Exploring Rome Traveller Reviews

Visited Roman forum, coliseum, Capitaline Museum, and ancient Roman marketplace. The tour was well coordinated with the places and history of what was happening at this time.

Peter Sommers had to rebook three different guides due to COvid complications and amazingly, the experience was smooth and flawless considering the last minute changes in the guides. Our guide was knowledgeable and entertaining and willing to adjust his presentation to our interests.

my wife and I have traveled to Rome many times and were looking for something truly different…..a history/archeological focused experience with a small group, led by someone who truly understand the history….”not just a “show and tell”tour . Our guide had a PHD in ancient history, was always interesting , and took us to places we have not visited before. Highly recommend this trip !!!!

Peter Sommers does a terrific job in organizing trips that are historically focused…..but also always fun, exciting and interesting. All of his trips provide deep insights into the history and culture of the area which most guided tours just cannot provide. This was our 4th trip with Peter Sommers and all have been outstanding!

I had thoroughly researched several cultural tour options and read many great reviews about Peter Sommer Travels before booking so I expected a great tour. However, my experience was beyond what I had imagined. Having been to Rome several times already I was astonished at how much I’d missed during prior visits. Our host/guide took us daily on a lively, fascinating journey, sharing ancient Rome’s people, places, art, architecture, historic sites and mysteries. We experienced some of the world’s top restaurants and stayed in a lovely hotel that was built as a convent in the 15th century. The days flew by and I learned more than I could ever have imagined. This is a unique and unforgettable experience. I highly recommend Peter Sommer Travels, and hope to see them again in the future.

Super knowledgeable, an outstanding teacher, organized, conscientious, funny, gracious. We moved at a fast pace but never too fast, and he kept us on a tight schedule which ensured we could fit as much as possible into our days

A week studying the art, architecture, and city planning of ancient Rome

Peter Sommers, a small English tour operator. Outstanding in every way.

We went deep into ancient Rome. Guide Paul astonishing. Brilliant and posessed with the era. 8+ hours a day exploring ruins inside and outside city. So much covered and with such enthusiasm. Well thought out itinerary. The 6 of us on the trip are very experienced travelers, and we all marveled at the breadth of coverage and the fun we had. Even slogging through the Forum in a monsoon rain was great.

From pick up at airport to delivery back, the trip was well planned and executed. Enough meals covered to keave us time on our own. Excellent hotel: a converted nunnery from 1600's, in keeping with our ancient Rome theme. We were whisked to the front of the line for each of the crowded sites. Materials in advance well explained the trip without overinforming.

One week in Rome, exploring ancient sites and more modern ones. We were accompanied by excellent guides, one from the operator and one local.

All of the arrangements were flawless. Excellent guides, accommodations, meals and transport. The design and execution of the tour were first rate

We visited numerous complex sites which were presented with a sense of continuity and relationship to each other and to the present day. I appreciated the focus on classical Roman history and as the tour proceeded also appreciated that our guide showed how this history led to the renaissance and beyond. Visited several sites which we had never seen on previous visits. Extremely pleased.

Excellent knowledge of history, sense of humor, and curiosity. He answered every question while making interesting comparisons and connections. Also showed us so much...kept us very busy and engaged.

A small group of just five and with two British guides, it was excellent. Very well put together in both the sites we saw and the sequence of visit, it was really made for us by the excellence of our guides - Paul especially was so good in both his knowledge of the subject - the history of Rome and of the Romans - and in the way he put it across, he had our rapt attention all the time and really brought it all to life. The organisation was great, with good attention to where we ate as well as what we saw, which made it a full experience not to be forgotten. In our view too, good value for money.

As said, the structure of the tour and the quality of the guides was second to none. They really do know what they are talking about and how to bring it alive - and fun - for the visitor. Not just that, but they are great people to chat with too! Everything went very smoothly and there was very little if anything that we would wish to have done differently. Nothing was too much trouble. A good mix on being with the group and time on our own if we wanted it. We would certainly recommend them - and already have to friends who have made a provisional booking!

My husband and I went on the Exploring Rome trip.We had been to Rome decades ago and this was a perfect revisit. The hotel on the Via Garabaldi was perfect. The daily schedule was thoughtfully planned. The leader, Dr.Michael Metcalfe,was wonderful and very professional.The city guide,Valeria, was delightful. Paul,the ancient Roman history guide, was extraordinarily filled with knowledge and passion, and good stories.I felt he saw Augustus walking in the Forum. The restaurants chosen were very nice. Our driver was exellent as well.

I saw an advertisement in Archeology magazine for Peter Sommer Travels. From the time I contacted Julie Brown,the operations manager, it was a pleasurable experience. We feel that Peter Sommer is the best travel operator we have ever used.

We had a grand week: this was my first visit to Rome, and it was wonderful. We had a tour manager, an expert guide and a local guide to take us round & show us the sites. The hotel (in Trastevere) was excellent, full of character, quiet & secluded, yet a very short walk from bustling streets full of bars & restaurants, and not much further from the Ponte Sisto and central Rome. The itinerary was a great mix - awe-inspiring Imperial sites, and some more recent buildings, all presented in context with details of their long stories, some truly superb museums, and some more day-to-day places, such as Ostia, all drawn together to provide a fascinating mosaic of Rome. We visited good restaurants, where we were guided & encouraged to sample local specialities - cacio e pepe and saltimbocca were especially fine. There was free time for us to see some essential sites independently (eg the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps), and there was guidance on how to use the free time we had - my favourite of my personal visits was the Villa Borghese. All in all a great week. I'm now slightly annoyed with myself for not visiting Rome before, and I will go back soon!

Peter Sommer Travel are a provider who take small groups on holidays that are primarily based on seeing archaeology, but also look to ensure that you enjoy a place as much as possible: you always stay in hotels with character, and eat the finest of local foods. I have now taken 14 holidays with them.