Trying to decide whether to do a walking tour of Ancient Rome with Scala Reale.
Jun 25th, 2000, 04:27 PM
#1
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Trying to decide whether to do a walking tour of Ancient Rome with Scala Reale.
I have heard that Scala Reale does excellent 4-hour small group walking tours of Ancient Rome, and I am thinking of taking their tour. I have a few questions. First, how much walking is required for this tour? We will have two healthy older people who get around just fine, but who can't do the kind of distance they once could do. Can anyone give me an idea about the distance and pace? Second, I am wondering about the intellectual depth of the tour. I understand that the guides are quite knowledgeable, e.g., advanced degrees in history. I don't know quite how to put this, but I'm looking for a tour that would be enjoyable for those in the group who just love long lectures on ancient history as well as those who might prefer a bit lighter treatment with lots of entertaining tales about the sights. Third, is there a guide who is outstanding that I should request by name? Fourth, has anyone done the two-hour evening tour of Trevi Fountain and various plazas? <BR> <BR>Thank you for your help.
Jun 26th, 2000, 02:36 PM
#5
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Cindy: I actually e-mailed Scala to find out if they had a spot open on the Roma Antica tour the day I'll be in Rome. Tom Rankin, who runs Scala, told me to check back in a few weeks to see if others had requested the tour, sooooo. I was a little surprised, because the last time I went to Rome, I checked about a month ahead and all their tours were booked. They do come highly recommended, so I hope it works out for you as well.
Jun 26th, 2000, 02:48 PM
#6
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We did a tour in April with SR: one was the intro tour that comes with the registration fee and the other was the Evening Baroque. <BR>Lisa did the first tour. Very well done, slow paced walking and we learned a lot about sites that we have seen before and passed by with just a look. <BR>The evening tour with Noah was VERY GOOD. He showed us the "theater" that is Roman architecture and he brought all of that to life. Their knowledge is not thrown in your face. They love history and architecture and that passion comes through in their tours. The groups are small (we were with a couple and their 3 children and the time flew by). The 1 hour tour ended up being more than 2 hours and the evening tour was over 2 as well. <BR>Next time, we will go to ancient Rome tours and really get into the Forum, etc. They are great with email and I definitely recommend them. This may be the problem with getting a booking. Everyone who is reading Fodors and Rick STeves (like me) knows about how good they are so the tours are filled way in advance. Good luck.
