Tours

Katie provides private in-depth tours of Rome and southern Italy for small groups (max 6 people). Her offerings include archeological and art historical itineraries, as well as wine, food, and beer tours. To request more information, please use the contact form.

Half-Day Tours of Rome

Ancient City

A layer-by-layer look at the complex archaeological zones of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum. This tour sets the historical stage for other ancient ruins in the city and gives context to the other ancient sites in the city.

Field of Mars

A leisurely walk through the flood plain where Romans have been living, worshiping, and gathering for more than 2000 years. It is densely populated by sites from the Roman Empire, Middle Ages, and Baroque Age. The tour visits Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Campo dei Fiori, renaissance palaces and baroque churches. It can be tailored to focus on a specific art historical period or theme.

Roman Cuisine

This walk explores the history of Roman cuisine, beginning in a market and finishing with lunch in a traditional restaurant. We will begin in the Testaccio market, which sells the seasonal produce, traditional breads, and local cheeses that are at the heart of Roman cooking. At the Citta’ dell’Altra Economia, an organic food market built into the old slaughterhouse, we will delve even deeper into the local and seasonal nature of Roman food. Finally, we will round off our morning in Testaccio with lunch at a traditional restaurant where we can sample the city’s signature dishes.

Vatican Museums & St Peter’s Basilica

An in-depth exploration of the Vatican Museums’ extensive collections and the adjacent Basilica dedicated to St Peter. The visit begins in the ancient sculpture collection of the Museums where we discuss the Roman sculptures that influenced Renaissance masters. The tour continues to the Sistine Chapel and ultimately to the Basilica of St Peter.

Underground Rome

Rome’s modern buildings sit atop up to 50 feet of archeology, a phenomenon that has led to the preservation of thousands of houses, temples, sewers, and theaters underground. This didactic walk focuses on the urban stratification that characterizes the city’s architectural history. We will descend below today’s city streets to explore structures preserved from Roman antiquity and the Middle Ages. Due to irregular opening hours, sites will vary but may include: San Clemente (a 12th century basilica above a 4th century basilica built over a temple and Roman insula), San Nicola in Carcere (a 12th century church built in and above three Republican era temples), the Crypta Balbi (a first century theater), the Vicus Caprarius (a portion of a 1st century apartment block and cisterns beneath a bookstore and cinema), Case Romane (an Imperial housing complex beneath the Basilica of SS. Giovanni e Paolo.

Jewish Rome

The first Jews came to Rome in 161BCE and there has been an unbroken presence since Roman antiquity. This walk focuses on the history of Rome’s Jewish population from Republican times to the present. We begin at the Jewish Catacombs near the Appian Way, a site closed to the general public and opened to us with special permission. With flashlights we will explore the labyrinth of burial chambers hewn from the living rock nearly 2000 years ago. Then we will visit the Ghetto, a neighborhood established in 1555 by papal decree where Roman Jews were forced to live by law until Italian unification is 1870. Our visit to the Ghetto will include stops at a Kosher bakery and the Great Synagogue.

La Cucina Povera: Offal in Rome and Testaccio

Originally the food of the poor—cucina povera means peasant cooking—offal is now regarded as a delicacy and is served in the best of Rome’s traditional restaurants. We will begin the tour with an orienting walk around the Testaccio district, pausing at Monte Testaccio, a mound where broken terracotta vessels used for carrying oil and wine were discarded during the Roman Empire. Then we will move on to the Ex-Mattatoio, the retired slaughterhouse, now a modern art installation space. Today the slaughtering takes place out of town, but people still flock to the butchers of the Testaccio market to purchase the organ meats for which Roman cuisine is famous. We will see how offal is sold, and the more daring among us can try a bit of horse jerky at the equine butcher. We will end the tour with lunch at one of Testaccio’s traditional restaurants, where we can sample tripe, sweetbreads, lamb intestines, or oxtail prepared in the Roman style.

Italian Wine

Italian bureaucracy has considerably complicated the business of understanding Italian wine. During this 3-hour evening tour at a typical Roman wine bar (or two), we will demystify Italian wine by sampling an array of offerings paired with food.

Italian Craft Beer

The quality and production of Italian craft beers has increased exponentially in the past few years. Learn about the country’s traditions, trends, and producers during a beer tasting at a Roman pub.

Trastevere

Lying just across the Tiber River from the historical center, Trastevere was the neighborhood where foreigners and worshipers of foreign cults had to live by law during Roman times. Frequently overlooked by visitors, Trastevere is a charming maze of medieval streets that are home to some of the city’s most picturesque squares. We will visit the important landmarks of the Basilica of Santa Cecilia, Santa Maria in Trastevere, Bramante’s Tempietto, and the Baroque Fontana Paola for breathtaking views of the city. The themes of daily life in modern Rome and Roman cuisine will also be explored.

Half-Day Custom Tour

A half-day custom tour tailored to your interests. Some examples include Counter-Reformation Architecture, Ancient Statuary in the National Collections, Shopping.

Appian Way

A look at the first few miles of the Appian Way, Queen of Roads, from its original beginning at the Circus Maximus. This tour covers the Baths of Caracalla, Porta San Sebastiano, the Circus and Villa of Maxentius, and the Tomb of Cecilia Metella. This tour can also be tailored to take in the tombs and monuments beyond the Tomb of Cecilia Metella.

Ostia Antica

An exploration of Rome’s ancient port town located 25 km from the city. This town reached its peak in the 2nd and 3rd centuries and is the quintessential example of a Roman peninsular town including houses, temples, a theater, a forum, and Europe’s oldest synagogue.

Other Tours of Rome

Katie also provides full-day itineraries. She can arrange private cooking classes and customized shopping itineraries with qualified colleagues.