Christmas Nativities and Angels Tour in Rome

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Discover Rome’s Christmas magic on a tour of nativities and angels. Explore traditions, legends, and stunning decorations in iconic locations.

Duration: 4 hours

Cancellation: 1 day learn more

Highlights

Piazza del Popolo - Piazza del Popolo is a large urban square in Rome designed in neoclassical style between 1811 and 1822 by the architect Giuseppe Valadier. The name in modern Italian literally means “People’s Square”. In the northeast corner of the piazza, there is the church of Santa Maria del Popolo. For centuries, the Piazza del Popolo was a place for public executions, the last of which took place in 1826. - Piazza Navona - Navona Square was defined during the fifteenth century, the Baroque-style Piazza Navona is one of the most charming and popular squares in Rome. The square is built on the former ‘’Stadium of Domitian’’, a horseshoe-shaped arena for foot races built in the 1st century AD. In the square, there are three magnificent fountains - Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, the Fontana del Moro, and the Fontana del Nettuno. - Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi - Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) is a fountain in the Piazza Navona in Rome. It was designed in 1651 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini for Pope Innocent X whose family palace, the Palazzo Pamphili, faced onto the piazza as did the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone of which Innocent was the sponsor. The base of the fountain is a basin from the center of which travertine rocks rise to support four river gods and above them, a copy of an Egyptian obelisk surmounted with the Pamphili family emblem of a dove with an olive twig. Collectively, they represent four major rivers of the four continents through which papal authority had spread: the Nile representing Africa, the Danube representing Europe, the Ganges representing Asia, and the Río de la Plata representing the Americas. - Campo de’ Fiori - The Campo dei Fiori in the morning it’s a bustling marketplace, that transforms into a nightlife centre in the evening, all amid a beautiful setting steeped with history. Piazza Campo dei Fiori was the place where executions were carried out. A statue in the centre of the piazza commemorates Giordano Bruno, it was created in 1888 and placed in the centre of the piazza at the exact location of his execution. - Trevi Fountain - Trevi Fountain is the most beautiful and most spectacular fountain in Rome. There is also a curious tradition regarding the Trevi Fountain. It is said that if you throw a coin over your shoulder into the water, you will be sure to return to Rome! - Pantheon - The Pantheon is without any doubt one of the best preserved ancient monuments in Rome. It is a wonderful example of the reutilization from a Christian perspective of a sacred building consecrated to all Gods. It stands in the heart of the ancient Campus Martius, in one of the lowest parts of Rome, and its imposing facade dominates the southern side of Piazza della Rotonda. In 1870 the Pantheon became the shrine of the kings of Italy and hosts the mortal remains of Victor Emanuel the Second, Humbert the First, and Margaret of Savoy and also Raffaello Sanzio, the supreme artist of the Renaissance, is buried in the Pantheon. Admission fee is around 5€ per person. - Piazza della Rotonda - The square faces the Pantheon and the monument characterises it in such a way that many Romans don’t even know its name: they simply call it “the square of the Pantheon”. During the 19th century, the piazza was especially noted for its market of bird-sellers, who brought their cages with live parrots, nightingales, owls, and other birds into the piazza - Fontana del Pantheon - In the center of the piazza there is a fountain, the Fontana del Pantheon, surmounted by an Egyptian obelisk. The Fountain was commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII and is located in the Piazza della Rotonda, Rome, in front of the Roman Pantheon. It was designed by Giacomo Della Porta in 1575 and sculpted out of marble by Leonardo Sormani.The Fontana del Pantheon was commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII and is located in the Piazza della Rotonda, Rome, in front of the Roman Pantheon. It was designed by Giacomo Della Porta in 1575 and sculpted out of marble by Leonardo Sormani. - Chiesa di Santa Maria in Via - Santa Maria in Via is a basilica church in Rome. The church or a chapel existed in the 9th century but was rebuilt following reports of a miracle. In 1165, it was recorded as Santa Maria in Via, whose appellative means “on the Way”, with a reference to the nearby Via Flaminia. The church of Santa Maria in Via hosted a miraculous freshwater spring. - Trinita dei Monti - The church of the Santissima Trinità dei Monti, often called merely the Trinità dei Monti, is a Roman Catholic late Renaissance titular church in Rome. It is known for its commanding position above the Spanish Steps which lead down to the Piazza di Spagna. The church and its surrounding area (including the Villa Medici) are a French State property. - Piazza di Spagna - Piazza di Spagna, at the bottom of the Spanish Steps, is one of the most famous squares in Rome. It owes its name to the Palazzo di Spagna, seat of the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See. Nearby is the famed Column of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the middle of the square is the famous Fontana della Barcaccia, dating to the beginning of the Baroque period, sculpted by Pietro Bernini and his son, the more famous Gian Lorenzo Bernini. - Palazzo Poli - The Palazzo Poli is a palace forming the backdrop to the famous Trevi Fountain. The XVI-century palace was built in the Baroque style and constituted a single ensemble with the Trevi Fountain. Nowadays, in the Palace is the National Museum of Graphics and design, where the exhibition of graphic works by famous contemporary artists. - St. Peter’s Square - St. Peter’s Square is a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, the papal enclave inside Rome. At the center of the square is an ancient Egyptian obelisk, erected at the current site in 1586. Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the square almost 100 years later, including the massive Doric colonnades, four columns deep, which embrace visitors in “the maternal arms of Mother Church”. A granite fountain constructed by Bernini in 1675 matches another fountain designed by Carlo Maderno in 1613.

What's Included

Small group limited to a maximum of 15 people
Live guide

What's Not Included

Pickup and dropoff
Food and drinks
Tips and gratuities

Additional Information

This tour has been designed to showcase the magic of Christmas time in Rome and provide a better understanding of the importance of the holiday. Learn about local Christmas traditions and legends as you visit some of the most beautifully decorated spots in the city. The tour begins in Piazza del Popolo, in front of the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, where you can learn about the miraculous holy water. Near it, you will also be able to admire the Twin Churches’ Christmas nativity. Continue the tour to Piazza Venezia and admire the stunning decorations while listening to historical anecdotes about Christmas in Rome. Next, marvel at the majestic Church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli and the Holy Child, a sculpture baptized in the River Jordan that features as the center of the Christmas nativity scene. Stop in Piazza Navona, then cross the Bridge of Angels before ending the tour in the center of the Catholic world, Piazza San Pietro.