Walks
The city in haze, then a cornetto at a bar where nobody speaks English yet.
Rome is easiest to understand from above, and easiest to love before nine. The Gianicolo is the high ground on the west bank, and at first light it gives you the whole city laid out like a map somebody has left on a table: the white wedding-cake of the Vittoriano, the low dome of the Pantheon, the long grey line of the Alban Hills behind.
We keep this small on purpose. Eight people fit around one guide without a headset, and the point is to stand still and look. Then we walk downhill, because the best part of getting up this early is the breakfast you have earned by the time you reach Trastevere.
Before sunrise
We meet at the Garibaldi monument on the terrace. Your guide sets out the skyline in a few minutes: where the Forum is, which dome is St Peter's, why the Pantheon looks so low from here. Then we wait for the light.
Sunrise
The sun comes up behind the Alban Hills and the haze turns from grey to peach. This is the quiet stretch: the first bells, the first scooter, a street sweeper somewhere below. Bring a layer, because it is cooler on the hill than you expect.
Half an hour later
We walk the Passeggiata del Gianicolo, past the busts of the men who fought for the Roman Republic in 1849, and down towards San Pietro in Montorio, where Bramante built his tiny round Tempietto in the early 1500s.
Mid-morning
We reach a bar where the owner knows the regulars and a cornetto costs what it should. You order coffee at the counter and drink it in two minutes. Your guide explains the rules, including why a Roman will not order a cappuccino after lunch.
End
We finish at the fountain in front of the church with its gold mosaics, just as the neighbourhood starts to wake. Your guide marks three places on your map for later, and you walk or taxi home.
Piazzale Giuseppe Garibaldi, by the Garibaldi monument
Piazzale Giuseppe Garibaldi, 00165 RomaWe send a pin and a photo of the exact spot the evening before. The terrace is open and public, so there is no gate to wait for.
Open in mapsWe still go if it is only drizzle, with umbrellas and a shorter hilltop stop. If there is lightning or heavy rain, we move you to another morning or refund you in full.
Once you are on the hill it is a gentle downhill walk of about 25 minutes, mostly paved paths with some steps. There are no climbs.
Yes, and it is a good way to shake off a flight. Tell us your landing time and we will suggest the right morning.
Food
from€129per personAperitivo on a quiet piazza, then a long Roman supper in four stops across Trastevere, with a guide who has known the owners for years.
History
from€85per personGo inside the Pantheon at the right time of day, then walk Piazza Navona and the lanes behind it with a guide who knows which door to look through.
