Thinking about hiring a private tour of Roman Forum. Has anyone ever done this and can recommend a guide? What is the cost? i explored the Forum 25 years ago on a college trip but this time with spouse and two teens we may get more info from a good local guide. Thanks!

Do a search for Francesca Caruso. Several people have used her and she is also a guide for Rick Steves tours.

It will be a magnificent discovery if you´re going to explore the Forum again after 25 years!

It will be interesting to know what your perspectives would be on the monument.

I´ve explored the Roman Forum in a group and was also interested to experience how it would be like without a large crowd.

I did some searching and found the following website;

http://www.tours-italy.com/rome-priv..._rome_tour.htm

They also include tours of other monuments and it looks very promising.

I´ve also found this website;

http://goitaly.about.com/od/rometours/fr/rome_tour.htm

and they explain how they differ from the normal tours that are organized around these monuments.
Worth a look!

Carlos (Oh-Holidays.com)

I was one of those who used Francesca Caruso and highly recommend her. Details of our morning at the Forum with her and contact information are in my report; we paid her 140 euro.

The price was split between four persons, as we were fortunate enough to link up with another couple which included SandyTravelnut who posts here often:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34931625

I can also HIGHLY recommend Francesca Caruso. We had her in 2007 for a Colosseum & Forum tour and a tour of the Borghese Gallery. While back in Rome for Christmas 2008 we hired her again for a tour through the Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere. I can't say enough good things about Francesca, she is terrific!

If you check my trip report from Christmas 2007 in Rome I listed her email address there.