Joy of Rome

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LIVE TOURS
CITY WALKS
Rome’s Scandals: the DARK LADIES and the City

LIVE TOURSCITY WALKSRome’s Scandals: the DARK LADIES and the City

Rome's Scandals: the DARK LADIES and the City

There is always a great woman behind every great man! And in some cases, centuries ago… also behind a great cardinal or a great pope! Meet the courtesans, who have ruled the city of popes: they were intriguing, powerful and beautiful women who played a hidden role in the political and social life of the Renaissance and Baroque eras.

Rome's Scandals, the Dark Ladies and the city

GOOD TO KNOW

THIS TOUR INCLUDES:

  • A walk in the historical center of the city amongst the buildings of the Roman Aristocracy-
  • A charming story-telling travel in time to meet the most powerful and charming dark ladies of the city.
  • A walking adventure through stories of the Roman Courtesans of the Baroque and Renaissance…stories that you’ll never find in the books!

Join us in a nice walk in the city amongst the buildings where some of the most powerful women of Rome have lived and influenced the life of aristocracy.
They were much more than glorified ladies of the night, they were intellectuals, highly educated and charming women; they could seduce powerful men with their beauty but especially with their knowledge, wisdom and charisma.
Most of them began life as peasants girls who managed to climb the ladder Roman society and reach the most important positions in the society.

Together with your English speaking tour guide you will see their original XVI Century private homes, their graves and the places where important historical events took place. Learn why and how a woman would want to become a courtesan and how many compromises she had to make in order to maintain her privileged position in Renaissance Rome.

Through our story-telling tour you will explore the lives of the 7 most fascinating Renaissance Ladies of the Night in Rome, portrayed by the most famous artists of their time such as Caravaggio and Raphael, beloved by popes, princes, cardinals and nobles 600 years ago. You’ll be amazed by the of their lives – women have always been very resourceful, especially when it came to pursuit their dreams. Follow us and be enchanted by the beauty of our city and by the stories hidden behind every corner!

We promise you an entertaining and colorful tour full of things you will never find in books and teach you all about an important and lesser known part of our history!

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • Private Tour available
  • IF SMALL GROUPS: You’ll be a group of 12 people or less.
  • Your guide will be LICENSED, ROMAN and specialized in ROMAN ART and HISTORY.
  • No tickets are needed for this tour.

*If  you have a party of 9 or more please concact us to arrange your private tour.

PRICES: tour guide fees must be considered as a total, not per person.

TOURS & PRICES

We run only private tours.

We don't run small groups.

We can accommodate time/day request according to our guides' and entry tickets availability.

Final and detailed price will be provided after receiving your request from the contact form.

Starting price for a private tour (2.5 hrs) during the high season (March/Oct) for 2/4 people is 350 euros + tickets (check under "tickets price").

Starting price can be reduced during low season or increased during holidays or last minute requests.

For group larger than four, price will be provided upon request.

ASK for availability

People say about us…

  • star rating  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

    avatar thumb nitpickr
    February 5, 2023

    star rating  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

    avatar thumb kmsc_1
    January 13, 2023

    star rating  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

    avatar thumb 837sachaq
    December 30, 2022
  • star rating  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

    avatar thumb MintLV93
    December 18, 2022

    star rating  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

    Gary H
    December 15, 2022

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

    Y4500ESveronicab
    October 18, 2022
  • star rating  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

    Kelley S
    October 5, 2022

    star rating  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

    EmeraldCityEvan
    October 2, 2022

    star rating  "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

    Rjcapozzi60
    September 24, 2022
  • star rating  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

    Moominskaya
    September 24, 2022

    star rating  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

    ssgjgg
    September 9, 2022

    star rating  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

    Y8968CVheatherl
    September 4, 2022
  • star rating  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

    danmI9575KA
    August 29, 2022

    star rating  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

    elinan897
    August 17, 2022

    star rating  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.

    KRMackey
    August 14, 2022
  • star rating  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.

    experiencejunkie
    July 28, 2022

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

    attobc
    July 28, 2022

    star rating  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

    S B
    July 19, 2022
  • star rating  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

    varshak777
    July 16, 2022

    star rating  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

    Q7554QNdavidt
    July 13, 2022

    star rating  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

    Torivjs
    July 9, 2022
  • star rating  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

    jtcraze
    June 2, 2022

    star rating  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

    KAQComo
    May 29, 2022

    star rating  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

    bhamwanative
    May 20, 2022
  • star rating  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

    J8066MYricharde
    May 10, 2022

    star rating  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

    Travel404746
    May 9, 2022

    star rating  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

    elisabethpW177GN
    April 10, 2022
  • star rating  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

    Carlaandstelios
    March 14, 2022

    star rating  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

    P7605RV
    February 20, 2022

    star rating  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

    qcai26
    February 4, 2022