The SECRETS of the Colosseum

  What a wonderful experience led by our tour guide, Marta! Our children ages 7 and 5 really absorbed the stories and enjoyed their scavenger huntlooking for specific objects. ... read more Marta was patient, kind, and extremely knowledgeable. The 4 adults in our group ENJOYED the tour as much as the children.

  This was our third tour with Joy of Rome and second with Francesca. She has a gift for bringing the stories behind the artworks to life and sharing her enthusiasm.... read more Highly recommended. I'm already looking forward to my next trip to Rome and will certainly include another tour with Joy of Rome.

  Our guide Francesca was fantastic! As an art historian and curator of street art, she really made the subject com alive. I strongly recommend this activity for anyone interested in... read more this fascinating art form and seeing a very different side of Rome.

  My husband and I booked Joy of Rome two days in a row. Once for the Ancient Rome tour and the other for Vatican + Sistine Chapel.

First... read more day we had Francesca and second day we had Grace. Both ladies are born and raised in Italy and are so incredibly passionate about their country and all the landmarks that make up the history of Rome. We were blown away with not only the knowledge they had but also the information they were giving us. To go into museums and historic sites is one thing but you’re stuck reading placards and listening to tapes - it doesn’t give you any life or paint you a true picture. Those things can’t answer your questions.

These private tour guides can answer all your questions and it doesn’t even really feel like a tour. It feels like a friend showing you and your loved ones around their loved city. Joy of Rome was worth the money for sure. Do NOT be cheap when it comes to education.

Also, make sure to ask them what they like to eat around the area because Francesca pointed us to a small restaurant in the Jewish community and it was probably some of the best food we had in Rome. Fried artichokes and pasta!

  A must-go for kids - We did 2 tours with Serena on the same day for our family of 4( 6y and 8y old boys) , visiting Colosseum in the morning and Vatican in the... read more afternoon.
Serena was perfecto for the kids with the right energy and tempo to engage our kids on a day in which we had light rain in Rome. The clever use of ipad visuals enable us ( and the kids) to visualise Ancient Rome and have a better sense of what it felt like centuries ago.
Thank you!

  Francesca‘s narrative is always the best. She is our joy of Rome. No one brings Rome to life better.

  This was the highlight of Rome for us. Francesca is amazing! Her knowledge and passion came through the entire day! I loved this experience and would highly recommend... read more a day with Francesca!

  We loved this tour! Their guide was wonderful and the tour at night was magical! We got so much more out of the experience this way and thoroughly enjoyed our... read more time with Francesca.

  "On the trail of Carravaggio" was a splendid way to experience a quieter corner of Rome led by an excellent guide and to see some beautiful works of art in... read more their intended settings. The tour commenced at Piazza Navona and ended at the Piazza di Popolo. To visit the viaccolo where Carravaggio lived and worked and to understand how Rome influenced Carravaggio and his painting was particularly enlightening. Our guide Ilaria, a Phd in this period of art history was tremendously knowledgeable about the works of art, the artist, the noble patrons who supported his work and recent historical discoveries about the troubled life of this mercurial fellow. The lighting of each painting added a touch of drama to the visit.

  We met Nicole at the Chiesa Nuova and she gave us a fascinating walking tour through the banking centre of late medieval Rome, Via Giulia and over the Ponte Sisto... read more to Trastevere. Seeing Raphael’s house was a highlight and it was a joy to listen to Nicole talking about the city she knows and loves.
The Villa Farnesina is a real jewel, with beautifully decorated rooms by Sodoma and the superb Raphael frescoes of Cupid and Psyche.
Nicole had even brought a book to show us where all the fruits came from and she told us about the various colours and pigments used.
Nicole was a friendly and engaging leader and the brilliant tour she gave us simply opened up the city for us. She even pointed out an excellent pizzeria for lunch.

  A wonderful tour of Villa Farnesina and Trastavere!

Serena was a 5 Star guide! She was professional and knowledgeable and tailored her commentary to our needs. Her words... read more brought to life the beauty and significance of what we saw and gave us a deeper appreciation for the history and people of the area.
We would absolutely give her our highest praise and recommendations!

  Loved this tour! Maria was AMAZING with my two boys (5.5 and 8 yrs) while touring the Colosseum in August. They are both shy, she was caring and kept them... read more engaged the whole time. My husband and I learned so much too. Maria had extensive knowledge about the Colosseum and it's history. She also had an iPad with pictures to help the kids better understand what the Colosseum was like during that time. She gave some cool facts that the boys like to share with everyone. I would highly recommend the Joy of Rome and Maria. Also, being August and coming during a really busy time the Joy of Rome was really easy to work with and were very responsive with emails.

  Arianna showed my wife, our six year old son and I around the Colessuem. We all loved it. Very engaging, very informative and very friendly. Removed all... read more the potential stress from visiting such a busy and popular attraction. Worth every penny. Thanks!

  We did four tours with Grace and found her to be extremely knowledgeable, speaking at length about the history, culture and traditions of the artifacts we saw. She answered all... read more our questions and provided tremendous added value with her observations and insight, as well as her organizational skills in securing reservations and tickets. Our family has learned a lot from her and we are grateful for her hard work and effort. It’s well worth the time to plan a tour with Joy of Rome and certainly worth the money.

  Took four tours with Joy of Rome and Francesca and Grace were a true Joy! We did the Vatican, catacombs, pantheon and colosseum. Highly recommend! Thanks so much ladies.

  Francesca was a great guide. She engaged with my 8 yo and had lots of interesting details to share. Definitely a must do tour in Rome.

  Great tour with not just historical facts but plenty of anecdotes that kept the teenagers attentive the whole time. Massimo was just fantastic. Period.

  My teen daughter and I had a private tour of both the colosseum and the Vatican on 2 separate days.
Our tour guide was Sarena. This was an... read more amazing tour and really enhanced our vacation. Sarena was an amazing tour guide. She is so knowledgeable, engaging, and personable. My daughter has studied a lot of Roman history and art in school. Sarena took that and ran with it, really personalizing our experience and tour. It felt like we
were walking around with a good friend, one who knows so much about Roman history, art, and these Roman landmarks. We did not wait on line anywhere. And she knew
all of the best places to stop including restroom breaks. Both tours were worth every bit of what we spent. I highly recommend this tour company- ask for Sarena to be your tour guide. You will not be disappointed .

  Great service .. our guide Salvatore was very informative and patient.
Would highly recommend this company and your .
Did t feel rushed and got a good idea of the... read more colloseum and the rich history.

  Francesca was a terrific guide to the Colosseum and ancient Rome, and she kept our boys (aged 11 and 16) engaged and interested, even though it was a rather warm... read more day! She's a wealth of knowledge (unrelatedly: ask her about Raphael and Michelangelo - she's an expert!) and she really brought these ancient sites alive for us. We would take another tour with her or with Joy of Rome in a heartbeat.

  Our Joy of Rome tour was our favorite tour we did in Rome. Serena was our guide and not only was she informative, but kind and accommodating. She was excited... read more to show us the history of her city. We had been traveling for a few weeks with 6 adults and our 6 month old daughter. By the time we got to Rome we were hot, tired and not very excited about spending another day sweating amongst hundreds of tourists trying to see some old rocks. Well Serena changed our minds about Rome! I felt like I actually learned the history of the coliseum. We could understand her. She made sure we had a break and stayed together. Also, Joy of Rome tours accommodated us last minute and helped us find a tour that worked for us. They were responsive and helpful. Great overall experience!!!!

  Thanks to Francesca, our Colosseum tour was the highlight of our Rome trip. She kept our young boys (6 and 8) engaged and focused. The Colosseum is a huge place... read more and the kids often got distracted but Francesca had no problems getting their attention back. She patiently answered their many questions (including random ones totally unrelated to Rome). She answered many of the adult questions too, satisfying our curiosity. Because of her, we the parents, managed to admire the majesty of the Colosseum.

Without her, I'm sure the boys would have gotten bored quickly and the adults, having to keep a constant eye on them amidst the crowd, wouldn't have had such an enjoyable experience.

Booking with Joy of Rome tours was easy and fuss free. They answered all questions promptly via email.

  Francesca was extremely knowledgeable. She has great enthusiasm for the art, artists, the gallery and helping us learn. She answered our questions and welcomed them. It deepened... read more my experience immensely. I am still thinking about the major pieces - one which made me cry.

While an art historian private guide may seem pricey, I would trade the cost for visiting another museum or two or a fancy dinner.

  We had a private Vatican Tour on a Friday night with Serena. It was incredible! Serena was so engaging and knowledgeable. Her enthusiasm was contagious. ... read more We appreciated the extraordinary privilege of her guidance on a relatively quiet evening in this blessed and special museum. This tour was one of our highlights in a monthlong visit to Italy. We highly recommend a private tour as it is personal and directed toward your specific questions and interests. You will not be disappointed!

  Joy of Rome is a sheer delight! We went on 4 tours with them and all were supremely fantastic! The wonderful Serena took us on The Highlights of Rome walking... read more tour and the next day the Ancient Rome tour. We then had the delightful Giulia guide us on the very special Tour Tivoli and finally Francesca who showed us around The Vatican. All guides and tours were first rate and i recommend our guides and The Joy of Rome tours to make your stay in Rome extra special!

  Arianna opened our eyes to marvels that we would have never known without her guiding us through this extraordinary museum. We loved her enthusiasm, knowledge and great ability to... read more connect critical events together so that we could understand history in a much more in depth way. She made the 2-1/2 hours the definite highlight of our four days in Rome.

  I would highly recommend Joy of Rome. The whole experience from booking the tickets by email to being guided to the meeting point to the tour itself was faultless.
I... read more went with my 7-year old daughter who by 15h30, when our tour started, was pretty tired after a whole day of walking. But Alessandra, our guide, had enough spark, passion and interesting facts to keep my daughter interested throughout!
Alessandra and her guided tour were pure Joy!!!!

  the thing i liked the most about the tour was that Grace our tour guide was an expert in the field and showed how professional she was by her excellent... read more manor and handling of my family (young children and a child with special needs) attention to the details i had discussed particular for my family! it made the whole experience worth it for my son and gave my husband and me a chance to look around and enjoy the tour too rather than worry and fret about the kids. the tour was tailor made in speed and content . Grace was so polite, patient and kind! thank you for a lovely experience!

  We were looking for an engaging, informative tour of the Colosseum for our kids (and us!) and Serena was the perfect solution. She brought the experience to life through storytelling... read more that kept both my kids (ages 7 and 3) entranced throughout the 2.5 hours. She was extremely knowledgeable about everything. We also spent a bit of time at The Forum, and it wasn't too much. Would highly recommend this tour!

  SUPERLY AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEIR TOURS!!!
We followed 2 tours (becoz 1 is definitely not enough), separately with Serena for Caravaggio theme and Massimo for Dark Ladies theme. To say... read more that the two tours changed my understanding of Rome is a great understatement. They have literally broadened my views of both the city of Rome and even the history of the world. Both Serena and Massimo have exhibited very comprehensive knowledge base of the city and the stories. And especially, the way they tell these stories were extremely attractive, humorous and interactive!!!! They have made Rome such a lovable city, full of stories, adventures and love.