1 June 2022
Viator Tour: “Rome Full Day Tour with Food and Wine” which was a 6 hour tour of Rome.
Our friends, who found this tour, were unable to travel to Italy. We booked this tour on 29 May 2022, for the two of us paying $601.34. We tipped Mauricio an additional 40 Euros at the end of our lunch.
Mauricio Carratoni, dressed in a suit and tie, with Carratoni Tours, promptly picked us up at our hotel starting 8:30 AM, with his very clean, black, Mercedes Van. Mauricio is an excellent guide, driver, and obviously knows and loves the city of Rome.
Mauricio was very professional and drove efficiently and safely through Rome. He had a vast knowledge of Rome and was extremely informative, and kind to take a few pictures for us. We drove past Piazza di San Marco, Sant’Angelo, stopped at Circus Maximus, ll Roseto di Roma (The Rose Garden), Colosseum and the Arch of Constantino. Mauricio showed us before and after pictures of the Circus Maximus and the Colosseum to help us envision these places centuries earlier.
Then, we drove to Piazza Farnese and stopped at Vyta to sample croissants and enjoy some Americano’s. Afterwards, our next stop was at Regola, a marketplace. Then, Mauricio drove to the Pantheon, which is now Basilica S. Maria ad Martyres; however, there was a Holy Mass at 10:30 AM, which required reservations that we evidently did not have, so were not able to go inside. Next, we drove past the Piazza Colonna, a historic heart of Rome. Then, we visited the Trevi Fountain where Mauricio provided both of us with a coin to toss over our shoulders into the fountain. Next, we viewed the Campo Marzio area.
We drove over the bridge crossing the Tiber River through the Trastevere streets until we reached Caffe dei Papi where we were served a charcuterie board sampling of cheeses, meats, breads, olives, sundried tomato, and strawberries as well as drinks: Birra Ichnusa (beer) and a lovely Prosecco (Italian champagne). Mauricio and the caffe staff pointed out the ages of some of the hanging meats.
After that, Mauricio took us to some other points of interests in the Travstevere, Borgo, and Piazza Navona areas. We stopped at a park with a beautiful view of the Piazza del Popolo and the Egyptian obelisk, as well as other parts of Rome. Then, Mauricio took us to the Roman Forum to show us the ancient ruins.
Lastly, we experienced a delicious lunch at La Soffitta Renovatio, where we had a luscious lasagna and margherita pizza with wine, which ended about 2:30 PM.
We really enjoyed our tour with Mauricio, and highly recommend his talent on your visit to Rome!