Rome, Italy
Urban Tales is a GPS audio guide app that narrates Rome's hidden history, legends and secrets automatically as you walk — at your own pace, with no tour group to follow.
The app in action
No tapping. No searching. Urban Tales detects your GPS position and plays audio automatically the moment you're close enough. Put your phone in your pocket — just walk and listen.
GPS triggered. Audio starts the moment you arrive at a landmark.
Walk freely. Every landmark around you has a story ready.
Rich stories. History, legends and context for every landmark.
4 storytelling styles. Historical, Legends, Fun Facts and Cinematic.
How it works
No preparation, no pre-booked route, no group to keep up with. Urban Tales works the moment you step outside.
The app shows landmarks around you the moment you open it. Works anywhere in Rome — from the Colosseum to a quiet street in Pigneto.
As you get close to a landmark, the audio starts automatically. Put your phone in your pocket and just walk and listen.
Create a half-day route, a full-day itinerary, a 7-wonders tour or a custom path. Or ignore all of that and wander — the app keeps up.
What you'll hear
These are the kinds of stories Urban Tales narrates as you walk. Each one triggers automatically when you're standing in the right place.
Bocca della Verità · Santa Maria in Cosmedin
Long before Audrey Hepburn made it famous in Roman Holiday, this ancient marble mask was used as a lie detector. The legend holds that anyone who places their hand in its mouth and tells a lie will have it bitten off. Medieval priests reportedly hid a scorpion behind it to make the threat more convincing. Originally, it wasn't even art — it was a Roman drain cover.
Trevi Fountain · Fontana di Trevi
The full ritual — forgotten by most — involves three coins. The first brings you back to Rome, the second grants a new romance, the third ensures a marriage. The fountain collects over a million euros a year in wishes. Most of it goes to a local food bank.
The Colosseum · Anfiteatro Flavio
Many gladiators were volunteers who traded freedom for fame and a steady income. Crowds had favorites. Graffiti survived in Pompeii naming specific fighters as heartthrobs. The Colosseum held up to 80,000 spectators and had an awning system operated by sailors from the Roman naval fleet.
The Pantheon · Campo Marzio
Completed around 125 AD, the Pantheon has never stopped being used. The dome's volcanic ash concrete has resisted cracking for two millennia in ways modern concrete cannot replicate. The 9-metre oculus at the top is the only source of natural light. When it rains, the floor drains it through holes built into the marble.
Tiber Island · Isola Tiberina
When a plague devastated Rome in 293 BC, a sacred serpent escaped a delegation's boat and swam to a small island in the Tiber. Romans took it as a divine sign and built a temple there. The island has been a place of healing ever since — it still houses a working hospital today. The snake wrapped around a rod became the universal symbol of medicine.
Largo di Torre Argentina · Campo Marzio
On the Ides of March, 44 BC, Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times in the ruins that sit in this open square. Most tourists walk around it without recognising what it is. Today, hundreds of cats live in the sunken ruins under the care of local volunteers. You can visit them for free.
Where to walk
Urban Tales covers the full city. Here are the areas where the stories are thickest.
The Colosseum, Forum, Palatine Hill, Circus Maximus. Every stone has a name and a story spanning centuries. The densest layer of Urban Tales content in the city.
The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Largo Argentina. Ancient ruins sit next to Baroque fountains and daily street life. Rome at its most layered.
Rome's oldest neighborhood. Narrow cobblestone streets, ivy-covered walls, medieval churches. Once the most multicultural district in the ancient world.
Once Rome's most notorious slum, now its most charming neighborhood. Artisan shops, wine bars and Renaissance-era streets unchanged since antiquity.
St. Peter's Basilica sits atop Nero's circus. Castel Sant'Angelo was a mausoleum before it was a fortress. One of the most dramatic power stories in human civilisation.
Home to Rome's ancient food market, the Capuchin Crypt and a keyhole view of St. Peter's perfectly framed by trees. Where Rome keeps its strangest secrets.
Storytelling styles
The same landmark sounds completely different in each mode. Switch styles anytime during your walk.
Context, dates, politics, empires. What actually happened here and why it mattered. For travelers who want to leave Rome genuinely knowing things.
Myths, curses, ghosts and ancient superstitions. The stories Romans told each other before the history books were written.
The absurd, the surprising and the genuinely weird. Perfect for keeping energy up on a long walk or exploring with kids.
Films shot here, scenes set here, directors who obsessed over these streets. Rome through the lens of cinema.
FAQ
Does Urban Tales cover the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica?
Yes. Urban Tales covers the Vatican area including St. Peter's Square, Castel Sant'Angelo and the surrounding Borgo neighborhood, with stories triggered as you walk through the outdoor areas.
Is Urban Tales worth it if I've already been to Rome before?
Especially then. Returning visitors often say the app transformed places they thought they already knew. The Legends mode in particular reveals a Rome that standard tours never cover — the ghosts, the superstitions, the stories that didn't make the guidebooks.
How does the pricing work for Rome?
You can start exploring for free. A day pass unlocks the full Rome experience for a single day, or you can unlock the city permanently. No subscriptions required.
What languages is the Rome audio guide available in?
Urban Tales supports English, Spanish (LATAM), Brazilian Portuguese, French and German. Select your language when you first open the app.
Can I use Urban Tales for a half-day or full-day visit?
Yes. The app supports quick stops, half-day explorations, full-day routes and custom tours. Use the route generator to build an itinerary based on your available time and interests.
Free to download. No tour group. No fixed schedule.
Explore more
Rome, Paris, Mexico City and more cities being added regularly. See the full list and find your next destination.