Appian Way Tour & Roman Aqueducts | Private

Tour Description

Take a break from Rome’s historic center by exploring the surrounding countryside. Just south of the Circus Maximus marks the beginning of the Appian Way or as the Romans call it, the Via Appia Antica. All roads lead to Rome, but this was the one you took when you left it for good – for the Appian Way is lined with the tombs and catacombs of the ancients whose burial inside the city was forbidden.

Your private Appian Way and Roman Aqueduct Tour takes you on a scenic drive along the long surviving section of the Appian Way. Started in 312 BC, this impressive road once spanned the Italian peninsula, connecting Rome with Brindisi in the south. Today, flourishing with greenery, this tree-lined country road is considered one of the most picturesque landscapes in Rome.

Marvel at the Tomb of Cecilia Metella

On our journey along the Appian Way, we’ll pass the towering Tomb of Cecilia Metella. Built for an aristocratic woman from a powerful Roman family, it more closely resembles a castle than a burial structure. The artworks on its outside are breathtakingly immersize.

Pay a special visit to the Aqueduct Park

Spanning 240 hectares of the countryside outside Rome, the Park of the Aqueducts truly is one of Rome’s hidden gems. It’s the home of two aqueducts, one from the 16th century, the other from the 1st. Both survive remarkably intact, paying testimony to the durability of Roman engineering.

Movie makers appreciate the Park of the Aqueducts’ beauty. Federico Fellini included it in the opening fly-over scene of his masterful La Dolce Vita. More recently, Paolo Sorrentino’s recent Great Beauty featured a memorable performance-art scene here.

Visit the monumental Baths of Caracalla

The Baths of Caracalla were one of the few positive contributions of an otherwise horrible emperor. Towering above the Circus Maximus, they still provide an awesome sense of their original size.

You can visit the public baths’ many rooms and mosaics inside. And your guide will vividly reconstruct the hustle and bustle of the place to bring the Baths of Caracalla to life.

Your final stop is the Circus Maximus

Not much of the original Circus Maximus has survived the roughly 2,500 years since its inception. But from the structure that does, your expert guide will reconstruct the entire arena.

Leaving you to envisage the ferocious chariot races, bizarre wild-animal spectacles, and roars from the Circus Maximus’ thousands of spectators.

Customize the tour to cover the Christian Catacombs

We’re happy to extend this tour to include a visit to one of the Appian Way’s Christian Catacombs. Or if you want to focus mainly on the catacombs, we offer a Catacombs and Appian Way Private Tour.

Both include a private car with driver so you can relax away from the hustle and bustle of the Eternal City.