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Half day tours in the countryside near Rome by
private car with English speaking driver guide - Half day tour of
the Villa D'Este in Tivoli - Half day tour to Castel Gandolfo and
Nemi - Half day tour to Ostia Antica - Tours by private car for
small groups |
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Half-day tours
Just a few miles outside of Rome, are
some enchanting places to visit:
Tivoli, Subiaco, Ostia, Castelgandolfo,
Nemi
You can choose between spending a half
day visiting the unique Villa D'Este in
Tivoli or walk through the streets of
Ostia Antica, an abandoned Roman city
like Pompeii, but less crowded and more
romantic. Otherwise, how about a drive
to the hilltop towns south-east of Rome
where the Pope has his Summer Residence?
Lovely sceneries, good wine and great
food! |
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These are great hall-day tours that
will make you discover some
unexpected gems just outside the
metropolis, it takes just a little
more than half an hour to get to any
of these places and if one has spent
a couple of day sightseeing around
Rome he'll appreciate getting out of
the city and some quiet!
The only thing that's better the
these half day tours... is the full
day tour!
You can combine 2 of these tours or
go further out to areas where the
average tourist doesn't go and
really discover Italy
paolo@drivinguide.com |
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Tivoli (Rome) - The "Sibilla"
Temple |
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Though
these are fantastic places, it's not
always easy to talk people into
touring them, they're not as famous
as the Colosseum, but anybody I ever
took to any of them, was always
happy I convinced them! |
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Half-day tour to Villa D'Este and Hadrian's Villa,
Tivoli |
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Excursion
to Villa D'Este and Hadrian's Villa. 4 hours |
Not on Mondays! |
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A half day spent in Tivoli,
between Hadrian's Villa and Villa D'Este. You'll
get to see the sumptuous residence of the
Cardinal Ippolito II D'Este and the ruins of
Hadrian's. Walk around the street of medieval
Tivoli and take pictures of the castle. See the
quarries where the Roman's got the Travertine
marble from, to build the Colosseum and the rest
of Rome. Eventually we'll stop to taste the
famous olive oil from this area, if you're
interested and if there's time. |
Villa D'Este |
St. Maria Maggiore |
Hadrian's Villa |
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Short description of
the itinerary for the excursion to Tivoli, 4
hours:
We meet at your hotel in Rome at the time
you like and drive to Tivoli. In Tivoli
we'll visit Hadrian's Villa first (optional)
and then we drive up the town and visit
Villa D'Este. At the end of the tour you'll
be driven back to your hotel. |
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about this tour: |
We will be driving on the
motorway towards Tivoli and reach it within
45 minutes. Before driving up to the city,
we'll visit the ruins of the famous
residence of the Emperor Hadrian: Hadrian's
Villa. The villa was the Emperor's "ideal
city", a retreat from the chaos of Rome and
the classical buildings in it reproduced the
best elements of the material cultures of
Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Tivoli is in fact
the place where the ancient Romans quarried
the Travertine marble which was used in the
construction of the famous buildings like
the Colosseum. Between the visits to the two
Villas it will be possible to make a stop at
local restaurant for a typical lunch. After
visiting Villa D'Este we will visit Villa
D'Este, built in the 16th Century for the
Cardinal Ippolito D'Este (son of the famous
Lucrezia Borgia) who had it built for
himself when he became the governor of
Tivoli. became the governor of Tivoli. The
beautiful building is world known for its
astounding garden which is decorated by
hundreds of artistic water fountains. Time
permitting we will stop to look at the
marble quarries at the foot of the hill on
the way back to the hotel.
Hadrian's Villa,
it's not an easy place to visit, you have to
walk a lot, up and down the hill on uneven
surface, why not use the time to stroll down
the streets of medieval Tivoli instead? |
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Rates per vehicle for this
shore excursion:
sedan (1/4 persons) 290 €;
minivan (4 persons) 310 €;
minivan (5/6 persons) 350 €;
minivan (7/8 persons) 370 €. |
Driving time:
Rome to Tivoli: 45'
Tivoli/Rome: 45'
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These rates include:
4 hours of touring (including pick up and drop
off) in the requested vehicle conducted by
experienced driving guide and VAT (value added
tax).
Rates do not include entrance fees or meals and
drinks. |
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Half-day tour to Castelgandolfo and Nemi, the Roman
Castles |
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Excursion
to Castelgandolfo and Nemi. Wine tasting
tour. 4 hours |
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This excursion takes you to a
beautiful area south east of Rome known for the
wine they have been producing there since they
days of Ancient Rome, the food and the fresh
air. The area is so beautiful that one of the
towns, Castelgandolfo, has been chosen as the
site for the Pope's Summer Residence way back in
the sixteen hundreds. I'll take you to visit
these charming little medieval hilltop towns and
you'll enjoy the view of the two volcanic lakes.
You can also stop for lunch at some nice
restaurant with outstanding view, food and wine.
Wine tasting at one of the local wineries can be
arranged. . |
Castelgandolfo |
Nemi |
Pope's Residence |
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Short description of the itinerary for
the excursion to the Roman Castles, 4 hours:
We meet at your hotel in Rome at the time
you like and drive to the hilltop towns
south east of Rome. We will visit the towns
of: Grottaferrata, Frascati, Marino,
Castelgandolfo and Nemi and then return to
your hotel. |
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More about this tour:
They call this area the Roman
Castles since these towns originated from
the castles the Roman nobles built on the
most suitable hill in their property. Over
the years the people built their homes
outside the castles so to be protected by it
and finally they built walls around the city
for more protection. When better times came,
in the Renaissance, those castles were made
into villas and the nobles spent their
summers there in better climate than Rome.
The location and the climate were ideal for
cultivating grape vines and the area has
always been known for producing wonderful
white wines. The wines are usually named
after the town where they are produced and,
to my advice, the most famous is the wine
produced in the town of Frascati. The area
has beautiful hills and lakes and the little
towns have a special quaint atmosphere. The
first one of the towns we reach is
Grottaferrata, there we can visit the Abbey
founded in the 10th Century by St. Nilo.
Later we proceed driving on the beautiful
"Via dei Laghi" (the road of the lakes) to
Nemi. The road climbs the hills between the
woods of the Alban Hills and offers breath
taking panoramas of the towns and the lakes.
Nemi is a lovely little town overlooking the
homonymous lake and known for producing
special strawberries. Finally we'll reach
Castelgandolfo which is the most charming of
the small towns in the area. It will be
possible to make a stop at local restaurant
for a typical lunch. Castelgandolfo was
chosen in the 17th Century by Pope Urban
VIII Barberini to be the Summer Residence of
the Popes, so that's where still today the
Pope spends there the months of July and
August. The Papal Residence cannot be
visited, but the Palace can be seen from the
outside. In Castelgandolfo are also shops
that represent the local wineries, so you
can go wine tasting. The area is also well
known for its food and willingly you could
have a nice lunch in one of the restaurants
in the area. Wine tasting can also be
arranged at one of the local wineries. |
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Rates per
vehicle for this shore excursion:
sedan (1/4 persons) 290 €;
minivan (4 persons) 310 €;
minivan (5/6 persons) 350 €;
minivan (7/8 persons) 370 €. |
Driving
time:
Rome/Grottaferrata: 30'
Grottaferrata to Nemi: 30'
Nemi to Castelgandolfo: 30'
Castelgandolfo/Rome: 30' |
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These rates
include:
4 hours of touring (including pick up and drop
off) in the requested vehicle conducted by
experienced driving guide and VAT (value added
tax).
Rates do not include entrance fees or meals and
drinks. |
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Half-day tour to the ruins of Ostia Antica |
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Excursion
to Ostia Antica. 4 hours |
Not on Mondays! |
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This is a tour that will take you
to one of the most interesting places just
outside of Rome: the excavations of Ostia.
You'll go back in history to the days of the
splendor of the Roman Empire in Ostia. Very
similar to Pompeii, Ostia is yet different. In
Ostia you can really see how the Romans lived
and worked, in Pompeii you can see how they
vacationed! Ostia is not nearly as well known as
Pompeii and you can stroll through it almost
alone, away from the masses of large, loud tour
groups. |
Ostia, The Hero |
Ostia, Fish Market |
Medieval Ostia |
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Short
description of the itinerary for the shore
excursion to Roman Castles and Ostia, 4
hours:
We meet at your hotel in Rome at the time
you like and drive to Ostia via the oldest
motorway in Italy. We'll be there in half an
hour and tour the excavations. If time
allows it we can stroll around the old
walled in village or stop to visit St.
Paul's Outside the Walls, or do both.
Finally we'll return to your hotel. |
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More about this tour:
Located at the mouth of the
Tiber river, only a half-hour drive from
Rome, the visit of Ostia is like the visit
of Tivoli and the Roman Castles: a relaxing
trip. Ostia Antica (Ancient Ostia) was
founded Ostia in the seventh century B.C.,
as a military fort, called Castrum, that
guarded the river mouth against sea borne
invasions. Ostia later gained prominence as
the domestic landing for cargo boats.
According to ancient sources it was the
oldest Roman colony. Ostia is easily
comparable to Pompeii: you walk through the
ruins of a city that was abandoned in the
fifth century A.D.. It is in fact a magical
alternative to the crowded, and far from
Rome, Pompeii as well as it is complementary
to it. Ostia was for one thousand and five
hundred years a ghost town, covered by
marshy swamp and infested with malaria. In
the early nineteen hundreds, the Italian
Government ordered the first systematic
archaeological excavations, and to this day,
with every unearthed stone, they add to our
knowledge and understanding of a city that
once stood next to Rome in grandeur. |
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Rates per
vehicle for this shore excursion:
sedan (1/4 persons) 290 €;
minivan (4 persons) 310 €;
minivan (5/6 persons) 350 €;
minivan (7/8 persons) 370 €. |
Driving time:
Rome/Ostia: 30'
Ostia/Rome: 30'
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These rates
include:
4 hours of touring (including pick up and drop
off) in the requested vehicle conducted by
experienced driving guide and VAT (value added
tax).
Rates do not include entrance fees or meals and
drinks. |
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