Rome tour - which would you choose?

[UKWildcatCruiser]

My last day in Rome is currently open with nothing planned.  I'm looking at two tours through The Tour Guy - 1) Rome's Catacombs and Appian Way Golf Cart tour and 2) Piazza Navona Underground Ruins Tour with Palazzo Altemps, with the latter being more expensive.  Is the 2nd option doable by ourselves if we find the sites?  Are there any guides to hire or signs explaining the sites? 

[cruisemom42]

18 minutes ago, UKWildcatCruiser said:

My last day in Rome is currently open with nothing planned.  I'm looking at two tours through The Tour Guy - 1) Rome's Catacombs and Appian Way Golf Cart tour and 2) Piazza Navona Underground Ruins Tour with Palazzo Altemps, with the latter being more expensive.  Is the 2nd option doable by ourselves if we find the sites?  Are there any guides to hire or signs explaining the sites? 

The Appian Way is harder to get to and do on your own, so I’d probably recommend doing that as a tour. 
 

The Palazzo Altemps is one of several branches of Rome’s National Museum. It’s easy to get to if you’re staying in the Centro Storico, and it’s a good way to see both a historic palazzo (still with original architectural elements and frescoes in many rooms) as well as a collection of ancient Roman sculpture. Rick Steve’s’ Rome guidebook has a room by room description. The ticket is good for visits to any of the other branches of the museum, including the most impressive one near Termini.

 

I am only aware of one set of “underground ruins” near Piazza Navona, just under its north end. They are the remains of the understructure that supported the arena built by Emperor Domitian which gave the modern Piazza Navona its shape. You can view the ruins from street level via windows on the street behind the piazza on that end (very near Palazzo Altemps). And you can access them for a small price via a somewhat hidden entrance on the piazza side. Rick Steve’s’ book has info on this as well — check hours carefully as I seem to recall them being limited. I think there are a few signboards with info as well.

 

Both of these things near Navona I’d  rate very easy to do on your own. 

[cruisemom42]

Forgot to add that Palazzo Altemps requires you to check anything larger than a tiny bag, so be prepared.

 

Also, they may have an audio guide available. I’ve found these audio guides are generally pretty good at museums in Italy.

[UKWildcatCruiser]

Thank you so much @cruisemom42 - exactly the info I was looking for - and we are staying at the Pantheon Iconic so very close to Palazzo Navano.  Sounds like we could do the morning golf cart tour then spend the afternoon exploring the area close to the hotel.

[sasandy]

I've been trying to figure out how to visit the Appian Way. It is not easy. The area I want to go to has some original road and wagon tracks but that is further down the road. A golf cart tour sounds easy and fun!

 

[cruisemom42]

3 minutes ago, sasandy said:

I've been trying to figure out how to visit the Appian Way. It is not easy. The area I want to go to has some original road and wagon tracks but that is further down the road. A golf cart tour sounds easy and fun!

 

 

You can take a combination of metro and local bus most of the way (I think the buses go as far as the Tomb of Caecilia Metella); once you get that far it's not a long walk to where the ancient Roman paving stones still line the road.