Private tour of the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum - halfday

Marisa was the ideal guide: very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and personable. Terrific experience.

Marisa exceeded our expectations & shared her expert knowledge, passion & understanding of the Roman Forum in a logical, fun, interactive & interesting walking tour. We feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to see & understand just a little of ancient Roman history thru the eyes of a Roman historical archaeologist.

We had a great morning tour with Marisa. Firstly, a big thank you for your flexibility. We had only 2 free days in Rome and really needed to see the Casa di Augusto SUPER site. It's closed on Mondays and Marisa agreed to rearrange her schedule for us, so that we could visit it on Tuesday. An impressive start in my books! We also started the tour early and visited the Palatine Hill first, before the tour groups made their way up there. At times, there were no others alongside us, which was the perfect way to chat freely with Marisa, absorb her insights and truly appreciate what an amazing structure was built up on that hill. The SUPER site was truly that - super! We had to purchase a special ticket to gain access to the Casa di Augusto but to see the frescoes there on the walls - after having just arrived from Pompeii - was spectacular. Did I mention that we had the place to ourselves? All because of Marisa's careful planning... grazie mille! As we descended towards the Roman Forum, the crowds were making their way upwards to the Palatine Hill. Winning! Within the Forum itself, Marisa's knowledge and expertise really came to the forefront, as she had been involved with the excavations and could give us a first-hand account of the discoveries. We had a great laugh when she showed us pictures of the Roman Forum all filled in, with the largest columns still poking out of the ground and the whole place being called the Field of Cows! We had a particularly insightful tour of the Temple of Vesta and House of the Vestal Virgins; this is one of the best preserved parts of the Roman Forum. We ended the tour at the Curia Julia - the Senate - and Marisa again put that building into its proper context and explained the delicate balance of power between the Senate and the Emperors. With my daughter studying Ancient History for her final year in high school, this was a great tour to bring all of that intrigue home - and Marisa did so expertly all morning. Note that this tour does NOT include a visit to the Colosseum (unlike most tours of the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum). We chose it for that particular reason: we wanted to delve into the ordinary lives of Romans - Emperors, Senators and the plebs - and this was the exact place where everything happened. Marisa's tour was perfect for that; we can contemplate gladiators, Christians and lions another time. 5 stars for a wonderful way to finish up our Ancient History tour for 2026. Thank you Marisa!

Marisa was a wonderful tour guide. She knows the Roman Forum so well and her insights as an archeologist made our experience that much more rewarding. I would highly recommend Marisa and this tour!

Grace Z.United States

Marisa is an AMAZING guide and we learned so much! She really tailors the tour to your group and what you want while still making sure you do everything you need in the Forum and the Palatine. It was well paced, informative, and a great experience. I highly recommend booking with Marisa!

We couldn't have asked for a better guide than Marisa. She tailored our tour of the Forum and the Palatine Hill to suit our own interests. She also provided excellent context and explanations for everything we saw. We are both already quite educated on the history of ancient Rome and the Renaissance, but we still learned a lot. Without a down-to-earth and approachable guide like Marisa, you might well be left staring at a pile of rocks wondering what they were and meant to the Romans. Brava!