The Eternal City: Rome for History Addicts!

Upon arrival to the Fiumicino Airport, you and your fellow history addicts will travel by private coach to your hotel in Rome, your epic base for the next six nights. Depending on your group’s flight, should it land well before the hotel’s official check-in time (generally around 3:00 pm), you are more than welcome to store baggage with the hotel staff and begin exploring this fascinating city.

In the late afternoon your group will head to Rome’s historic center for a walking tour of central Rome’s best sights. If need be, transportation can be provided, depending on your hotel’s location. See Piazza Navona, Campo de’ Fiori, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon before heading to a neighborhood trattoria for a group welcome dinner.

After having breakfast, set out on an unforgettable guided tour of Ancient Rome. You’ll begin with a visit inside the Eternal City’s most recognizable sight: the Colosseum. Then walk to the nearby Basilica of San Clemente, a church with layer upon layer of fascinating history. After free time for lunch, your group will tackle both the storied Roman Forum and Palatine Hill! Please remember that both are archaeological sites and that comfortable shoes are a must – as are water and a hat on sunny days. The tour will finish back at the hotel. Enjoy an evening at leisure in Rome.

After breakfast, a local guide will accompany your group to Vatican City for a guided tour of the Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Square, and St. Peter’s Basilica. Please remember that there is a strict dress code to enter St. Peter’s: no skirts above the knee, shorts, or bare shoulders. It is also preferable that you don’t bring a backpack as you’ll be forced to check it (no cost, but potentially time consuming).

Once the tour of Vatican City has finished you have free time for lunch before resuming your sightseeing with a drive down the Ancient Appian Way to visit the Catacombs of Domitilla, a remarkable early Christian site! The tour will finish back at the hotel, where you’ll have time to freshen up before a group dinner in Trastevere, one of the few neighborhoods of Rome that has retained a medieval look. Today it is also praised by local Romans for its excellent restaurant scene.

After breakfast, set out with a local guide on a morning excursion to Ostia Antica. Located southwest of Rome, runs the Tiber River, which flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The ruins of Rome’s former port, near the Tiber River, are some of Italy’s finest. Despite having thrived almost 2,000 years ago by the Middle Ages, Ostia was largely forgotten. Today its ruins are remarkably well preserved. Your group will return to Rome in time for a late lunch, and the coach can drop passengers in the city center or at the hotel. The remainder of the day is free.

After breakfast, travel east to the outskirts of Rome for a guided excursion of the Villa Adriana in Tivoli. Like many of the elites of his day, the Roman Emperor, Hadrian, desired a relaxing retreat outside of chaotic Rome and, therefore, constructed his villa in Tivoli in the 2nd century. Having widely traveled throughout his vast empire, Hadrian envisioned a grand estate that incorporated elements from his travels to Egypt and Greece. The result, which was more like a city than a “villa,” was a masterpiece. Your group will have a guided tour of this ancient marvel, followed by lunch at a restaurant in Tivoli before returning to Rome mid-afternoon. The remainder of the day is free.

After breakfast in the hotel you are free to spend your last day in Rome as you see fit. We suggest you check out one or two of Rome’s excellent museums or visit the Castel Sant’Angelo. Our museum suggestions are the following: the National Etruscan Museum, the Museum of Roman Civilization, and the Capitoline Museums. However, if you’re sightseeing-fatigued, you can always take a cooking class, go shopping or spend a relaxing day in the greenery of Rome’s Villa Borghese. This evening, your group will enjoy a special farewell dinner in a Roman restaurant (transportation included).

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will travel by private coach to Rome’s Fiumicino – Leonardo da Vinci International Airport for its return flight to the USA or Canada.