Perhaps nowhere is the Italian passion for life more fully expressed than in food. On this tour, you’ll dine at the popular Meo Patacca restaurant in the heart of the Trastevere district. Here, sit down to a delicious multi-course dinner featuring the best Roman cuisine. Pleasant musical entertainment accompanies your meal. This is a fine opportunity to sample local specialties and to enjoy the warmth and vivacity of the Italian lifestyle. Includes a stop at the famous Trevi Fountain, where you simply must throw a coin into the fountain for good luck!
Then, you’ll go on an atmospheric tour through the Eternal City, viewing the Colosseum and other great monuments under their dramatic evening lighting. It’s another face of Rome, and should not be missed.

This tour brings you to the Vatican City, sometimes referred to as “Michelangelo’s Rome.” A unique city-state, the Vatican occupies 109 acres and has less than 1,000 inhabitants. The Vatican’s centerpiece, St. Peter’s Basilica, was started by Bramante in 1506 and later completed by Michelangelo. He masterminded the church’s astonishing dome, considered to be one of the most beautiful in Europe. As you tour the interior of the gold-laden basilica, be sure to pause at Michelangelo’s first masterpiece, the Pieta. Near the entrance of the Basilica, you’ll probably encounter some of the famous Swiss guards. This elite army has served as guard of the Vatican and pope since 1506. You’ll also tour the Vatican Museum, where you’ll behold a veritable treasure-trove of the artistic masterpieces owned by the Catholic Church. Continue to the Sistine chapel, built as the private chapel of Pope Sixtus IV. Visitors from around the world come to see the Sistine Chapel, attracted by Michelangelo’s most famous work of art — the frescoed ceiling. This intricate work, which took the artist four years to paint, astonishes visitors with its beautiful scenes from the Old Testament.

Just east of Rome is Tivoli. This charming hilltop town is famous for its grand villas, precisely landscaped formal gardens, and — most of all — remarkable fountains that represent the culmination of the fountain builders’ art.
The tour begins with a visit to the 16th-century Villa d’Este, former home of Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este. Among the Villa’s many treasures are the extensive gardens containing 500 fountains, including the famous Bicchierone Fountain, with its shell-shaped basin attributed to the artist Bernini. The Rometta Fountain, or “mini Rome” reproduces well-known monuments of classical Rome. The splendid Avenue of 100 Fountains leads to the Oval Fountain, dominated by a statue of Sybil. At a lower level, you’ll find the Organ Fountain, where at one time music could be played on a water-powered organ concealed in the base.
Return by the Central Avenue to view several more interesting fountains in the Villa d’Este Gardens.

**This tour does not operate on Mondays.