Tours

Katie provides private, in-depth tours of Rome and southern Italy for small groups (max 6 people). Her offerings include culinary, archeological, and art historical itineraries, as well as wine and beer tastings. To request rates and availability, please use the contact form.

Culinary Tours of Rome

Roman Cuisine in the Centro Storico

This walking tour explores the history of Roman food commerce and focuses on the delis, bakeries, cafes and gelato shops of Rome’s historical center. We will graze through central Rome and taste bread, coffee, gelato and cheese while delving deep into the city’s cultural history.

Roman Cuisine in Testaccio

This walking tour traces the history of cuisine in the Testaccio district. We will begin in the new Testaccio market, which sells produce, meat, cheese and more. At the old slaughterhouse, we will discus offal and other poor cuts, then visit bakeries and food shops to taste local specialties.

Roman Cuisine in Prati and Trionfale

The neighborhood just north of the Vatican is pleasantly tourist free and residential. Its food shops and covered market are sensational and the area is home to the world’s best pizza by the slice. This walking tour will explore this overlooked district and focus on its delis, bakeries, market, cafes and gelato shops.

La Cucina Povera: Offal in the Roman Culinary Tradition

Originally the food of the poor (cucina povera means peasant cooking), offal is now regarded as a delicacy and is served in the best of Rome’s traditional restaurants. We will begin the tour with a walk through Testaccio, paying visits to the market and the former slaughterhouse. The tour will culminate with a curated lunch of organ meats and poor cuts at a typical restaurant.

La Cucina Ebraica: Roman Jewish Cuisine

This walking tour, followed by a curated lunch, will focus on the history and development of Rome’s Jewish food traditions. We will explore 22 centuries of culinary evolution and taste local and seasonal dishes at kosher bakeries and a restaurant in the Jewish Ghetto.

Introduction to Italian Wines

The world of Italian wine, with its 20 regions and hundreds of appellations, can be intimidating. During this wine tasting held at a wine bar, we will demystify Italian vino by sampling an array of wines paired with food.

Italian Craft Beers

The quality and production of Italian craft beers has increased exponentially in the past few years. Learn about the country’s traditions, trends and producers during a beer tasting and food pairing at a Roman pub.

Natural Wines

This tasting, which takes place at a wine bar, will focus on “natural” wine—wine that has been made with minimal chemical intervention in the vineyard and cellar (the vast majority of wine does not fall into this category!). We will address the controversies surrounding Italian wine labeling, seek a definition of the elusive term “natural wines” and taste spectacular–and affordable–esoteric bottles.

Art Historical and Archeological Tours of Rome

Ancient City

This walking tour takes a layer-by-layer look at the complex archaeological zones of the Coliseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum. The tour provides context for other ancient ruins in the city and leaves visitors with a deeper understanding of ancient Roman culture.

Field of Mars

This is a leisurely walking tour through the historical center, where Romans have been living, worshiping and gathering for more than 2000 years. The area is densely populated by sites from the Roman Empire, Middle Ages, Renaissance and the Baroque Age. The tour visits Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Campo dei Fiori, Renaissance piazzas and baroque churches. It can be tailored to focus on a specific theme or art historical period.

Vatican Museums & St Peter’s Basilica

This in-depth tour of the Vatican’s extensive art collections begins in the ancient sculpture galleries where we will confront the Roman statues that influenced Renaissance masters. We will also visit the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica.

Underground Rome

Modern Rome sits atop as much as 30 feet of archeology, a phenomenon that has led to the preservation of countless ancient monuments, including houses, temples, sewers and theaters. This didactic walk focuses on the urban stratification that characterizes the city’s architectural history. Due to irregular opening hours, sites will vary depending on the day of the week, but may include San Clemente, San Nicola in Carcere, the Crypta Balbi, the Vicus Caprarius and the Case Romane on the Celio.

Jewish Rome

The first Jews arrived in Rome twenty-two centuries ago and their rich historical legacy is alive and well today. This tour focuses on the history of Rome’s Jewish community and begins with a trip to the ancient Jewish Catacombs near the Appian Way. This is followed by a visit to the Jewish Ghetto, the neighborhood were Jews were obligated to live by order of the Pope from 1555 until 1870.

Trastevere

Just across the Tiber River from the historical center, Trastevere was the neighborhood where foreigners and worshipers of foreign cults dwelled during Roman times. Frequently overlooked by visitors, Trastevere is a charming maze of medieval streets and home to some of the Rome’s most picturesque squares. We will visit ancient churches like the Basilica of Santa Cecilia and Santa Maria in Trastevere and explore the theme of daily life in ancient, medieval and modern Rome.

Capitoline Museums

This tour will visit the Capitoline Museums–two buildings and an underground tunnel–which house the greatest collection of antiquities in Rome. The museum visit will focus on Imperial artwork, the influence of Greek art on Roman iconography, mythological subjects, as well as the styles and materials employed by the Romans.

Appian Way

A visit to the Appian Way—Queen of Roads—begins at the Circus Maximus, then proceeds to the nearby Baths of Caracalla, and onwards to the Circus of Maxentius and the Tomb of Cecilia Metella.

Ostia Antica

After a 30-minute train ride, we will arrive at one of the greatest ancient Roman sites. The seaside town of Ostia reached its peak in the 2nd century when it was a vital administrative center for commerce. We will walk the ancient streets and visit a bathing complex, temples, a theater, a forum, restaurants and houses.

Custom Tours of Rome

Half-Day Custom Tour

We can design a half-day custom tour tailored to your interests. Some examples include “Classical Rome”, “Ancient Statuary in the National Museums”, “A Runner’s Tour” and “Pigneto, Prenestina and the Periphery”.

Full-Day Custom Tour

Mix and match from the tours above or we can design a custom itinerary based on your interests.

Other Tours of Rome

I can suggest colleagues for private cooking classes and customized shopping itineraries.