Of course there are cabs (just line out of the airport and you’ll get one paying a forfeited rate) and a fast train (Leonardo express) or several private shuttle services.

But if you wish for a private limo service, we recommend the company “CONCORA”  which can always offer you a Class E car or van, even if you have not reserved (you’ll just have to wait a bit longer for them to arrange the transfer).  They have a desk inside the airport and will never charge you for any flight delays upon arrival.

If you book a transfer with them (or ask us to do it for you), this is how to find them once you are here: as soon as you get out from Custom area, you should already be in sector T3 (international flights) and you’ll find their desk just in front of you!

 If you are out from sector T1 (national flights),  just walk towards right and you’ll find sector C. Above you have a photo of their desk, so it should neot be difficult to find them.  But in case of need these are their phone numbers: +39.06.65012069 or +39 06.6507266.

There are special promotions if you decide to book the transfer back to the airport, you can enquire and settle directly with them.

Welcome to Rome!

On the slope of the romantic Aventino, a municipal Rose Garden  is located.

Every year approximately 100 varieties of roses from all over the world are on show and the most beautiful is awarded. The Garden is open for free every day for the months of May and June and everybody can enjoy the perfumes and amazing colours of these queens of the flowers.

This might be a nice break while touring the Aventino hills, one of our favorite areas in Rome!

Even this year there will be the historical parade along Via dei Fori Imperiali, just in front of the Colosseum, ending at Circus Maximus (the ancient chariot race track) where  the ritual ceremony of the “digging of the trench”, a ri-evocation of the foundation of Rome, will take place: Romulus, Remus, the Vestal Virgins, the she-wolf…the whole tale will be much clearer afterwards!

PS. The historical group arranging the parade is also offering our activity-tour “Gladiator for a day”, a fun way to learn about ancient history!

What’s a “calessino”?

The Piaggio commercial states:“…the folding top and the four seats make the Calessino ideal for a leisurely drive, perhaps with a picnic hamper in the back”.

Yes, why not? All the tours we can offer you by bike, by scooter or on foot can be much more relaxing with a driver and a calessino at your disposal, don’t you agree?

Have a look at this video : this is not in Rome of course, you will film the ride in Rome, ok? 

In fact we always recommend to visit Rome at least twice! The first time is meant to  get acquainted, visit the must-sees and taste a bit of this Eternal City. For this kind of trip the winter months are the best, as you can explore the Vatican Museums, the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon without a thousand people around you and maybe you can even find a good spot to throw the coin into the Trevi fountain without queueing to take that iconic picture.
Once the ritual of the coin has been accomplished, you can be sure you’ll be in Rome again. That ‘s when Spring is a great season! Leave the crowds to the main attractions you already know (you will catch up at night with the charming ruins of the Forum and the familiar arches of your “old friend”, the Colosseum…) and start exploring the city where the Romans still live, work,  eat, drink, love and enjoy life! 

We will be there!

For the Colosseum and Roman Forum, there is a pleasant “visitor centre” along Via dei Fori Imperiali. If you walk there from Piazza Venezia you will find this “Tourist Information Point” to your left, otherwise if you reach the area by metro from the B line station “Colosseo”, you’ll find this spot to your right giving your back to the Colosseum. Here some useful images which can help you:

The entrance from closer:

To help you identify ourselves, we will show a sign reading “A Friend in Rome” with our logo.

See you soon in Rome!

If your hotel or B&B has no private pool, you can enjoy some public open-air pools. This is surely the best way to spend a few hours during the summertime after a cool morning tour of the city’s attractions.
The slick RivaNord lounge bar is located along the Tiber River near the Ponte Milvio, the bridge famous for inspiring lovebirds to “lock up their love” with a padlock and throw the key into the river.
Whether or not you have a key to throw, you’ll likely start a love affair with the uber-sleek temporary pool that’s set up shop at  RivaNord. There are cushy lounge chairs on hand, and a slick bar and lounge for when all that splashing around works up an appetite. Note that this hip spot fills up quickly. If there’s no space at the RivaNord, try one of these other reasonably priced pools:

• La Piscina delle Rose (Viale America, 20.Transport:  Metro B to EUR Palasport): an Olympic-size swimming pool that the public can use for nominal fee. Visit on weekdays to get the most bang for your buck.

• Blue Wave Team – Sporting Club Ostiense (Via del Mare, 128. Transport: Metro B to Marconi): an outdoor pool that’s part of a larger sports club. Save yourself a couple of euros by waiting until afternoon to visit.

And, as Tim Jepson rightly underlines, “don’t be tempted to tackle too much: a single visit, even one that lasts all of a long Roman summer, is not enough to do justice to a city with an eternal past“.

Nightlife along the Tiber during summertime…

Girls tuned! You  may plan a trip to celebrate this day and your independence and strenght. You would also enjoy the special offer of the public museums and attractions, a free entrance to all women on March 8th and you’ll probably receive a bunch of yellow mimosa, the local symbol of the day.

We offer you a small gift, a tale of a woman exploring Rome solo on Xmas time;  we liked this statement: “memorable experiences often require risk and trust”. If you have similar travel stories to share, that’s the  time to post a comment!

This is the proof of the intense relationship between two great civilizations of the past, of course an economic relationship (Egypt was the main “granary” of Rome), but also a spiritual link. In Rome many temples were erected to the Egyptian gods (Isis and Serapis above all) and several artefacts were imported or imitated (a good range is now in the Egyptian sections of the Vatican and Capitoline collections).

But the clearest evidence of the awe Romans felt towards Egypt (after all, Egypt was a much older civilization and represented the “antiquity” compared to them!) is the presence of many obelisks in town: they were transferred as symbols of submission and triumph, as an ornament for mausoleums or as a gnomon of a sundial, mainly as winning posts in the stadiums.
The tallest of these “petrified sun rays” (this is the original religious meaning of the obelisk) ever produced in Egypt is still visible here in Rome, next to the Basilica di San Giovanni (105 feet) . Following the story of the 13 obelisks of Rome, you can learn a lot about the various ages of the Eternal City:  a scooter or bike tour is a perfect way to admire them all, of course escorted by A Friend in Rome!

Left: the Washington Monument in Washington DC, US (1884, 169 mt ) Above: Obelisco Flaminio, Piazza del Popolo, Rome (XIII c. AC, 24 mt)