A tour to discover the Eternal City through its most important monuments – from Roman times, at the archaeological area of the Fora and the excavations of Ostia Antica, to the modern city, with its stunning squares, palazzos and fountains, built in every style by some of the greatest artists.
Day 1Rome by Night
Arrival at the airport and transfer to the hotel. In the evening, dinner at a typical restaurant and bus tour of Rome by night. Return to the hotel and overnight stay.
2
The Excavations of Ostia Antica
After breakfast, departure for Ostia to visit the excavations of “Ostia Antica”, the city founded around the 4th century B.C. at the mouth of the Tiber river. Originally a military colony and home of the Imperial fleet, it then became the port of Rome, linked to the city by the river and the Via Ostiense. The excavations have brought to light the remains of the 4th-century B.C. castrum and the necropolis outside the city, but it is the buildings of the Imperial age that allow us to reconstruct daily life in ancient Rome: from domus (patrician villas), to insulae (middle-class apartments), from horrea (warehouses) to thermopolium (snack bar), from baths to theatre, from temples to mitrei, and to the forica (public lavatory) and police station. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
3
Squares and Monuments of Rome’s Historical Centre
After breakfast, visit to Rome’s historical centre starting from Piazza di Spagna, with the Barcaccia fountain and 7thcentury Spanish Steps. From there to the Trevi Fountain, astounding display of Virgin Water designed by the architect Nicola Salvi at the beginning of the 18th century. Next we cross the Via del Corso - which takes its name from the races of
Berber horses, held there during Carnival, along this road running from Piazza del Popolo to Piazza Venezia - and proceed to the Pantheon, rebuilt in the 2nd century by the Emperor Hadrian on the site of the most ancient temple erected by Agrippa. Next stop is the nearby Piazza Navona, set on the site of the ancient Stadium of Domitian. Of its three famous fountains, the middle one, called the Fountain of the Four Rivers, is the Baroque masterpiece built in the middle of the 17th century by Gian Lorenzo Bernini for Pope Innocent X. Afternoon free. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
4
Ancient Rome
After breakfast, visit to the archaeological areas. This takes us from the monuments and triumphal arches of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, where the Emperors lived from Augustus on, to the Imperial Fora overlooked by the twisted Column and Trajan’s Markets, and then to Flavio’s Amphitheatre, the public building used for the gladiators’ games and known as the Coliseum because it was built close to the colossal statue of Nero. Afternoon free and departure as planned.
