Your driver-guide begins the tour here, in the square at the heart of Rome, dominated by the vast white marble Altare della Patria. You'll stop for photos as the monument's floodlights come on at dusk, while your guide explains how this square connects ancient, papal and modern Rome.

The golf cart circles the amphitheatre so you see it from several angles, then stops at the best vantage point for photos of the arches lit from within. Your driver-guide tells the story of the games, the awning system and the Arch of Constantine alongside it. This is an exterior visit — you won't go inside the monument.

You drive the length of Via dei Fori Imperiali with the Forum and the Imperial Fora spread out on both sides, illuminated after dark. Your guide points out the Temple of Saturn, the Curia and Trajan's Column as you pass.

A stop at the ancient chariot-racing track, now a vast open field with the ruins of the imperial palaces on the Palatine Hill rising above it. The setting sun behind the Palatine makes this one of the best photo spots of the evening.

You pass beneath the arches of this 1st-century BC theatre, the model for the Colosseum, floodlit and topped by the Renaissance palace built into its upper floors. Your guide explains the site as you drive along the edge of the ancient Jewish Ghetto.

You leave the cart to walk into Rome's most theatrical baroque square, built over the ruins of Domitian's stadium. Your guide talks you through Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers while the square fills with musicians, artists and evening strollers.

A stop in Piazza della Rotonda to see the best-preserved building of ancient Rome, its columns and portico dramatically lit at night. Your guide explains the dome, the oculus and how the temple survived 2,000 years intact.

A short walk brings you to the Trevi Fountain, at its most spectacular after dark when the illuminated water glows against the travertine. You'll have time to toss a coin and take photos while your guide explains the aqueduct that still feeds it.

A stop at the foot of the Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti, with the Barcaccia fountain in the square and the church lit above. Your guide explains the history of the steps and the surrounding designer streets.

A photo stop in the great neoclassical square with its Egyptian obelisk and twin churches. Your guide points out the Porta del Popolo, the historic northern gateway into Rome for pilgrims and travellers.

A stop on the Ponte Sant'Angelo, lined with Bernini's angels, looking across to Hadrian's illuminated mausoleum-turned-fortress. Your guide explains the secret passage linking it to the Vatican and why popes fled here in times of danger.