Duration : 4 Hours
Looking for something to do between your early-morning flight arrival at Fiumicino airport and check-in time at your lodgings? This transfer plus 3 hours of off-the-beaten-path touring time in Rome is the perfect way to fill that gap!
Our private driver will take you around to a whole array of things that are out of the ordinary. Whether you’ve been to Rome before or are simply the sort that enjoys the uncommon, this is a great way to experience “Unusual Rome.”
Features of Rome Airport Transfer + 3 Hours Touring “Unusual Rome”:
The tour begins in the EUR district of Rome. This neighbourhood was conceived by Mussolini during Italy’s fascist era to host the 1942 World’s Fair (EUR stands for “Esposizione Universale Roma”). Thanks to World War II, the expo never took place, Mussolini had more pressing problems to tackle, and the EUR master plan was abandoned.
In the 1950s and 60s, the city of Rome revived the ambitious urban project, which Mussolini had envisioned as a return to the majesty of Ancient Rome in a wrapper of Fascist Ideology and Italian Rationalism. The architecture is completely unique from what you find in the historical centre of Rome.
We’ll pass by the basilica of St. Peter and Paul with its giant hemispheral dome, originally planned as a mausoleum for Mussolini but subsequently repurposed as a church. It was dedicated to saints Peter and Paul shortly after it opened for worship in 1955.
One of the four Papal basilicas of Rome, St. Paul Outside the Walls has a story that goes back to ancient times. As the name implies, the church sits outside the city’s ancient walls, on the site where Paul of Tarsus was buried after his execution. Constantine the Great commemorated the spot back in the 4th Century CE, and many expansions and restylings have taken place over the centuries. The most distinctive aspects of the basilica today are the handsome 13th Century cloister, featuring “mismatched” columns of every imaginable sort, the shimmering mosaics in the nave, and the intricately decorated, coffered ceiling.
Rome’s Aurelian Walls were built between 271 and 275 CE, enclosing The Eternal City in a 12-mile stretch of fortification 26 feet high, which would be doubled in the 4th Century. By 500 CE, the circuit was a massive complex: 383 towers, 7,020 crenellations, 18 main gates, 5 postern gates, 116 latrines, and 2,066 large external windows!
The Aurelian Walls are amazingly well-preserved by virtue of their continuous use up until the 19th Century. In the Museo delle Mura, visitors can learn about how they were constructed and how the defenses operated.
Rick Steves calls the Appian Way “Europe’s first superhighway and the wonder of its day”. It stretched 400 miles (most of them dead-straight) to Brindisi on the Adriatic coast, the Roman port for ships destined for Greece and Egypt.
The first ten miles of the ancient road are preserved as a regional park in Rome. In this area, we also find the important catacombs of St. Callixtus and San Sebastiano, where early Christians gathered to worship and inter their departed brethren during the period of persecution in the early days of Christianity. You’ll have the option to visit the catacombs (tickets not included).
On another section of the Appian Way, you’ll see the Circus of Maxentius, an ancient race track (similar to Circus Maximus, where the chariot races took place) that was part of a complex of structures built by Emperor Maxentius between 306 and 312 CE. In this area is the Tomb of Cecilia Metella, an imposing landmark and important funerary monument from Ancient Rome. The mausoleum, built for a Roman noblewoman, dates back to the reign of Augustus. Get a close-up view of the actual Appia Antica and original cobblestones that testify to the brilliance of Ancient Roman engineering.
Here you’ll have the chance to get some fresh air and stroll around in the lush green spaces that seem so far from Rome, and maybe gawk at the modern private villas of famous Romans that now dot the Appian Way.
Our tour of Unusual Rome concludes with Parco degli Acquedotti, where you’ll see the famous Claudian Aqueduct as you walk around in the Roman countryside.
Drop-off at your Rome lodgings.
NOT INCLUDED
Is this tour private?
Yes, the tour is private, for your group only.
Where do we meet the driver at the airport?
Your driver will be waiting for you at the Meeting Point inside the airport, just outside the customs area.
Does the driver go with us inside the monuments?
No, only a licensed guide is authorized to accompany you while visiting sights. Our driver will drop you off close to the sights but will stay with the vehicle for the duration of your visit.
Does this tour include a guide?
A private guide is not included. For this tour, your driver should be a sufficient source of information.
Can we go outside the car and take pictures of the monuments?
Yes, whenever possible, your driver will stop the car and allow you to step outside and take pictures.
Does this tour include lunch and admission fees to sites?
Tickets and meals are not included in the rate. Please contact our office for pricing and reservations.
What is the duration of the service? Can we extend the time upfront with the driver?
The duration of this service is about 4 hours in total, including pickup at the airport and drop off at your hotel in Rome. If you would like to add extra hours to your tour, please contact our office so that we can check the driver's availability and advise the cost.
Is gratuity included in the price?
Tips are never included in our quotes. We think that a tip shouldn’t be included, otherwise it would be a tax!! Tips are voluntary, only if you really liked the service. Tips are generally: 10% pretty good, 15% great, 20% best tour of my life. We kindly request that you report any dissatisfaction directly to us.
There will be a full charge for bookings canceled with less than 72-hour notice for any service required. In this case, a full charge will be made on your credit card.
If you miss your flight or if your airline decides to cancel the flight due to bad weather or if your flight is directed to another airport on arrival, please advise us on time (as soon as you know) or a full charge will be made.
Please give us enough time so we can accept other reservations and allocate them to our chauffeurs. If the ship does not make it to the pier for bad weather, you will not be considered responsible so NO CHARGE will be made to your credit card. A full charge will be made for a no-show-up.
Only pre-purchased skip-the-line tickets (if requested) are not refundable under the circumstance and will be charged to your card.
Transfer Services activated.