Halloween Walk: Roman Ghosts - October 31, 2026

Prepare to be shocked and terrified this Halloween! Come and join a really unusual twilight ghost walk with Olivia along the Tiber in Rione Ripa. Equipped with sheets and lanterns, each participant will “adopt” the identity of one of many mysterious and fascinating Roman ghosts as they congregate to haunt the Tiber’s riverbanks. Meet these mysterious characters from local folklore and hear their scary true stories. Those who wish can also follow the group for a cheerful evening meal after the walk.

NB: This walk is not suitable for young children because the historical events are real and can be disturbing for them.

When: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026
Time: 5:30 p.m. (please arrive by 5:15)
Meeting Place: registered participants will be informed by email of the exact spot along the river. 
Cost: Guided walk for CCR members €10, non-members €15. Optional dinner will be no-host, paid separately by each participant.
RSVP: ATTN Marina at canadarome@gmail.com by 29 Oct. 2026

CCR Walks: EUR - October 24, 2026

Exactly a century ago, in 1926, Italy introduced the Leggi Fascistissime, outlawing opposition to the Fascist Government. As one of its many promotional initiatives, the regime planned a 1942 world's fair, with buildings designed by a range of young pioneering architects. The fair never took place, but  today the core buildings in the resulting EUR neighbourhood are indisputably the most eye catching of Italy’s landmarks from the Fascist era.

We will take a fresh look at its enigmatic buildings, which have provided the backdrop to film classics, ads and music videos, and will consider what to make of it all today. We are planning for a group of no more than 15.

When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026

Time: 10 a.m. 

Meeting Place: registered participants will be informed of the exact spot by email. 

Cost: Guided visit for CCR members €10, non-members €15. 

RSVP: ATTN Peter at canadarome@gmail.com

CCR Walks: Popeless! - November 30, 2025

A new exhibition entitled "Il Giubileo senza papa" (The Jubilee Without a Pope) at Trajan's Market charts the ways in which jubilees shaped the medieval image of Rome, focusing particularly on the second popeless Holy Year, held in 1350, amongst Black Death (Bubonic Plague) and earthquake survivors in Rome. The pope at that time was in Avignon, so he could not preside over the celebrations.

When: Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025

Time: 10:30 (please arrive by 10:15)

Meeting Place: registered participants will be informed of the exact spot by email. 

Cost: Guided visit for CCR members €10, non-members €15. MIC card holders eligible for free admission to Trajan's Market. Make sure your card is up-to-date and already valid before the weekend. For others, the cost of admission to Trajan's Market for residents of Rome (with ID confirming this) is €13. Non-residents €17.50.

RSVP: ATTN Joe at canadarome@gmail.com

CCR Walks: A Day in the Life of Ostia Antica - May 11, 2025

NB: Date changed.

We will follow the daytime routine of a few individuals from ancient times through the ruins of ancient Ostia. Their lives and their interests, in some cases very different, can be traced through monuments, taverns and graves, as we chart the rise and gradual decline of a major port of the Mediterranean.

When: Sunday, Mar. 16, 2025

Meeting Time: 10:30 a.m.

Where: Ostia Antica. Confirmed participants will be informed by email of the exact meeting point.  

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Peter by Mar. 14. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Walks: Museum of the Forma Urbis - November 9, 2024

1186 fragments of a 3rd-century map of the city of Rome have gradually surfaced since 1562. They have been studied and drawn, used in repair work, lost and sometimes destroyed or rediscovered. Considered one of the rarest documents from antiquity, a museum close to the Colosseum was set up this year to chart the Forma Urbis and its amazing history. 

When: Saturday, November 9, 2024

Time: 11:00 a.m. walk starts; optional meet-up at 10:30 a.m. for coffee or 10:45 for briefing.

Meeting Place: registered participants will be informed of the exact spot by email.

Cost: Guided tour is €10 for CCR members, €15 for non-members. Museum admission is free for MIC card holders. Otherwise the cost is €6.50 full for Rome residents, €5.50 reduced for Rome residents, €9 full for non-residents, and €6.50 reduced for non-residents.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Linda by Wednesday, Nov. 6. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Day Trip: Orvieto - June 1, 2024

Come and discover the enchanting city of Orvieto in Umbria, on a lovely day trip just an hour from Rome. Its rich history saw Etruscans, Romans, Goths and Longobards before becoming a self-governing medieval township within the Papal States. Many of its most beautiful constructions, including the magnificent duomo, date back to this period.

Upon arrival, our English-speaking guide will meet us and accompany the group from the station to the historic centre to visit the famous Santa Maria Cathedral, providing a detailed description of the two levels, its architecture, paintings, mosaics, and bronze statues. Afterwards our guide will take us for a walk and tell us about the history and the architecture of this very picturesque city. Stops will include the gardens of the Fortezza Albornoz and the breathtaking view of the valley.

Those who wish can then have lunch together and explore more afterwards. Our guide will suggest some food and other options.

When: Saturday, June 1, 2024   

Transportation: Participants may drive to Orvieto with their own vehicle or take the one-hour train trip from Termini (about €25 return).

Meeting point and time: for those taking the train, meeting point in front of Termini Platform 14 (inside the gate) at 8:45, to take 9:05 train to Orvieto Scalo. Meeting point in Orvieto with those coming by car at 10:45 in Piazza Matteotti, the small square between railway station and funicular piazza.

Cost: €15 per CCR member, €20 for non-members for the walking tour with a certified guide. Other charges each will need to cover on their own include train or car transportation to Orvieto, funicular (€2.60 return) and bus tickets, any entrance fees, and lunch. Advance payment of the guide cost required.

N.B. Spaces are limited, so book early.

RSVP at canadarome@gmail.com by May 29, 2024.

CCR Walks: Courtesans of Rome - April 14, 2024

Let us follow their footsteps over Rome’s cobblestones as they flick their silky fans at us. Fiammetta, Matrema-non-vole and Imperia are just a few of the most famous of Rome's cortigiane oneste, the upper class courtesans who were treated as royalty by their admirers and would-be lovers in the 15th and early 16th centuries. Their fantastical gowns, sumptuous jewels and luxurious apparel, outrageous banquets and intricate etiquette made their way into ballads, literary works and music -- often written by these very same educated, sophisticated women. Their colourful world all but disappeared with the Sack of Rome in 1527 and the strictures of the Counter-Reformation, but  their memory lives on in the streets, and we will explore it.

When: Sunday, April 14, 2024

Time: 10 a.m. walk starts; optional: meet at 9:30 for coffee or 9:45 for briefing.

Meeting Place: registered participants will be informed of the exact spot by email.

Cost: €10 for CCR members, €15 for non-members. You are financially responsible for your booking.

RSVP to canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Peter before 5 p.m. April 11.

CCR Walks: A New Look at an Ancient People - January 20, 2024

Pleasure-loving gourmands? Pitiless pirates? Mysterious migrants? The learned Emperor Claudius was intrigued by the Etruscans and in more recent centuries they fired the imagination of Jesuit polymaths, adventurers, tomb raiders and princes, as well as writers such as Stendhal and DH Lawrence. A new exhibition at Villa Giulia regarding the port city of Spina at the mouth of the Po River allows us to examine long-held beliefs, clichés and new discoveries regarding the most remarkable of Italy’s pre-Roman people.

When: Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024

Time: 10 a.m start.; 9:30 for coffee or 9:45 to check in.

Meeting Place: Near the National Etruscan Museum. Participants will be informed by email of the exact meeting point.  

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Peter by Jan. 18, 2024. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Walks: Tor Marancia Neighbourhood - October 22, 2023

In past seasons, we have visited  some Rome neighbourhoods that are less known to tourists, such as Garbatella and Tuffello, to explore their special architectural, social and other qualities. This time we will examine how international artists are providing a new landscape for the inhabitants of one of Rome's historical borgate, Tor Marancia, once one of the flood-prone shanty-towns which featured in Alberto Moravia and Pier Paolo Pasolini's post-war novels. These characteristics earned the area the local Roman nickname Shanghai.

When: Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023

Time: 10 a.m.; 9:30 for coffee.

Meeting Place: near Piazza dei Navigatori; participants will be informed by email of the exact meeting point.  

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members. There will be an additional cost for radio transmitters, which will be advised. 

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Peter by Oct. 19, 2023. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Walks: October Anniversaries - October 22, 2022

Mussolini was sure Italy’s prowess in sport would lead to a stronger, more prolific, and healthier race. The colossal sporting complex at the Foro Italico includes the Stadio dei Marmi which maintains many visible signs of Italy’s fascist past. These were allowed to stay in place, including a massive obelisk with the word DUX engraved upon it, after his fall. In the week leading up to the March on Rome’s 100th anniversary, it is only fair to use this occasion to ask a few questions. Was it right to keep such visible symbols of this regime? Did Italy’s post-fascist transition work out? How much of this legacy still lives on? To conclude this walk we will visit the nearby Pons Milvius, one of Rome’s less visited historic bridges.

When: Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022

Time: 10 a.m.

Meeting Place: Near the Foro Italico. Confirmed participants will be informed by email of the exact meeting point.  

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members. There will be an additional cost for radio transmitters, which will be advised. 

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Oct. 18, 2022. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Walks: The Palatine and its Palaces - October 2, 2022

Despite the fact they lived over two thousand years ago, upper-class Romans of the late Republic still loom larger than life. On this tour, we uncover their splendid yet extremely uncomfortable Palatine and Forum mansions and meet their quarrelsome, fastidious, and absurdly wealthy owners and neighbours, wives, lovers, friends, and enemies. Their stories and the way they acquired and retained wealth provide (useful?) insight into the context within which a new Imperial regime rose to power.

When: Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022
Time: 2 p.m.
Meeting Place: Monti area. Confirmed participants will be informed by email of the exact meeting point.  
Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members. There will be an additional cost for radio transmitters, which will be advised. 
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Sept. 27, 2022. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Walks: Father Tiber, the past and the future of the city - May 22, 2022

Come explore the Tiber River and its many twists and turns. During this walk we will travel back to the very origins of the city and explore its many surprising stories. This jaunt along the Tiber will also be a tribute to spring and its everlasting promise of hope. For those who want, we will end with a short cruise by boat.

When: Sunday, May 22nd
Time: 10:00 
Meeting Place: Confirmed participants will be informed by email of the exact location.  
Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members. There will be an additional cost for radio transmitters, which will be advised. 
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Wednesday, May 18, 2022. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Walks: Rome off the beaten track - The Two Faces of Tufello - April 10, 2022

Our next CCR walk will delve into a little-known neighborhood which does not figure in any of Rome's guidebooks but nevertheless has become the subject of interest among its inhabitants, particularly Rome's graffiti artists. Join us as we explore its quirky "barocchetto" architecture (a type of architecture introduced to Rome in the 1920s which borrowed elements from the 1500s to the 1700s as well as the concept of garden cities) and investigate Italy's 20th century history and its contradictions, by looking at "two-faced Tufello."

When: Sunday, April 10, 2022
Time: 10 a.m. 
Meeting Place: Confirmed participants will be informed by email of the exact location.  
Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members. There will be an additional cost for radio transmitters to be advised.
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Wednesday, April 6, 2022. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Walks: Santa Maria della Pietà and the Urbs Picta - October 16, 2021

A little-known park with rare and exotic plant species, the Parco di Santa Maria della Pietà is home to Rome’s former insane asylum, which was dismantled through the work of Franco Basaglia and like-minded pioneers They changed mental health policy in Italy in radical ways. The haunting urban graffiti of the project Urbs Picta by artist Tina Jodice recalls the asylum’s amazing history and that of the people who live(d) and worked there.

When: Saturday, October 16th

Time: 10:00 a.m. (9:45 if you would like to meet for coffee before the walk starts)

Meeting Place: Confirmed participants will be informed by email.

Directions: Please note the event is outside the centre of Rome and you should check online for the best route. One possibility is to take Metro A line to Valle Aurelia, transfer to the Valle Aurelia Train Station (a two-minute walk), and then take one of the regional trains four stops to Roma Monte Mario.  From there it will be approximately a five-minute walk to the meeting point.

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members. There will be an additional cost for radio transmitters.  

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Wednesday, October 13, 2021. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Walks: Bomb the Baroque! - September 25, 2021

Are you impatient with elaborate baroque altars obliterating medieval mosaics? Do you feel like you’ve seen enough pouting putti to last you a lifetime? If so, this is the tour for you! Come join us for the first walk of the new CCR season as we take a light-hearted romp through Rome and unpack the ways in which Baroque (and other styles) can get on one’s nerves. Starting from Santa Maria Maggiore we will make our way to a few nearby churches to take a fresh look at the décor we love to hate. 

When: Saturday, September 25th, 2021

Time:  10:00 (09:45 if you would like to meet for coffee before the walk starts)

Meeting Place: Confirmed participants will be informed by email.

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.  There will be an additional cost for radio transmitters.  

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Wed., Sept. 22, 2021. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Walks: The Washerwoman and the Magistrate - October 18, 2020

Did you know you are still liable for a fine for hanging your washing in public in Rome? If you have not yet been caught red-handed, it is time to join the battle lines! In the past, popes and great families have stressed their prominent role in beautifying the city by building Baroque fountains, impressive palaces, majestic new streets – and sweeping away or ignoring basic facilities in the process. But what of the housewives, ex-prostitutes and widows who jostled for space in their bid to keep the city’s linen clean without incurring grievous bodily harm themselves? In their quest for elusive city decorum, city magistrates would be more likely to fine than to protect them! As we follow one laundry basket across the changing Roman landscape, we might meet some intriguing and somewhat unexpected characters along the way. Not suitable for under-18s.

When: Sunday, October 18th

Time: 10 a.m.

Meeting Place:  Exact location will be provided to registered attendees.

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members plus €1.50 for the rental of audio guide.  

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Wed., Oct. 14, 2020. You are financially responsible for your reservation.  

CCR Walks: Façades - October 27, 2019

What is Rome’s colour? Burnt ochre or the light colours of the Baroque? As occurs during a wonderful choir performance when a few solo voices suddenly stand out, the city’s landscape is the result of more than the sum of its parts. How does one go about curating its unique cityscape?

Please join us as we take a look at Rome’s buildings and learn about their façades and the techniques and building materials used to create them. We will also explore the issues facing the owners, legislators, and conservators entrusted with protecting this architectural and cultural legacy.

When: Sunday, October 27, 2019
Time: 10 a.m.
Meeting Place: Piazza Venezia area; exact location will be provided to registered attendees.
Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Wed., Oct. 23rd. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Walks: Slavery in Ancient Roman Times - May 20, 2018

Termini Station offers a good starting place to discuss a theme which underpinned much of the ancient world’s economy: slavery. During the course of the walk we will also look at whether the modern world could learn anything from the past as it struggles to deal with human trafficking, exploitation, xenophobia, and unemployment.

When: Sunday, May 20, 2018
Time: 10 a.m.
Where: Near Termini train station; exact location will be sent to confirmed participants by email.
Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members. There will also be a museum entrance fee of €10 to visit the Baths of Diocletian.
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Tuesday, May 15, 2018. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Walks: Garbatella Neighborhood - April 7, 2018

Garbatella, now a hip neighborhood, has a turbulent past. At the start of the last century, when it was first built, it was populated by newly arrived immigrants to Roma Capitale and became a hotbed of dissent during the Fascist period and of leftwing anti-government opposition during the postwar years. Its distinctive architecture also marks it as one of Rome’s few urban planning experiments in popular (public) housing, inspired by “Garden City” models and 20th century modernism. During the course of the walk, we will look at the many strands of Rome’s recent history and ways in which the past has been recorded in official and non-official ways in this highly distinctive, edgy neighborhood.

When: Saturday, April 7, 2018
Time: 10 a.m.
Where: Near the Garbatella metro station; exact location will be sent to confirmed participants by email.
Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Tuesday, April 3, 2018. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Walks: Ramblings on the Colle Oppio - May 28, 2017

Baths, princely mansions, luscious gardens and splendid statuary were once found on the Colle Oppio. Historical witnesses to these splendours included Pliny, Michelangelo, and the great 19th-century archaeologist Rodolfo Lanciani.  Our ramble on the hill will touch on these accounts as well as chart more recent findings during the past 15 years. Thanks to a special permit we will also inspect the so-called Sette Sale (Trajan-era water cisterns) and the Auditorium of Augustus’ famous friend, Maecenas, as we unpack the hill’s fascinating history.

When: Sunday, May 28, 2017
Time: 9:00 a.m. for coffee; 9:30 a.m. for the walk.
Meeting point: Near the Colle Oppio; exact location to be provided to those registered for this walk.
Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.  There will also be an additional fee of €8 to enter the two special sites included on this walk.
RSVP required by Thursday May 25, ATTN Joe at canadarome@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation.
NB: Please bring correct change.