide. Here everyone will be fascinated by brilliantly crafted models that illustrate the evolution of Rome, starting from its earliest origins.

 

A miniature of the first settlement clearly shows the Seven Hills (which today are dwarfed by apartment buildings). Nearby are cutaways of the straw huts that were inhabited by those primitive Romans. From here you'll begin to retrace the development of the insignificant riverside hamlet as it grew to become the greatest empire on earth. You'll thrill to intricate recreations of a tenement, aqueducts, baths, theatres, amphitheatres, circuses, forums, temples, streets, roads. When you get to the emperors' rooms, you will be fascinated by true-to-life models of Caesar's battles and sieges, including the bridge that his legions built across the Rhine. As your guide will explain, this was the first bridge ever to cross that mighty river. Just imagine how the terrified Germanic tribes watched and trembled while the legions erected the 1700-foot-long structure, in a mere ten days! Seeing this model, what might have been a dry history lesson suddenly comes to life!

 

The museum has many of these miniatures, each with a story your guide will relate. Because the rooms are 30 feet tall, you will also encounter many life-size recreations of long-gone monuments the Romans erected in provinces throughout the Mediterranean. You'll see a model of the Coliseum as it was then, plus warships alongside models of the harbors they sailed into, actual city gates, the family tree of Augustus (a picture of a tree with royal names pinned on its limbs!), a plastic recreation of Hadrian's villa, and life-size replicas of the dread Roman war machines.

 

All this, and you haven't even come to the stars of the museum! These are available to view on alternate days, so we can't promise whether you'll see the huge model of Constantine Rome, which was based on a 3rd BC map and is constantly updated as new discoveries are made; or the plaster casts of Trajan's Column. Built in 113 to commemorate the emperor's victories in the Dacian Wars of 101-103 and 105-106 AD, the column stands in central Rome; these perfect casts were commissioned in 1860 by Napoleon III, and show 2500 exquisitely carved soldiers embroiled in lively battle scenes.

 

Next, after a nice break for lunch, you will return by private car to the REAL Coliseum, one of the most famous monuments on earth. Here you'll skip the line and enter the amphitheatre, which originally held 50,000 spectators. Used for 500 years to host gladiatorial games and public spectacles, it was also the scene of mock naval battles, animal hunts, executions and dramas. Your guide will bring these scenes to life as you look around and remember the museum model of what it originally looked like.

 

Afterwards you'll walk next door for a stroll through the Roman Forum. What today might look like a mass of crumbling ruins will now come to life, thanks to your visit to the museum. Even after the tour as you are driven back to your hotel, and during the rest of your stay in Rome, you'll be on a scavenger hunt to find the remains of an empire that has now come to life before your very eyes!

 

These tours are available on request every day except Monday and December 25. Each tour lasts six hours (plus lunch). We regret that we cannot guarantee the chronological order of your day in advance. Prices include private car transfers as described, and personal tour guide. Meals are not included. Entrance tickets cost 11 Euro/person extra for the Coliseum, 8 Euro/person extra for the Catacombs and 3-6 Euro/person extra for the Museum, paid in cash during the tour (ticket prices may vary slightly without notice). If your group includes at least two adults plus children, up to two of the children under 12 years old pay only for entrance tickets. Available in English and Spanish.

2009 Prices for the Full-Day Tour
1 person	587.00 Euro/group
2 people	587.00 Euro/group
3 people	641.00 Euro/group
4 people	641.00 Euro/group
5 people	652.00 Euro/group
6 people	696.00 Euro/group
7 people	696.00 Euro/group
8 people	815.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**
9 people	859.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**
10 people	880.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**
11 people	913.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**
12 people	946.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**
13 people	957.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**
14 people	967.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**
15 people	978.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**
16 people	989.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**

Half-Day Catacombs & San Clemente

Your guide, a longtime Rome resident, will meet you in the lobby of your hotel and travel with you by private car to the ancient Appian Way. This was once the most important road in the world, and still today it maintains a feeling of faded glory. You'll see where the original marble pavers have been scarred by centuries of chariot wheels; you'll walk past the tombs of the Imperial families; you'll spot ancient road signs that have survived for two millennia. Because there is no traffic on this road, and it is surrounded by quiet Roman countryside (and the estates of a few Roman millionaires!), you can really imagine how it may have been when Spartacus led thousands of uprising slaves along its length so many years ago.

 

You'll also visit the most important and interesting Roman catacomb. You'll be allowed to enter on your own, without a group, and once inside your guide will distribute flashlights as you descend into the dark tunnels where clandestine Christians worshipped and were buried. You'll see the loculi where their sheet-wrapped bodies were laid to rest, and you'll learn to decipher the secret symbols that only Christians understood.

 

Once again above ground, your driver will take you back to the historic center to discover one of the ancient city's most fascinating secrets: the church of San Clemente. This treasure trove is overlooked by most tourists, yet it is appealing for all visitors - from the most learned scholars down to kindergarten students - because its three layers include an incredibly ornate basilica, a spartan 4th-century church, and a 1st-century Roman house where Christians met secretly and pagan rituals were performed. At the very lowest level, most of which was destroyed in the Great Fire of Rome identified with Nero, you can even see an underground river flowing beneath your feet!

This tour lasts three hours. Prices include private car and driver and personal tour guide. Entrance tickets (8 Euro/person) and meals are not included. If your group includes at least two adults plus children, up to two of the children under 12 years old pay only 8 Euro each for tickets. Available in English and Spanish.

2009 Prices for the Half-Day Tour
1 person	348.00 Euro/group
2 people	348.00 Euro/group
3 people	370.00 Euro/group
4 people	370.00 Euro/group
5 people	380.00 Euro/group
6 people	380.00 Euro/group
7 people	380.00 Euro/group
8 people	446.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**
9 people	446.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**
10 people	446.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**
11 people	478.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**
12 people	478.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**
13 people	478.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**
14 people	478.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**
15 people	478.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro**

** - If your group totals over 7 people (including children), please add 65.00 Euros
to your total cost, to pay for the Rome City Entrance toll.

If your group is larger, please ask us for prices.

Our Vatican tours are also perfect for introducing young children to history and art. Click here for more information.

Click here for more information about San Clemente.