Rome: Discovering Hidden Gems with Wine Tasting, Half Day Tour

San Giovanni in Laterano is the oldest of the four main basilicas of the eternal city. It is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Pope. San Giovanni in Laterano is the first of the four major basilicas in Rome and the oldest in Christianity. The Basilica, which stands near Mount Celio, was built on the same site as the basilica built by Constantine, around 314, on land already owned by the noble Lateran family, from which the whole area takes its name.

On the slopes of the Celio, below the Basilica of Saints John and Paul, there is the extraordinary archaeological complex which contains over four centuries of history and testifies to the passage and coexistence between paganism and Christianity. Access opens from the Clivo di Scauro, an ancient Roman road and main axis of the Celio, which has preserved part of its original route. The Domus, discovered in 1887 by Father Germano di San Stanislao, rector of the Basilica at the time, represent one of the most fascinating places in underground Rome due to the extraordinary state of conservation of the rooms and the very high artistic value and religious interest of the site.

Colle Oppio is one of the three mountains of the Esquiline Hill, the southernmost of it, immediately north-east of the Colosseum. Its public park preserves vestiges such as the important Domus Aurea or the remains of the baths of Trajan and Titus. It was furnished around 1930 by the architect Raffaele di Vico, after an old project of an English-style park from 1870, enriched with fountains and water features. At the foot of the hill, you can see the ruins of the main ancient gladiator school, the Ludus Magnus. On the hill we discover splendid views of the Colosseum and the Palatine.

One of the four papal basilicas of Rome, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore stands on the top of the Esquiline Hill and is the only one to have preserved the original early Christian structure, albeit enriched by later additions. Legend has it that the rich Roman patrician John and his wife, having no children, decided to dedicate a church to the Virgin Mary, who appeared to them in a dream one August night in 352 AD. In the dream, the Madonna informed them that a miracle would indicated to them the place on which to build the church.

Located near Piazza della Repubblica, Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri was designed by Michelangelo and is Rome's only Renaissance church. It is one of the most special churches in the city, due to its decadent external appearance and its large, truly spectacular interior. The land where the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli is located was once occupied by the Baths of Diocletian, an impressive construction that flaunted the grandeur of the Roman Empire, until, in an attempt to conquer Rome, the Goths closed the aqueducts of city, condemning the spa to inexorable abandonment. On the floor you can see the Meridian line drawn by Francesco Bianchini in 1703, which indicates midday and the arrival of the solstice and equinox, as well as functioning as a calendar. The church has a monumental organ with 5,400 pipes, capable of leaving visitors speechless who are lucky enough to listen to its melodies inside the immense temple.

Villa Borghese is one of the largest parks in Rome. Built at the behest of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, it houses prestigious neoclassical and nineteenth-century buildings. The beauty of the picturesque gardens, wonderful fountains and park attractions make it one of the most attractive green spaces in Europe. Villa Borghese (also called Villa Pinciana) is an English-style public park in the center of Rome full of monuments, gardens, statues and exciting views, the park extends over one of the most famous hills of Rome within the Aurelian walls: the Pincio. Today this hill is a fantastic garden intersected by wide avenues and tree-lined walks surrounded by busts of internationally renowned artists. The Pincio terrace, which overlooks Piazza del Popolo, offers a spectacular view of Rome, which extends from Piazza del Popolo to the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, a unique panorama in the world.

Roman cuisine and wine tasting