Hidden Gems of Ancient Rome with Context

(31 reviews)

Rome audio tour: Hidden Gems of Ancient Rome with Context

This is a 2.5mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

Rome

Italy

$19.99

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About the Tour

Peel back Rome’s layers to discover lesser-known places in the shadows of iconic landmarks on this walking tour with Context Travel expert Veronica Iacomi, a PhD archaeologist and expert guide.

Starting on Campidoglio, the hilltop square designed by Michelangelo, you‘ll wind your way through Centro Storico, the Eternal City‘s central neighborhood. You‘ll visit landmarks like the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo, but you‘ll also discover the city’s hidden histories and little-known facts around every corner. Did you know that the statue of a porter on Fontana del Facchino (or Il Facchino fountain) wasn’t actually sculpted by Michelangelo? On your way to Museo dell‘Ara Pacis, a museum housing an ancient Roman altar where our tour ends, you‘ll see ancient and modern sculptures, piazzas adorned with Roman columns and Egyptian obelisks, and architecture spanning centuries.

On this 90-minute walk, you‘ll have an opportunity to:

Explore many of the city’s different layers by learning how places have been reused, redeveloped, and restored from ancient times to today
See the “Talking Statues” used by Romans to anonymously express controversial opinions about their leaders, from past Popes to present politicians
Take in ruins that illustrate ancient Romans’ daily lives, from proto-apartment buildings to aqueducts and Porta del Popolo, the remnants of the city‘s defensive walls
Visit Piazza di Spagna at the foot of the Spanish Steps
Spot the original Egyptian Obelisk of Montecitorio in front of Palazzo Montecitorio, which houses one of two branches of the Italian parliament
Stroll down Roman thoroughfares like Via del Babuino and Via di Ripetta
Walk along both avenues that border the church Santa Maria in Montesanto

By the end of this tour, you‘ll come away with a deeper understanding of the long history of the Eternal City.

Context Travel connects you with world-class experts for audio guides like this one, as well as in-person tours. Explore more at contexttravel.com.

Tour Producer

Context Travel

92 tours

Context was founded in Rome in 2003 by Paul Bennett and Lani Bevacqua an expat couple eager to curate experiences for travelers, not tourists. Since then Context has taken over 200,000 people to 60+ destinations around the world – accompanied by thousands of leading experts. What started as a dream to create cross-cultural connections is now a worldwide network and community of thoughtful, engaged travelers and experts.

Join a live private or small group tour in destinations around the world at contexttravel.com.

Preview Location

Location 20

Aqua Virgo Roman aqueduct

Coming up on your left is a black fence. Stop once you reach it.

We're just few steps away from the Trevi Fountain, and this is a real hidden corner few know about. Still, it's related, somehow, to the Trevi Fountain. Curious? Well, if you've seen this worldwide famous monu... Coming up on your left is a black fence. Stop once you reach it.

We're just few steps away from the Trevi Fountain, and this is a real hidden corner few know about. Still, it's related, somehow, to the Trevi Fountain. Curious? Well, if you've seen this worldwide famous monument of Rome, you might have noted, among the many stunning details, the two panels which flank the main central statue of Neptune. Those panels remind us that the origin of the aqueduct which still nowadays supply the Trevi Fountain and many other historical fountains of Rome. It's a story involving Agrippa, the famous right-hand man of Augustus who, among other things, also married Augustus' daughter. He was not only a valorous general, but also a great ally of the Emperor in developing his plans for the city of Rome. Agrippa was in fact responsible for the erection of the first Pantheon, and not far from that temple, he had the first public bath complex in Rome built. But the area of Campus Martius was not yet provided with the necessary infrastructure: namely, there was no water supply for this district.

According to the tradition depicted in the Trevi Fountain's panels, while with his soldiers Agrippa had found himself running out of water, and was helped by a lovely young girl who pointed to a spring. Agrippa found this water suitable for his purposes and decided to plan an aqueduct to bring it to the city. That's why the spring, and the aqueduct stemming from it, was called “Aqua Virgo”, literally the water and the aqueduct of the virgin. Probably this is just pure legend, since the name may more likely be related to the purity of the water, which springs in an area some 8 miles NE of Rome.

You can see here one of the few segments of the aqueduct which run off the ground: for the greatest part of its route to the city, the conduit in fact was underground, at an average depth of 30-40m. The longest of the ground section was recently discovered in the basement of the building now part of the Rinascente luxury shop, a few metres from you on via del Tritone: if you happen to be here during the opening hours, grant yourself a short detour and do not miss it! Or just go back to the Trevi Fountain and toss your coin once again, with a look at the panels with the stories of Agrippa.

But now let's keep moving. Continue along this street. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Capitoline Hill
Aqua Virgo Roman aqueduct
Spanish Steps
Piazza del Popolo
Mausoleum of Augustus
Museo dell'Ara Pacis
"Talking Statue" of Babuino

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Piazza del Campidoglio, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Total distance

4km
Final location
Lungotevere in Augusta, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Distance back to start location

2km

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins on top of the Capitoline Hill. You have two ways to reach the top of the hill depending on where you come from in the city:

If you come from Via del Teatro di Marcello, you'll have to climb a few stairs to reach the top of the hill.

If you come from Via dei Fori Imperiali, you must go uphill through Via di S. Pietro in Carcere.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

During the tour, your guide will mention that you can pause it and continue along Via del Tritone instead of turning left to continue our itinerary and walk until Piazza Barberini to see the Triton fountain and the beginning of Via Veneto, made famous by the Dolce Vita movie.

Along the itinerary, you'll walk by multiple coffee shops (bar in Italian) where you can stop for refreshments.

Best time of day

This tour can be done anytime.

If you want to see the city with less crowds, we recommend doing this tour in the morning.

One of the talking statues is located at the entrance of the Capitoline Museums. If you start before 9:30 AM, you will still be able to see the statue through the door that is usually open from 8:00 AM, but you might not be able to approach it.

Precautions

Bring a bottle of water with you; you can fill it up twice during this tour.

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“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”