Rome at Twilight Among the Piazzas and Fountains: Evening Semi-Private Walking Tour

Tour Overview

When the sun begins to set and the magnificent monuments of Rome are bathed in the glow of twilight, the Eternal City is at its enchanting best. Our Rome at Twilight tour is the perfect introduction to the spectacular landscape of the city’s historic centre. Join us for a relaxing evening stroll to experience the beautiful piazzas and fountains, palaces and churches that have left generations of visitors to Rome speechless. In the company of a friendly local guide you’ll get to visit iconic sights like the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps and more. Rome is the greatest open-air museum in the world - discover its fascinating 2,000 year story with us today!

Tour Description

Explore the wonders of the Eternal City with an expert guide

Join us on an evening stroll to appreciate the splendors of Rome; wander past its imposing palaces and through its grand piazzas, where water dances in the extraordinary fountains that occupy pride of place in Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps and, most impressive of all, in the Trevi fountain. This special Rome evening walking tour is an ideal introduction to the magic of one of the world's most enchanting cities.

Discover the enchanted streets of Rome where time has stopped, and learn about history and art in a new way. We'll encounter popes and emperors, artists and ordinary people in the places where their lives took shape, and where the ancient and the modern worlds mingled to create the political and religious institutions on which Italian society still rests today.

Wander through Rome's Drawing Room in Piazza Navona

We will begin our journey into the atmospheric heart of the Eternal City in one of Rome's most iconic public spaces: Piazza Navona. Its long and distinctive shape has been part of the city's urban fabric for nearly 2,000 years, beginning life as the ancient Stadium of Domitian whose shape is still obvious today. And yet at the same time we are in the heart of the Roman Baroque: all around are spectacular optical illusions and theatrical buildings, signs of a revolutionary new approach to architectural space.

Here we'll confront the geniuses of Bernini and Borromini, the two greatest rivals of their age and opposites in every respect. Bernini's marvelous Fountain of the Four Rivers is the piazza's centrepiece, a pyramidal structure that incorporates an obelisk and culminates in the flight of a dove. Dominating the skyline above is Borromini's curving facade and bell tower of the church of Sant'Agnese, where stone takes on the malleability of softest clay. 

Discover the magic of antiquity in the Pantheon 

The magnificent Pantheon will transport us to another era, and this portion of our walking group tour is all about the grandeur of Imperial Rome. Innovative ideas, technologies and various cultures blend to make an artwork of extreme power and poetry, a design so perfect that Michelangelo considered it to be the work of angels. The history of the area is no less fascinating: it was originally a marshland subject to the floods of the Tiber, then a military training ground devoted to Mars, the god of war. The temple that dominates the piazza was first built by Agrippa for his son-in-law Augustus, before a restoration by Hadrian in 126 AD created the magnificent building we know today.

According to medieval legend the central oculus in the huge dome was created by the explosive crash of pagan demons fleeing the building at the moment of its conversion into a church in 609 AD. The Pantheon also houses the tombs of Raphael who died prematurely in 1520, and the first King of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele, who died in 1878. We will of course still visit the piazza and admire the great edifice from the outside.

To complete your exploration of the magnificent remains of the ancient city, be sure to check out our in-depth tour of Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. 

Drink in the marvels of the Baroque at the Trevi Fountain

Here we will let ourselves be lulled into tranquility by the magical song of the waters, immersing ourselves in this wonderful piece of theatrical architecture that recalls the great buildings of Ancient Rome. The main structure of the Trevi Fountain is a triumphal arch, taking its inspiration from classical examples such as the Arch of Constantine. With the help of your guide you'll decipher the legends depicted in the sculptures of the arch, from where the god Ocean advances with his Tritons and winged horses to celebrate an ancient festival of water with us. You will also learn about the origins of the fountain in an ancient Roman acqueduct, as well as its history through the centuries.

Gaze on the world's most beautiful staircase at the Spanish Steps

Our tour finishes in the magnificent Piazza di Spagna, home to the iconic Spanish Steps. With our expert guides we will learn the history of the church of the Trinita' dei Monti that towers above, as well as why the young Gianlorenzo Bernini and his father (also a sculptor) adopted the unusual subject of a boat for the fountain of the Barcaccia. We'll also uncover the social significance of the majestic stairway that came to unite these two areas, which for centuries had been separated by a cliff face.

Join us on this Rome group tour on a journey to understand the true character of the Eternal City, and see how its picturesque streets and timeless piazzas conceal fascinating histories and magical artworks just waiting to be discovered.

*If reservations at the Pantheon are not possible for weekends or if the lines are too long, the guide will give you the explanation from the outside to ensure all other stops on the tour are not missed*

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