Our visit to the Eternal City will start with an iconic site – the Flavian Amphitheater, better known as the Colosseum. The largest ‘entertainment’ center of the Ancient World was commissioned in 70 AD by Emperor Vespasian, and in just ten years, his son Titus inaugurated the new structure with 100 straight days of games. 

This gigantic center got the name Colosseum due to the bronze statue of the Emperor Nero that stood near the site and outlived ill-fated “original” by centuries. According to historical sources, the height of the statue was near 100 feet, hence the name Colossus of Nero. The ill-famed emperor erected this massive monument in the courtyard of his Golden Palace. Not much is left of the palace, as soon after Nero’ assassination much of it was destroyed and the remains covered by dirt. However, in recent years, access to some of the structures of the palace that seem like an underground maze are open to the public and there we will go next. 

After the lunch break we will ascend the Palatine Hill to see the remains of the Imperial Palace, and to gaze at the remains of the Roman Forum on one side and the Circus Maximus, an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium, on the other. From there we will proceed to see the house of Augustus and Livia, Cryptoporticus, and the Senate building, together with the vestiges of the multiple temples that once adorned the Forum. By Via Sacra we will exit the Forum, making our last stops at the Arched of Titus and Constantine.

This morning we will start our day at the second division of the Capitoline Museum known as the Centrale Montemartini. The exhibition galleries are located in the building of the first public electric plant of Rome with much of the machinery still in place. One of the newest additions to the grand assembly of incredible Roman museums, opened in 1997, this museum exhibits as if contrasting the ancient depiction of the gods with human ingenuity. The contrast is surrealistic and awe-inspiring at the same time, not to mention the unique collection of ancient marble sculptures, mosaics, etc. Our next stop will be at a small museum dedicated to the fortifications of Ancient Rome. The museum is conveniently located at the gate towers that face the Appian Way, right by the surviving section of the Aurelian Walls. Our further exploration will take us along Via Appia, one of THE roads that lead to Rome. One of the catacombs, the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella and the Mausoleum of the Scipio Africanus family, the Archeological Park of the Aqueducts and some other amazing remains of Ancient Rome located along via Appia will be waiting for us in the afternoon. We will finish our day with the exploration of the Villa of the Quintilii, the mammoth size of which gave birth to the medieval legends of it being a separate city in its own right.

Today we will explore a number of the archeological sites in the heart of Rome.

We will start our day-long walking tour with the so-called Arch of Janus. The arch is not  actually dedicated to that Roman god, but is special in its own way. It is the only surviving ancient of that type in Rome – an arch in of cubic shape with a gate on each side. A short distance away is the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin with the famed marble disc culturally referred to as the “Mouth of Truth”. The original purpose of it is not determined, but the likely use of it was to be a drain point of a dome structure at one of the near-by temples. Practically across the street from the church there are a couple of nearly intact ancient Roman temples, namely the Temple of Hercules Victor at Foro Boario, and Tempio de Fortuno. After exploring these architectural gems of Roman antiquity, we will walk to see the fascinating remains of the Teatro Marcello with the houses built right into the walls, and the small church of St. Nicola in Carcere, built out of the remains of the preceding Roman temples, and a very fascinating archeological zone under the church. Before lunch we will climb up the Capitoline Hill to visit the Capitoline Museums, perhaps the best collection of Roman antiquities to be found anywhere. After a late lunch, we will explore the Markets of Trajan, Trajan’s Column, a unique war memorial depicting in great detail the conquest of Dacia, and we will stop by the open area of Largo de Torre Argentina, famed for the remains of the Roman temples and cat colony. Our last stop will be at the Roman Pantheon, one of the most fascinating structures from the Roman period that not only survives, but actually remains in use until the present day. 

Today we will travel outside Rome once again to see the one of the best-preserved Roman cities of Ostia Antica. Initially it developed around the port, and then took a life of its own and grew in size and importance. Not quite analogous to Pompei, the city of Ostia still contains incredible wonders. Here you could see the marketplace with early black and white mosaics, several-storied apartment buildings, taverns, temples, baths – all in an incredible state of preservation. Near Ostia there are two very interesting sites. One is Isola Sacra with a fascinating cemetery that contains streets of the mausoleums of the rich families that resided in the area, and a museum of the ancient Roman ships that were discovered during the building of Rome’s airport. On the way to Ostia Antica, we will visit the Pyramid of Caius Cestius, a tribute to the Roman fascination with Ancient Egypt, and the Museum of the Ostian Road, organized in one of the best-preserved Roman gates of the entire circle of Roman fortifications around the city. 

Palazzo Massimo, an impressively large building near the central train station in Rome is the main part of the incredible National Roman Museum. Among the collections here are incredible bronze and marble statuary, mosaics, and frescoes. The remarkable Fresco Room from the Villa of Livia, wife of Emperor Octavian, has been cleaned and restored as an exhibit piece within the Palazzo. Among many other incredible discoveries that shed light on the life of Ancient Romans, there are very special bronze artifacts from Caligula’s gigantic Nemi ships, the memorial of which we are going to see on the following day. Practically adjacent to the museum, there are remains of one of the largest bath complexes in Rome, the Bath of Diocletian. Today, in the vestiges of the enormous halls, various sarcophagi and mosaics are on exhibit, but in addition to this, there is a museum of epitaphs. Certainly not as popular as some other museums of Roman antiquities, it is still incredibly unique as it brings us face to face with many famous Romans, whose names and deeds are surviving via numerous inscriptions, and in addition to that it gives a bit of insight into the religious life of the antique Roman populace, an aspect of life that is generally overlooked, but which nevertheless played an incredibly important role in the lives of emperors and common folks alike. After lunch we will visit the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, with some of the most ancient mosaics. The importance of them is hard to describe, as these 4th century masterpieces are not only some of the earliest Christian sacred art, but also a direct representation of contemporary Roman art. The Basilica of St. Clement, situated within a short walking distance, represents another treasure, as in its archeological zone we could look at the history of Rome as if at a multi-layered cake. We will see not only the development of sacred Christian space, but also one of the best preserved Mythreums, a gathering place of the cult that was at one time a rival to Christianity. We’ll also see the remains of an ancient Roman street and nicely preserved rooms of an ancient mint. 

Today we will travel out of the city once again. Our first stop, after about one hour’s drive, will be at the Archeological Museum of Lavinium.

This smaller site is actually rather important for our exploration of the ancient city, as it deals with the mythical origin of Rome. The story of Romulus and Remus is renown, but legend goes farther in history, connecting the origin of the ancestry of the two brothers to Aeneus, son of Aphrodite, and a relative of the Trojan King Priam. It is said that few survivors made it from the falling Troy and ended up at the Italian peninsula. Be that as it may, in honor of that tradition, a section of the archaeological exhibit is dedicated to that legend. The museum deals with the complex of the excavated sanctuary of Minerva that was in active use as early as the 5th century BC, and the sacred area of the thirteen altars. A new educational center and museum opened its door for the public as recently as the last decade.  From the Lavinium we will proceed to the area of the town of Albano, the station of the famous Legion II Parthia. Here we could see a small exhibit with local finds, a theater and a very fascinating and one of the very few (if not the only) still functioning water cisterns. Our last stop will be by Lake Nemi, a small volcanic lake that lies near the sanctuary dedicated to Diana, a very important cultic place of the entire Italian Peninsula. It is on this lake that Emperor Caligula decided to construct two huge barge-ships. Their purpose is still being discussed, with the supposition that one ship contained the floating palace of Caligula, complete with a bath complex that contained heating, plumbing, and a massive amount of marble and bronze fixtures; the other one was dedicated as a temple. Amazingly the ships did not outlive their master by long and were promptly sunk. However, in the 1930’s on Mussolini’s orders, the lake was drained and both ships were taken out from the lake’s sediment and properly installed in two huge pavilions specially built for the occasion. At the very end of WWII, as a result of an accident and deliberate war against cultural inheritance, both ships perished in a fire. Still, some items – marbles, bronzes, and a bit of wooden frame of the boats - remain in the very same pavilions that hosted the boats for just a short period of time.

On our last day in the city of Rome we will explore several impressive sites. We will start our day with a visit to Castel San Angelo, famous as an escape place and a fortress of the Roman Popes, initially commissioned as a mausoleum of the Emperor Hadrian and his family. Even as the building was altered and repurposed, the lower part of it, the ramps and burial chamber itself, remain largely intact since the time of its construction. It is very fascinating to see the rays of the sun still piercing the air of the burial chamber from different angles throughout the year. The emperor was very fascinated by the cult of the sun during his lifetime. Just across the Tiber River we will walk on the Stadium of Domitian, entirely covered by the tourist trap of Piazza Navona, although some parts of the stadium’s construction is still exposed. While walking by of Temple of Hadrian and the Column of Marcus Aurelius we will come to the recently restored Altar of Peace or Ara Pachis. Originally that same structure was located on the outskirts of Rome. It was commissioned by the Roman Senate in honor of the return of Augustus from his military campaigns in Spain and Gaul. As it was situated on the flood plain, the structure got buried under meters of sediment. In 1938, upon its excavation, it was moved and reassembled at its current place in the heart of Rome. After prolonged restoration it was open to the public in recent years. Our last stop of the day will be at the Baths of Caracalla, a mind-boggling gargantuan ruin. 

The last day of our tour will be dedicated to the exploration of two fascinating sites located on the outskirts of Rome. Our first stop will be at the Mausoleum of Santa Constanza. For a long time it was believed the mausoleum was built by Emperor Constantine for his daughter Constanza. However, recent excavations proved that there was an earlier building on the site. Still, the current building that survives phenomenally well is dated to 350AD which makes it a very special example of nearly intact Roman Imperial Architecture. Leaving Rome, in about one hour driving time we will arrive to the charming hill-town of Palestrina, home to many spectacular Roman ruins. The most famous site in Palestrina is doubtlessly the Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia, built in the 2nd century BC. The sheer size of that well-preserved monument is jaw-dropping. No place was more fortuitous in the minds of Ancient Romans than the sanctuary of the goddess Fortuna. Many famous Romans would come here to consult the oracle about their activities or military campaigns. As a secondary dedication of the sanctuary was to the Egyptian deity Isis, some Egyptian features were introduced to the site. Perhaps the most famous of them all which still survives is an intricate mosaic of the representation of the Nile River, which could be seen at the local archeological museum. From here we will travel to Tivoli, to visit Hadrian’s villa. The complex of the villa gives us an incredible insight into the magnitude of the Roman palatial structures. It is difficult to imagine the splendor of the Imperial palace in Rome. Here in Tivoli you could seemingly endlessly wander through the complex that resembles a mid-size ancient town more than a palace. Even with nearly all marble and mosaics gone, the very layout of the palace with its many rooms and halls is still easily imaginable based on the well-preserved remains, and one could certainly feel the glory and power of Ancient Rome.