Roman holidays to call one’s own
Fiery sunsets over the Tiber river, heart-stopping views of the Roman Forum, and mystical atmospheres. Twilight-bathed piazzas, colorful open-air markets, and dazzling statue-bedecked fountains. There’s nowhere like Rome to fall in love, and enjoy life.
That is probably why Audrey Hepburn decided to run off, and spend the day exploring, idling through evocative cobble-paved streets, and gazing into Gregory Peck’s eyes. Wyler’s famed “Roman Holiday” (1953), with its mesmerizing period vistas and memorable Vespa ride around the Colosseum, certainly set the scene for many a Rome-based dream!
Movies aside, there has always been something iconically Roman about riding through town aboard a glistening Vespa. It’s romantic and glamorous, exciting and refreshing, and provides for a truly unique viewpoint on both the ancient ruins and contemporary pizzazz.
Plus, there really is no better way to make the most of one’s time, and enjoy a full experience of Rome’s character and flavor. There’s too much to see, taste, and appreciate in this seductive city, and one never does have enough time to see all one wants to see. That’s what makes a Vintage Vespa Tour so special: whichever the destination, one gets an overall insider’s view on the whole city, and its surroundings too.
Isn’t it simply wonderful to know one can get away from today’s ever-changing fast-paced global world for a day, climb onto a shimmering Vintage Vespa, and whiz off to experience the Roman Dolce Vita and discover Rome’s very soul?!
Rome’s Vintage Vespa Tours allow visitors to explore the city’s authentic heart, and catch more than a glimpse of its soul, safely driven by professional private English-speaking Vespa chaffeurs. Expert and charismatic drivers, who know their way around and are fully knowledgeable about the city’s architecture, lifestyle, secrets, and history.
There are a variety of diverse, intriguing, engaging options for these delightful Vintage Vespa Tours. And, each is carefully designed to offer extra added value and unique additional behind-the-scenes views.
The most quintessential Vintage Vespa Tours proposed are those focused on two emblematic movies filmed in Rome: “Roman Holidays” and “The Great Beauty”. Both fascinating, the two tours provide different perspectives on the eternal city’s many attractions.
Designed to thrill Audrey Hepburn fans, the “Roman Holidays” Vintage Vespa Tour allows one to actually travel back in time and see the exact locations filmed by William Wyler, comparing their current appearance with the original movie scene thanks to the original pictures from the movie.
Including a marvelous ride through both the historic city center and the Colosseum neighborhood along the starry trail left by Hepburn and Peck, the “Roman Holidays” Vintage Vespa Tour comprises stops at all the main movie locations, including the Spanish Steps and Bocca della Verità, and viewing of the original shots.
“The Great Beauty” Vintage Vespa Tour, on the other hand, offers a completely different, and very alluring, viewpoint. Crafted to enable visitors to actually “feel” the ambiance Sorrentino depicts in his Academy Award winning film, it focuses on allowing one to truly experience the most seductive and tantalizing of Rome’s flagship lifestyle features: il Dolce Far Niente, the exquisitely Italian and striking Roman art of sweetly doing nothing at all.
Touring across town aboard a Vintage Vespa one can peek through the buildings, capturing bewitching glimpses of the mystery and manifold secrets of a city blessed with exceptional beauty.
Visitors looking for the best in local craftsmanship, those who love browsing through shops and are intrigued by the city’s rich artisan tradition will no doubt enjoy the Hidden Rome Vintage Vespa Tour, created to offer an authentic insider’s view of the city’s traditional heritage.
This enchanting experience leads participants off the beaten tourist path and through a labyrinth of tiny streets, to discover sights and views only the locals know about and visit two Roman artisan workshops. These are to be selected in advance, among a selection of diverse and amazing options that include processing and marble inlays (i.e. where tables and busts come to life), furniture and gilding, restoration, mosaics, terracotta, hand-crafted shoes, and bookbinding and restoration.
Though lively, and engaging, Rome’s incessant hustle and bustle can sometimes become too much… what can one do? Take a Vintage Vespa Tour to the Roman Castelli area and spend a postcard-perfect day exploring the village-dotted hillside where the ancient Romans and local nobility used to have their summer residences, and today’s locals enjoy wine-bathed picnics!
Awash with vestiges of the past, pretty towns, and glorious ancient buildings, the Castelli Romani area has played an important role in Rome’s history ever since the ancient Romans celebrated victories by walking from the city to the Mons Albanus, today known as Monte Cavo.
Touring the Castelli on a Vintage Vespa allows one to appreciate the pleasant country atmosphere, and experience the unique leisurely allure that beckoned famed emperors such as Caligula and Domitian, and still today lures Romans to comb Nemi’s woods for delicious tiny wild strawberries, dine in Grottaferrata, and walk along Castel Gandolfo’s lake shore admiring the Pope’s summer residence.
Riding through Rome by night on a Vintage Vespa, admiring la città eterna when its throbbing beat slows down and the streets are lulled to sleep by the whispering fountains, is a life-changing experience. Once the sun has set, and the moon rises, the city’s daily curtains fall apart, revealing centuries-old secrets and hidden magic. This is when the statues come alive, and Michelangelo’s glorious dome lights up, calling to the angels. Nighttime, and moonlight, enhance Rome’s innate charm, and a Vintage Vespa Tour By Night enables one to become part of it all.