Circus Maximus and Aventine Self-Guided Audio Walk: Mouth of Truth, Orange Garden and Keyhole
1 hour
About this experience
In this corner of Rome almost nothing is what it was built to be. A valley was shaped into the Circus Maximus, the chariot track, and is now a lawn. Two temples by the river became churches. A medieval fortress became a public garden of orange trees. Start at the curved end of the Circus Maximus beside a medieval mill tower, see the whole track from above, and picture the twelve starting gates. Visit the square of the Mouth of Truth, with its round marble temple and seven-story bell tower. Climb a cobbled lane under the fortress wall into the Orange Garden and its terrace over the Tiber, pass the fifth-century basilica of Santa Sabina, and end at the Knights of Malta square, where a keyhole frames the dome of Saint Peter's. Nine stops, about 1.5 km and an hour, at your own pace, in English. One gentle climb, no entry tickets needed.
- Experience type
- Day tour or activity
- Duration
- 1 hour
- Audio guide
- English
- Guide
- English
- Categories
- Walking tour · Cultural and theme tours · City tours
What's included
Self-guided audio tour in English: 9 stops, 1.5 km, 1 hour Stops at Mouth of Truth, two Roman temples, Orange Garden terrace GPS map and walking directions in your phone browser, no app needed Lifetime access: start any day, at any hour, and replay it
What's not included
A live guide: you set the pace and the pauses A fixed start time: begin whenever you arrive Museum and monument tickets, all optional extras Tip or gratuity Food and drinks Entry or admission fee
Please note
To start the tour, enter the ticket code from your confirmation on the Roamer redemption page linked there. Do this before you set off, while you still have signal. The tour then opens in your phone browser, with no app to download. Bring a charged phone and earphones. Mobile data helps; if you have none, open the tour on wifi before you set off. Best time: A weekday morning or early afternoon, Tuesday to Sunday. The Orange Garden closes at 18:00 from October to February, before sunset, so start by about 16:30 at the latest; the gate shuts before sunset only in October until the clocks go back (25 October 2026); from November to February the sun sets before 18:00, and in the warmer months the garden stays open later. The Circus's ticketed excavation is closed on Mondays, and Santa Sabina's porch opens later on Sundays and Mondays. The keyhole queue is usually shortest early in the day. Getting to the start: Metro line B's Circo Massimo station is about 300 metres from stop 1: cross Via della Fonte di Fauno at the zebra, take the pavement above the park toward the river, and go down the short flights of steps onto the unpaved track at the curved end of the lawn. Stay outside the excavation wall. Since June 2026 the station is also the gateway to the FAO museum. After big concerts in the Circus the station has been closed from 22:00. Buses listed by Roma Capitale for the area include 118, 628, 85 and C3; check the ATAC journey planner. Checked 8 October 2026. The Orange Garden (Parco Savello) is free and open every day: October to February 7:00 to 18:00, later from spring to summer (Roma Capitale). If you arrive after closing, follow the cobbled Clivo di Rocca Savella to its top at Via di Santa Sabina and walk down that street to Santa Sabina (stop 7): about 300 metres, no steps. Checked 8 October 2026. The city rose garden (Roseto Comunale), above stop 2, opens only for short seasons: in spring (in 2026, 11 April to 14 June) and for about two weeks in October and November (in 2025, 18 October to 2 November). The 2026 autumn dates had not been published on 8 October 2026; check comune.roma.it or turismoroma.it. Entry is free. Checked 8 October 2026. The Circo Maximo Experience, the fenced excavation of the curved end and the medieval tower (stop 1), is open Tuesday to Sunday, but official pages give different hours, so check the Turismo Roma / Sovrintendenza Capitolina page for the Torre della Moletta before you go; EUR 12 full or EUR 10 reduced, with an entry-only ticket available at the box office. Entrance at Piazza di Porta Capena. Checked 8 October 2026. Santa Maria in Cosmedin and its porch with the Mouth of Truth (stop 4) are open every day 09:30 to 17:50 according to the basilica's own site, with a 13:00 to 14:00 closure according to Roma Capitale's tourism site; Sunday liturgy at 10:30. No fee has been confirmed by an official source; expect a queue. Checked 8 October 2026. Santa Sabina (stop 7) is free and needs no booking. Its own site gives visiting hours of 08:00 to 19:00 Tuesday to Saturday and 12:00 to 19:00 on Sundays, Mondays and holy days, with no visits during services; the page is undated, so check before you go. Checked 8 October 2026. The garden of Sant'Alessio (stop 8) is open from dawn to sunset (Turismo Roma). The keyhole (stop 9) can be looked through at any hour; the church and garden behind the gate are not open. Checked 8 October 2026. This walk ends about a kilometre from Metro Circo Massimo. Roma Capitale also lists Metro line B's Piramide station for the Aventine. Our Trastevere walk begins a short walk north of the Mouth of Truth square (stop 4); our Colosseum and Roman Forum walk starts at the Arch of Constantine, about 800 metres beyond the curved end of the Circus Maximus. Steps and cobbles: about ten steps with no handrail near the foot of the Clivo di Rocca Savella, about twenty more with no handrail into the Orange Garden, and three steps (with a handrail) up to the terrace. The lane and much of the hilltop are paved with stone setts, slippery when wet. A step-free way up the hill is the Clivo dei Publicii, from the Mouth of Truth square to Santa Sabina (about 650 metres, gently rising, partly on the road edge); it skips stops 5 and 6. Crossings: Via dell'Ara Massima di Ercole is crossed at two signalled crossings in a row (between stops 3 and 4), and Via della Greca, a wide road of six lanes, at signals in two stages (after stop 4). Then about 100 metres along Via di Santa Maria in Cosmedin, a busy main road, on a narrow pavement: keep to the pavement against the hill and go in single file. The Aventine's lanes (Via di Santa Sabina, Piazza di Sant'Alessio, the last block to the Knights of Malta square) have slow one-way traffic and narrow or no pavements in places. Keep to the edge. The Orange Garden's terrace was fenced off in 2019 after slight settling was found and has since been consolidated; whether any part is fenced or under works on the day is not confirmed. Do not lean on a fenced or taped balustrade. The garden gate at the top of the Clivo di Rocca Savella may be shut outside garden hours. The Temple of Hercules (stop 4) is fenced and its visits are suspended for works; it is seen from the square. The Mouth of Truth is in the porch of a working church: keep voices down and avoid services. Keep bags closed in the crowd at the Mouth of Truth and in the keyhole queue. Churches on the route are not entered as part of the walk. If you go in, avoid services and cover shoulders and knees. The park tracks of the Circus Maximus are unpaved. The Circus is used for big concerts and events, when parts of it can be fenced off. Public transportation nearby
Itinerary
- 1Day 0
Circus Maximus: The Curved End
Via del Circo Massimo at the curved end of the Circus Maximus park, 00153 Rome, Rome
The curved end of Rome's great chariot track, seen from the park, with a medieval mill tower built into it.
- 2Day 0
Belvedere Romolo e Remo: The Whole Track
Belvedere Romolo e Remo, above the Circus Maximus, 00186 Rome, Rome
A viewpoint above the whole Circus Maximus, facing the Palatine across the valley.
- 3Day 0
Circus Maximus: The Starting Gates
Via del Circo Massimo, at the river end of the Circus Maximus, 00186 Rome, Rome
The river end of the Circus Maximus, where twelve starting gates once opened on a slanted line for a fair start.
- 4Day 0
Piazza della Bocca della Verità: Temples Turned Churches
Piazza della Bocca della Verità, by the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, 00186 Rome, Rome
A riverside square with a bell tower, the Mouth of Truth and two Roman temples that became churches.
- 5Day 0
Clivo di Rocca Savella: The Fortress Lane
Clivo di Rocca Savella, cobbled lane below the Orange Garden, 00153 Rome, Rome
A cobbled lane under a fortress wall, which now holds a garden.
- 6Day 0
Orange Garden: A Castle Turned Inside Out
Giardino degli Aranci (Parco Savello), Via di Santa Sabina, 00153 Rome, Rome
A garden of orange trees in a fortress, laid out in 1932, with a terrace over the Tiber.
- 7Day 0
Santa Sabina: The Plain Basilica
Piazza Pietro d'Illiria, outside the basilica of Santa Sabina, 00153 Rome, Rome
A fifth-century basilica of plain brick, with a porch of reused ancient columns and carved cypress-wood doors.
- 8Day 0
Piazza Sant'Alessio: A Fountain Moved Uphill
Piazza di Sant'Alessio, by the church of Sant'Alessio, 00153 Rome, Rome
A quiet square with a medieval tower, and a small pine garden holding a relocated fountain.
- 9Day 0
Knights of Malta Square: The Keyhole
Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, facing the Priory gate keyhole, 00153 Rome, Rome
A small square laid out by Piranesi, where a keyhole in the Priory gate frames the dome of Saint Peter's.
Meeting point
Circus Maximus, Rome Via del Circo Massimo at the curved end of the Circus Maximus park, 00153 Rome, Rome, Lazio, IT
Pick up
Pickup is not provided.
Cancellation policy · Circus Maximus and Aventine Self-Guided Audio Walk: Mouth of Truth, Orange Garden and Keyhole
Standard Viator policy
- Cancellation 0–24 hours before departure: 100% cancellation fee.
- Cancellation 24–24000 hours before departure: 0% cancellation fee.
Good to know
Operated by Roamer and sold by AGORA. Your voucher and booking reference arrive by email straight after payment.