After escaping the Roman heat wave with a long trip back to the States, I’m back in town and thrilled to be back to work doing, among other things, giving tours. In the spring, I added affordable small group tours to the repertoire, so if you want to hang out and talk about food and archeology, no need to book a private tour (unless you want to!). These small group itineraries visit two archeological sites that are normally closed to the public, Monte di Testaccio (aka Monte dei Cocci) and the Circus Maximus Mithraeum. Upcoming visits must be booked through Eventbrite. Here’s a bit more about the sites:

Monte di Testaccio is a man-made hill composed of tens of millions of ancient terra cotta amphorae. The hill is a fascinating trash heap which testifies to the Roman appetite for imported oil during the Empire. The next visits to the 135-foot-tall pile of ancient olive oil jugs will be held Sept 18 and Oct 3.

The Circus Maximus Mithraeum, a cavernous underground ruin dedicated to the god Mithras, dates back to the early Imperial period and preserves ancient reliefs. I’ll be leading tours of that site Oct 10 and Oct 24.