History
An archaeologist, the first entry slot, and the stones still warm from the night.
The Forum is a place you read slowly. A column here, a paving stone worn by something heavier than feet there, and a brick wall that was once the Senate. It makes no sense at all without someone beside you who can tell you what is certain and what is only a good guess.
Our guides trained as archaeologists and still work on digs, so they will not dress a rumour up as a fact. We go first thing, when the light comes in low and warm and the tour groups are still on their way. One ticket covers all three sites, so the day is simple.
8:30
We enter the Forum from the Colosseum side so the whole valley opens up in front of you. The Arch of Titus, the Via Sacra, the Curia where the Senate met: your guide reads each one in plain language.
9:30
We climb the hill where, according to the legend, Romulus founded the city and where the emperors later built their palaces. The view back over the Forum is the best in the park, and there is a garden with benches for a short rest.
10:45
We walk down past the Arch of Constantine to the amphitheatre. Your guide explains how it worked: the awnings, the crowds, the machinery below the floor.
11:15
We enter at our timed slot and walk the upper and lower rings. Your guide gives you time to wander alone before we regroup and finish together outside.
Outside Colosseo metro station, on Piazza del Colosseo
Piazza del Colosseo, 00184 RomaLook for a guide holding a small wooden sign with the Primo Lume oculus. We arrive 20 minutes before the slot so there is time for the security check.
Open in mapsHand luggage must not be larger than 30 × 40 × 15 cm, and there is no cloakroom. Everyone goes through metal detectors. Water in a non-glass bottle is fine. Wear closed shoes you can walk in on uneven stone.
Parts of the park are, and parts are not. The Palatine and the Forum have steep, uneven paths. Tell us your needs when you enquire and we will plan a route that works.
Shade is scarce, crowds build all morning, and the stone is at its best in low light. In the cooler months we sometimes start a little later.
History
from€85per personGo inside the Pantheon at the right time of day, then walk Piazza Navona and the lanes behind it with a guide who knows which door to look through.
Walks
from€79per personClimb the Gianicolo before Rome wakes, watch the haze lift off the domes, then walk down into Trastevere for breakfast at the counter.
