• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Get ready for local Demetrio to show you the unseen parts of Rome while telling you the dark stories from history. You'll find out how Julius Ceasar dies, visit the surrounding of Castel Sant'Angelo and learn that the Vatican has its own stories gone wild. A highlights tour done differently!

Destination

Rome, Italy

Category

Off The Beaten Track

Duration

1.5 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English

Included

• Private guide

Excluded

• Gratuities

What you can expect

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with Demetrio.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at Ponte Sant'Angelo - Rome to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. Meeting Point

   Haunted bridge at Castel Sant'Angelo

4. Darkest Neighborhood

   We enter one of the most ancient and darkest neighborhoods of Rome

5. in the 1600's

   See the residence of a serial poisoner "working" in Rome in 1600's

6. Storytelling Walk

   Follow the trails of ancient streets where the banks of medieval Rome were

7. "Bad" Pope Borgia

   See the Renaissance church where The "Bad" Pope Borgia was buried

8. Women Prison

   This is the site of the most notorious prison for women in Rome

9. Local Insight

   Walk along the first official street of Rome built by Pope Julius II

10. Wine Fountain

    Visit an ancient fountain where once wine ran instead of water

11. Must-See

    Stop by the most important Renaissance palace of Rome

12. Lively Vibes

    Experience the most lively piazza of Rome, used in ancient times to execute heretics

13. Make it yours

    Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

    Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

    Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

I can personalize this tour for you

• Tell me your preferred date and group size
• Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
• Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!

Contact me

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Alex🇧🇪 Belgium

11 November 2024

I booked two tours WithLocals during our last trip to Rome. The first one cancelled the tour single-handedly as she had decided to go out of town the day of our tour... Demetrio, our local guide for the second tour on the dark side and history of Rome, also opted out but managed to get a replacement. This replacement turned out to be a young woman from Iran who had been studying for two years in Rome (I don't know whether that qualifies as a 'local') and she strictly followed what was in a map with a route description and pictures she had been given (possibly by Demetrio). She did her best but was not very fluent in English and her knowledge of the city and its history was also rather limited (e.g. she did not know the history of Castello Sant'Angelo/Mausoleum of Hadrian well, including the fact that during Alaric's sacking of Rome in 410, Visigoth looters scattered urns and ashes, that the original decorative bronze and stone statues were hurled down upon the attacking Goths during their siege of Rome in 537, but that Hadrian's urn may have been saved in time). We learned a few interesting things about the city's darker history but all in all the tour did not live up to our expectations. It also ended 45 minutes shorter than the original time allotted. Not up to our expectations.

Andreas🇦🇹 Austria

20 October 2024

Our guide was Sonia and she was very kind, perfectly prepared and a lot of knowledge, we could basically ask her anything regarding to Rome and it's history. Thank you for the time well spend! Great experience!

Rory🇺🇸 United States

4 October 2024

Hello fellow travelers. We had Arianna show us all the Dark and interesting parts of Rome. This was a very fun and historical tour! Arianna had a story to tell on every corner, bridge and alley. She told us of the dark past of Rome and how the society came up with inventive ways to mitigate the problems! Overall I highly recommend this toyr and would love to meet back up with her again given the chance!Arianna was the best!

Lisa🇺🇸 United States

18 September 2024

This tour is fantastic! You will learn things that you can’t find anywhere else! Elvira was an incredible guide and storyteller bringing the “The Secrets of Rome” and its dark side to life. At each point in the tour we felt immersed in Rome’s extraordinary history. Elvira has a gift for bringing the stories to life, keeping us on the edge of our seats. We recommend this tour and especially Elvira to anyone who wants to learn little known facts of Rome along with some good ghost stories! Lisa and TedYou have to take this tour!

Kim🇨🇦 Canada

15 September 2024

We booked with Demetrio but Adrianna arrived instead. She was fantastic!! Very enthusiastic, knowledgeable and had such a passion for her city and the history of it. Thank you for sharing that passion. It was an incredible tour. Adrianna was fantastic!!!

Valerie🇬🇧 United Kingdom

4 June 2024

Had the most enjoyable couple of hours with tour guide Adrianna who's energy , wit, knowledge and passion for the subject enthralled all demographics of the group. rarely has a tour guide made me want to read up on a topic but Adrianna has ! Adrianna the rockstar dark tour guide !

Mitchell🇺🇸 United States

16 December 2023

Excellent! Sarah was a very knowledgeable and extremely lively story-teller. Really knew how to punch up each and every tale she told on the Dark History tour. Worthy itinerary as well. Mitch and Sandy

Steven🇺🇸 United States

1 October 2023

Our tour was titled “Secret Rome - The Dark Side and for those that have been to the Colosseum, the Forum, and the Vatican this tour was a blast. Bryan Lansing was informative, witty, and charming. Not to be missed if you want to spend a very entertaining 90 minutes. If you’ve been to Rome before

jasper

1 October 2023

Smooth booking Great guide Highly recommended

Kaye 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

23 July 2023

We really enjoyed our tour, Sarah was really enthusiastic about her job, it showed. The tour was amazing and filled with some pretty horrifying stores and history Sarah really loves what she does

Ivy 🇺🇸 United States

21 May 2023

So many fun stories. It was lovely seeing Rome in a different way. So Fun

Dianne🇮🇹 Italy

21 May 2023

We were trying to book last minute tours and all the most popular tours were booked. So we booked the “Secret Rome - The Dark Side” tour. Bryan did an amazing job with his story telling, and we had a great and really informative tour. It’s the part of history that perhaps Rome and certain Popes aren’t proud of, but very interesting nonetheless!Rome - Off the beaten path

Rikke🇩🇰 Denmark

25 April 2023

We had the most fantastic tour exploring some different stories and sights - quite an experience. This was our second tour with Withlocals and I love the fact that it is private and that the guides know so much and are so vibrant. Would recommend them to everyone!What a FANTASTIC tour!

paola🇮🇹 Italy

11 September 2022

Our tour with with Arianna whose excitement and passion for the dark side of Rome is clear and contagious. She shared personal insights along with the darker history of Rome. The 1-on-1 experience makes the tour more personal and enjoyable…seeing Rome through the eyes of a local is wonderful experience.A must for off the beaten track tour

James🇬🇧 United Kingdom

9 September 2022

Demetrio couldn’t attend so we got a tour w/ Kathleen. She was awesome! Super knowledgeable, a great laugh and very patient with all of our questions. Feel she went above and beyond and really couldn’t have been happier with the tour! Would encourage everyone to do it, great way to see parts of Rome you otherwise wouldn’t! Easy 10/10. Excellent Tour!

Elisa🇮🇪 Ireland

25 August 2022

Demetrio is a really engaging friendly individual who has a wealth of knowledge about the city of Rome. He told us lots of stories and gave us amazing facts that we did not know about before arriving in the city. It was a really hot day when we had a tour but he made sure to stop where it was shaded as much as possible to try and relieve the heat. We all thoroughly enjoyed it and it was definitely a highlight of our holiday. We would highly recommend him to anyone looking to take a tour off the beaten track. He brought the history of Rome to life and held our attention throughout.Really enjoyable private tour

Donald🇺🇸 United States

22 August 2022

It is not an exaggeration to say that Arianna provided me with the greatest tour I have ever had in my life. I have been to Rome a dozen time and she did the most amazing job showing me amazing corners and providing me with super interesting stories. You can really tell this is someone who loves her job and loves her city. It truly was a wonderful wonderful tour and I thank her for this fantastic experience! Grazie Arianna ! This was the best tour and a highlight of my entire trip! Highly highly HIGHLY recommended! Wow. Best tour w Arianna EVER!

Paul🇬🇧 United Kingdom

7 August 2022

Demetrio couldn’t make our booking time, and asked his colleague Arianna to stand in for him. She was superb! Her knowledge of history and unusual facts was impressive. Her passion for the subject was clear. And she approached many of the sites and stories with a modern, socio-cultural perspective that made our experience far richer and more insightful than a traditional ‘look and see’ tour. An absolute highlight of our visit to Rome. Thank you!Outstanding!

YAFFA🇮🇱 Israel

26 July 2022

We learnt about interesting things not so famous, but still very intetesting. Thank youExcellent experience

gretchen🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

21 July 2022

Demetrio couldn’t make it to our tour but he sent to us his colleague Kat. We’ll just say that even though we were tired from so much walking and sweaty and thirsty from the Roman heat this was worth every penny. Demetrio and Kat have designed a tour that talks about the dark side of the city, SO INTERESTING!! Kat answered all our questions and more. If mysteries, tales and history gossip is a thing that you’re interested in THIS is the tour for you! 100% recommend!Do it, is worth it!

Tonya🇺🇸 United States

15 July 2022

We had a great time with Sarah on the Dark Secrets tour. It was fun to start our time learning about less known places and stories. We would definitely recommend this tour. Fun start to Rome!

Cori 🇮🇹 Italy

20 May 2022

My friend and I really enjoyed the tour. Arianna had great stories to tell and included pictures of the people/things she spoke to give us perspective. I’ve been to Rome a few times so it was great to learn a little bit about the dark history from a local. I highly recommend!Loved hearing all the stories

John🇳🇱 Netherlands

11 May 2022

For anyone interested in a few (of the many) dark characters in Rome’s wild history, I would recommend booking a tour with Arianna (thx Demetrio!) We spent a highly educational, fun, humorous, and intriguing 90 minutes learning about some of the lesser or in some cases, little known, people and places in Rome’s fascinating history. Lesser known but no less important of course 😉 Thank you so much for keeping a 9-year old thrilled, captivated and hungry to find out more about some of the people and places we visited. One of the highlights of our trip to Rome! Thank you from all of us and hope to see you again. Go safely!Darkness and fascination

Paul🇬🇧 United Kingdom

27 April 2022

This is such a unique experience. Learning about things and places you may pass and not realise the true history behind them. Demetri was a lovely guide, very informative and obviously loves what he does. Passionate and welcoming, we loved every second of the tour. You won't regret booking this tour, HIGHLY recommended.See the grizzly the side of Rome!

cwdeighton🇬🇧 United Kingdom

12 April 2022

The communication prior to trip was excellent, Demetrio made the meet up very easy and was helpful in the lead up. He was very knowledgable and easy to engage with. He showed us a side of Rome that was interesting and enjoyable to learn about. His communication through the tour was fantastic and he was able to answer any questions we had in great depth. He has a little soap side hobby too and the soap he gave us smells great, looking forward to using it! Would recommend this tour to anyone.Fabulous tour- see a new side of Rome

Jessica 🇺🇸 United States

25 March 2022

We loved our time with Demetrio! He met my family of four on a gorgeous day in Rome and captivated my husband, teen, 20-year-old daughter and me with stories about the city's history and secrets. He's super knowledgable, kind and fun. Highly recommend, especially if you're looking for an alternative to museums and typical tours. Amazing walking tour of Rome

Noelle🇺🇸 United States

12 March 2022

We had a wonderful couple of hours with Demetrio showing us some of the wonderful macabre stories of the Romans from long ago. Highly recommend taking this tour. Excellent tour

Katharine🇮🇪 Ireland

26 February 2022

Demetrio is a lovely guide. Warm hearted and entertaining. We would definitely recommend him if you want to learn about the darker side of Rome.Good Fun!

Jeffrey🇺🇸 United States

13 November 2021

Demetrio is highly knowledgeable about Rome’s history and its dark side, in particular the raw power of some of The Popes and how they held on to power. Torture and beheadings were common, often with crowds of people watching, eating and drinking, high entertainment of the day. He is articulate and exuberant and a great raconteur.Rome, Darkly

Niels🇳🇱 Netherlands

4 November 2021

Demetrio had great stories, was relaxed and calm. He showed us interesting details that we would otherwise certainly have missed! (Both contemporary and historical.) Our kids could also ask questions in French, which he understands perfectly. We recommend!Top guide

Vivian🇳🇱 Netherlands

26 October 2021

Echt de moeite waard. Vertelt spannend en enthousiast! Echt een aanvulling! Geweldige verteller! Super voor tieners!

Nicole🇩🇪 Germany

19 October 2021

Demetrio is not only extremely knowledgeable but a great storyteller. Throughout the whole tour you can feel his passion for the city, its history and the people living here. A great experience even for frequent Rome travellers. Wonderful Experience

Meaghan🇬🇧 United Kingdom

19 October 2021

Demetrio is AWESOME. We had such a fun tour. He is so knowledgeable and an incredible storyteller. He had us all captivated with the dark stories of Rome. He was great with our kids, has an absolutely lovely personality and we very much enjoyed our afternoon. Captivating tour!

Lisa 🇩🇪 Germany

28 August 2021

The tour is a lot of fun and was a great addition to our Rome trip. Demetrio is a great story teller and showed us some really fascinating places around Rome that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. If you already know Rome a little bit and want to experience a different side of the city and it’s history, this tour won’t disappoint!A great behind the scenes tour of Rome!

Melissa🇺🇸 United States

11 August 2021

Mesmerized by so much knowledge - Demetrio was courteous, knowledgeable and a pleasure to explore Rome with! He explained in details the behind the scenes more obscure side of Roman history. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for more than the “touristy” shades of Rome. Dark side if Rome was a sucess!

Beth🇺🇸 United States

5 August 2021

Demetrius’ Secret Rome tour gave us a fantastic insight into lesser known and darker side of Rome, weaving it in with the bigger historical picture of the city. Perfect for my teenager and me, who love history but whose eyes often glaze over in museums. He really knows his stuff and was a great guideSecret Rome tour with Demetrius

ALINE🇫🇷 France

19 July 2021

We had a great time. I was travelling with my teenage kids and they enjoyed the tour. Demetrio was very knowledgeableGreat tour

Barbara🇮🇹 Italy

13 August 2020

We had a great time wandering of the beaten path with Demetrio on his tour: Secret Rome - The Dark side. My teenagers loved the stories that Demetrio shared with us and he had a wealth of knowledge deeper into Roman culture and history when we asked for it. We learned about brutal popes, poisoners and scheming politicians and are left with the question: “Has much changed in human nature since then?” A perfect tour into the “underbelly” of Rome. Thanks DemetrioPoisoners, ghosts and scheming politicians

Simone🇩🇪 Germany

22 July 2020

Demetrio has an excellent knowledge about Rome and the tour covered way more areas/neighborhoods and information than I expected. It’s so interesting and comfortable just to follow him through the city on paths you wouldn’t discover yourself and get all the stories. Highly recommended, especially right now in this time as Rome is so empty! It’s an exclusive special experience. Thanks Demetrio for your company, we enjoyed it very much!Very good!

Justin🇦🇺 Australia

6 February 2020

This was the best tour we did in Rome (we did 3 others). Demetrio knowledge and passion was outstanding. Highly recommend for anyone that wants to know what really happened in Rome. Some incredible stories that you won’t hear anywhere elseUnique and a must in Rome

Peggy🇺🇸 United States

12 October 2019

A great way to learn history and put events into a more realistic perspective, gory as it was. Demetrio obviously knows and loves Rome, world history and how to make it all fun to experience in the settings where it all happened. Thanks for a great tour. Peggy W Fun and full of historical surprises

Rob🇬🇧 United Kingdom

19 September 2019

This guy truly knows Rome and all its secrets. We visited both beautiful and dark places. The stories we were told brought back to life this most amazing of cities. Cant wait to come back and learn more of it's dark side. The dark side of Rome

Alexander🇦🇹 Austria

12 September 2019

Truly recommendable! Demetrio gives you insights and backgrounds that you would never have imagined. Yet he is a great storyteller illustrating Rome’s history so you will remember it for sure. Grazie milleGreat & knowledgable storyteller

Kai🇩🇪 Germany

30 July 2019

We booked und a tour to the „dark sides“ of Rome for a bachelors Party. Demetrio did an extraordinary Job and we had a lot of fun. Even those who have been to Rome before got a really new view on the City and the historical Life in Rome. Not only has Demetrio tons of Facts, he also Makes it easy to listen and tells fascinating Stories.Great experience + different view on rome

Manfred🇩🇪 Germany

27 July 2019

Ein tolle Tour die Demetrio da zusammengestellt hat! Viele Interessante Geschichten die nicht in den Reiseführern auftauchen. Man merkt, dass Demitrio Rom liebt und diese Liebe teilen möchte. Mehr ein spannender Spaziergang als eine Führung. Die Zeit vergeht im Flug und man nimmt viele neue Erfahrungen mit. Demitrio selbst ist ein fantastischer Guide. Er spricht hervorragendes Englisch und geht auf alle Fragen und Wünsche ein. Danke Demitrio auch von meinen Kindern Emily ud Fabian. Gruß ManfredRom aus einem anderen Blickwinkel!

Ruth🇬🇧 United Kingdom

18 July 2019

We all (parents and two teenagers 13 and 15) really enjoyed meeting Demetrio and hearing about the darker side of Rome. Fascinating (and gruesome) stories, hidden details in buildings and a very friendly host - we couldn’t have asked for more. Great pre-tour contact too. Definitely highly recommend Demetrio - book him! Brilliant, highlight of our trip

Nicholas🇦🇺 Australia

17 July 2019

Demetri provided the perfect balance between detailed historical fact and making history come to life. His depth of subject matter knowledge is impressive but coupled with his laid back sense of humour made it fascinating. Our party included teenagers and grandparents and he was both patient and accommodating. His post tour restaurant recommendation was also superb. Highly recommended. Fascinating tour - guide made all the difference

Rory🇨🇦 Canada

8 July 2019

Demetrio was a fantastic guide. Very informational and was willing to alter the tour for us. We HIGHLY recommend Demetrio as a guide. Rome - The Dark side

Jory🇳🇱 Netherlands

7 June 2019

De rondleiding van Demetrio was interessant en in goed verstaanbaar Engels. Hij nam de tijd om onze vragen te beantwoorden en was zeer vriendelijk. Ter illustratie van de plekken die we bezochten had Demetrio een tablet bij, waarop hij foto's/tekeningen/schilderijen liet zien waarin de vroegere situatie op die plek werd verduidelijkt. De gegeven informatie was vrij diepgaand, wat wij erg prettig vonden. Echt een aanrader!Interessante rondleiding

Machteld🇧🇪 Belgium

29 May 2019

Demetrio was a very entertaining guide. On every corner he knew a story to tell and he really loves his city. The 2 hours really went by to quickly!Great guide!