LivItaly Sensational Small Group Tours in Rome

LivItaly Tours provides small group, individualized itineraries in Rome and other cities in Europe, including a fascinating Roman Colosseum underground tour. During our Viking cruise in the Mediterranean Sea, the one non-Viking excursion we did was a prearranged tour of Rome with LivItaly.

Our tour guide Rachel arranged to meet us near the Spanish Steps. Our tour group consisted of myself, my wife Julie, and Howard Blount from Backroad Planet. Pre-tour communication was fantastic. Rachel advised us which train to take from the port and requested our cell phone numbers to stay in touch (but the three of us had no cell phone service).

LivItaly Tour

While in front of the Spanish Steps, Rachel provided nice history and information of the Spanish Plaza (Piazza di Spagna), the Spanish Steps (Scalinata di Spagna), the Column of the Immaculate Conception (Colonna Dell’Immacolata), and the Valentino store (his lawsuit against McDonalds resulted in drastic changes to the ventilation system and signage).

Spanish Steps in Rome
Spanish Steps – LivItaly Tours, Rome, Italy

Very interesting to me was a quiz. Rachel asked if we could figure out why it is named Spanish Steps. She even gave us clues. I will not reveal the answer, in case you want to figure it out on your next visit. One clue was that adults usually cannot guess correctly but children do.

Rachel said our tour encompassed much of what LivItaly’s Heart of Rome tour guests would see, along with a very special addition (stay tuned).

LivItaly Tours advantages include:

  • only small groups (maximum of 6 persons) or private tours
  • flexibility of schedule, sights, and more
  • passionate, knowledgeable (culture and history), English speaking guides
  • “skip the line” admissions to attractions included in your tour

Other highlights of our tour included viewing Bernini angel sculptures in his home church, seeing the only visible portion of the ancient Roman aqueduct in the city center, visiting the recently cleaned and reopened Trevi fountain, walking along many ancient cobblestone streets, and spending time at the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, all while learning fascinating insider information and historical details not found in guidebooks or online.

Bernini Angel statue in Rome
Bernini Angel – LivItaly Tours, Rome, Italy
Trevi Fountain in Rome
Trevi Fountain – LivItaly Tours, Rome, Italy
the Pantheon in Rome Italy
Pantheon – LivItaly Tours, Rome, Italy
statue in Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona – LivItaly Tours, Rome, Italy, Photo by FuninFairfaxVA.com

Included in the price of our Heart of Rome tour, and many LivItaly tours, is a cup of coffee or scoop of gelato from a favorite shop of the guide. I selected hot chocolate, as it was a bit chilly. That refreshing stop came after a lunch break (at our cost) at what Rachel said was the best pizza place in Rome. Who am I to argue?

THE Highlight of Our LivItaly Tour

We walked to the Colosseum for the main event. Rachel provided us with special access tickets, which included seeing the underground/floor and third levels of the Colosseum. Both levels are open only to special tour ticket holders. Big tour groups typically snap up these premium tickets and it was a special treat for LivItaly to provide our small group this underground tour.

 view from the lower level of the Rome Colosseum
Roman Colosseum underground – LivItaly Tours

Groups of 25 at a time are accompanied by an official Colosseum tour guide who described each stop. Rachel knows the process and ins/outs. She would hold us back away from the group and provide custom commentary or lead us through ahead of the group while the Colosseum tour guide was describing something to the other group members.

Rome Coliseum lower level
Roman Colosseum underground – LivItaly Tours, Photo by FuninFairfaxVA.com

We always seemed to have ideal photo opportunities while the other group members had to queue up. The LivItaly advantage!

You can also do our Colosseum tour experience with one of LivItaly’s most popular tours, Colosseum Underground and Ancient Rome Tour. The tour also covers other popular attractions, like Palatine Hill and the Forum, which we opted to skip.

The Goodbye

After the Colosseum tour was complete our LivItaly tour was essentially over but Rachel walked us through the Monti neighborhood. She said it is the current cool spot of Rome, sort of Brooklynish.

view of a street in Monti neighborhood of Rome Italy
Monti neighborhood, Rome, Italy – LivItaly Tours. Photo by FuninFairfaxVA.com

Howard went to the train station, to visit Vatican City before heading back to the Viking Star. Rachel took Julie and I to what she said is the best gelato shop in Rome: Gelateria Fatamorgana. That is a topic I would like to fully research but, yes, the gelato was AMAZING.

Overall, our day with Rachel of LivItaly was one of the highlights of our 10 days in Europe. Rachel was very passionate and knowledgeable about the major sights of Rome and she also provided interesting trivia and insider information.

Thank you to LivItaly and Rachel for providing me this complimentary tour in December 2015.

Sharing is caring!

10 thoughts on “LivItaly Sensational Small Group Tours in Rome”

  1. Sounds like LivItaly is a great way to see the sites while skipping the lines. I love the idea of touring with a local to get all the little known facts and tidbits, like finding the perfect gelato shop. What fun!

  2. That is really cool that you were able to go underground and ground level of the Colosseum! That is an amazing experience 🙂 I agree that the small personalized tours can be a great way to see a city in a short time or if you’re planning to stay longer learn about all the cool places from a local!

  3. That was a great tour for a day with the best gelato to boot! But you do have to spend more time in this eternal city. There is so much to see!

  4. The tours you get to go on when you are on a river cruise seem to be pretty good. You get a lot done in just one day. I like that. Great post.

Comments are closed.