Meet your art historian guide in central Rome and begin your private 7-hour tour.

As you set off, hear about Rome’s history from your guide, and arrive at the UNESCO-listed Colosseum, the world’s largest ancient Roman amphitheater. Use your skip-the-line ticket to avoid the main admission line, and go inside with your guide. See the main areas of the 2,000-year-old stadium, once the stage for gladiatorial and sporting events, and take in the tiers of seats, estimated to have held 70,000 spectators.

Next, walk to the neighboring Roman Forum, once the social, political, and commercial epicenter of ancient Rome. Check out the timeworn ruins of temples, streets, and monuments, and learn about their purpose from your guide.

After time for lunch (own expense), hop aboard public transport and travel to the Vatican Museums for the afternoon. Show your priority-access ticket and explore the highlights of the collections with your guide. See everything from ancient Greek and Roman statuary to Renaissance masterpieces by artists such as Raphael, all of them amassed by popes through the centuries, and forming one of the world’s greatest art collections.

Finish with a visit to the museums’ crowning glory: the Sistine Chapel. Step inside this extraordinary chapel, and gaze at Michelangelo’s world-famous ceiling frescoes depicting scenes from the biblical Creation, painted between 1508 and 1512.

Finally, walk to the neighboring St. Peter’s Basilica, the magnificent church on St. Peter’s Square said to stand where St. Peter is buried. Head inside to admire the ornate interior and see La Pietà, an early Michelangelo sculpture, and other treasures, including Bernini’s bronze baldachin altar canopy.

After taking your leave, your full-day tour concludes in central Rome when you part ways with your guide.