Rome

Day 1 | Thursday 8 January
Arrival
Our tour begins this afternoon at 3.00pm in the lobby of the Hotel Ponte Sisto, before setting out for an orientation walking tour of the local neighbourhood. Returning to our hotel, we then enjoy an introductory talk by our tour leader, Dr Eireann Marshall, followed by a welcome dinner at one of Rome’s most famous restaurants. Overnight Rome (D)

Day 2 | Friday 9 January
The Heart of Ancient Rome
Rome resonates with layers of legend, politics, and imperial ambition, and our morning walking tour brings these storied ruins vividly to life. Beginning with Palatine Hill, once the most exclusive address in ancient Rome, we will admire the exquisite frescoes of the House of Augustus and explore the grand imperial complexes of Tiberius and Domitian. Descending via the remarkable Tiberius’ Ramp – an architectural feat linking the imperial residences with the bustling civic heart of the Forum – we will have a chance to view the rare 6th-century church of Santa Maria Antiqua. We then continue through the Forum’s sacred and political landmarks, including the Oratory of the Forty Martyrs, the Temple of Caesar, the Temple of Vesta, and the round Temple of Romulus. Returning to our hotel, the afternoon and evening are at leisure. Overnight Rome (B)

Day 3 | Saturday 10 January
Imperial Imagery
As Rome transitioned from a republic to imperial rule, the very fabric of the city evolved to reflect this shift in power. Our journey through this defining phase of urban and political transformation begins at the Ara Pacis, the Altar of Peace commissioned by Emperor Augustus. This monumental altar offers invaluable insights into the ideology and imagery of Rome’s first princeps. We continue to the Arch of Constantine, commemorating Constantine’s victory and the dawn of a new era. From here, we make our way to one of Rome’s most iconic and enduring symbols of imperial might: the Colosseum. After a group lunch at Gran Caffè Martini & Rossi, with its splendid views over the Colosseum, we visit the exterior of the Ludus Magnus, the principal training school for gladiators, whose preserved remains lie just east of the great amphitheatre. Our day concludes with a visit to the Domus Aurea, the vast and opulent pleasure palace constructed by Emperor Nero, a testament to the extremes of imperial ambition. Upon returning to the hotel, there is time to unwind before an engaging evening lecture on the dynamics of Rome’s imperial power. The remainder of the evening is at leisure. Overnight Rome (B, L)

Day 4 | Sunday 11 January
Imperial Magnificence | Manfred Honeck / Seong-Jin Cho
Today, we delve into the magnificence of Imperial Rome with a visit to the Palazzo Massimo, boasting sculptures, mosaics, and frescoes, including wall paintings from Villa Livia – the luxurious country estate of Augustus’ wife at Prima Porta – celebrated for their ethereal depictions of an idealised garden. Among the museum’s many treasures is the Portonaccio Sarcophagus, a richly carved 2nd-century funerary monument capturing the ferocity and chaos of Roman warfare. After a break for lunch, we make the short walk to the nearby Baths of Diocletian, the largest and most architecturally ambitious of Rome’s imperial bath complexes. We also visit Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, a striking 16th-century basilica ingeniously integrated into the ancient bath ruins and masterfully redesigned by Michelangelo. This evening’s performance is at the Parco della Musica, where acclaimed Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck leads a program featuring celebrated South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho. Overnight Rome (B)

Day 5 | Monday 12 January
Tivoli
Settlement in ancient Tibur dates back to the 13th century BCE, but it was its reinvention as Tivoli – an elegant spa town favoured by wealthy Romans – that secured its fame, thanks to the restorative waters of the nearby Aniene River. A short drive from Rome brings us to the ruins of Hadrian’s Villa, once a vast landscaped retreat of pools, baths, and fountains. This extraordinary complex served as both sanctuary and second home to the emperor, who created a microcosm of his empire. Following our visit, we enjoy lunch at a small, intimate restaurant in the heart of Tivoli before continuing to the exquisite Villa d’Este, a masterpiece of Renaissance art and engineering. Here Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, son of Lucrezia Borgia, and a generous patron of the arts, retired in style, commissioning a villa surrounded by a pagan fantasy of grottoes, gardens, and cascading fountains. Returning to Rome in the late afternoon, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Rome (B, L)

Day 6 | Tuesday 13 January
Everyday life in Ancient Rome & the Roman Ghetto
Shifting our focus to the more prosaic remnants of daily life in ancient Rome, we begin the day with a special visit to San Nicola in Carcere (Saint Nicholas in Prison). This modest 11th-century basilica, built amid the ruins of the Forum Olitorium, incorporates the remains of three Republican- era temples. Descending below the church, we then explore their remarkably preserved foundations and gain insight into the construction techniques and urban layering that defined the ancient city. From here, we embark on a walking tour through the district that stretches between the Roman Forum and the Tiber River, taking in the Forum Boarium, the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, famed for the Bocca della Verità and the Theatre of Marcellus, later transformed into a fortified residence during the Middle Ages. We continue on to Testaccio, once the city’s slaughterhouse district and now one of Rome’s most vibrant neighbourhoods, where we will enjoy lunch in a local trattoria overlooking Monte Testaccio. Our final destination today is Monte Testaccio itself, an archaeological mound composed entirely of fragments of ancient amphorae – a reminder of the vast scale of trade and consumption in Imperial Rome. Returning to our hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Rome (B, L)

Day 7 | Wednesday 14 January
Ostia
The day begins with an early departure to Ostia Antica, ancient Rome’s bustling port at the mouth of the Tiber River. Long since silted up and deserted, the city now stands as one of the most atmospheric archaeological parks in Italy. We explore its streets, temples, and houses — from the Theatre of Marcus Agrippa to the mosaic-lined bathhouses — before enjoying time at leisure to wander among its ruins. On our return journey, we pass through a very different chapter in Rome’s story. The EUR district, conceived by Mussolini as the site of the 1942 World Fair, was designed to embody the ideals of Fascist modernity. History intervened however, and today the area serves as a residential and business quarter, distinguished by its monumental Rationalist architecture. Tonight we enjoy dinner together in a local restaurant. Overnight Rome (B, D)

Day 8 | Thursday 15 January
The Advent of Christianity
The conversion of Emperor Constantine to Christianity ushered in a new era of monumental church construction, with basilicas rising on an imperial scale. This morning we travel to the Tomba degli Scipioni, the burial site of one of ancient Rome’s most illustrious families, where tombs of the Scipiones offer a glimpse into early Roman funerary practices. We then continue to the Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati, a fortified medieval church that conceals remarkable treasures, including a peaceful cloister and the exquisite 13th-century frescoes of the Oratory of Saint Sylvester, followed by San Clemente, an elegant 11th-century church built over three layers of earlier structures, the oldest dating back to the 1st century CE. Following lunch at a nearby restaurant, we transfer to the summit of the Esquiline Hill to visit Santa Maria Maggiore, founded in 432 CE on a site said – according to tradition – to have been marked by a vision of the Virgin Mary followed by a miraculous summer snowfall. Returning to the hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Rome (B, L)

Day 9 | Friday 16 January
Renaissance Rome
The Renaissance marked Rome’s rebirth of art, architecture, and learning that followed the return of the Papacy from Avignon. Artists, scholars, and architects from across Italy flocked to the city, seeking to restore its ancient grandeur and to create a new Rome worthy of its imperial past. Our exploration of this extraordinary era begins on the Janiculum Hill, where we visit Bramante’s exquisite Tempietto of 1502. Commissioned by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, the small circular temple marks, according to tradition, the spot where St Peter was martyred. We then continue to the magnificent Villa Farnesina, a riverside masterpiece where, amid frescoes by Raphael and his contemporaries, patrons such as Agostino Chigi and Pope Leo X once gathered to enjoy art, music, and conversation, removed from the formalities of court and church. After time for lunch, we proceed to Santa Maria in Trastevere, one of Rome’s oldest churches, adorned with exquisite 12th- and 13th-century mosaics – a golden testament to the city’s position on the threshold between the medieval world and the Renaissance. Returning to the hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Rome (B)

Day 10 | Saturday 17 January
Walking the Appian Way
This morning’s talk sets the scene for our exploration of Palaeochristian Rome, introducing the faith, art, and architecture that emerged from the ancient world. We then follow in the footsteps of the Romans along the Appian Way, the first of the great Imperial roads. Our journey begins at Porta San Sebastiano, the largest and best-preserved of the city gates constructed under Emperor Aurelian, before continuing to Columbarium of the Freedmen of Augustus, believed to be the resting place of thousands of former slaves who served the imperial household. Here we are welcomed by the owner, Mrs Pio Pellegrini, for a private tour of the site. She will share rare documents and insights into its history before inviting us to enjoy a light aperitivo in her villa garden. After lunch, we then proceed to the Circus of Maxentius, one of the best-preserved arenas of the late Roman Empire, and to the nearby Tomb of Caecilia Metella, a monumental mausoleum built for the patrician wife of a consul who served under Julius Caesar — a fitting close to a day tracing the enduring legacy of Rome’s ancient past. Returning to the hotel in the late afternoon, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Rome (B, L)

Day 11 | Sunday 18 January
Treasures of Rome | Puccini’s La Bohème
Today we visit the Capitoline Museums, whose origins date to the 15th century. Enriched over time by papal gifts and later acquisitions, the museums were opened to the public in 1734 by Pope Clement XII, making them among the oldest public museums in the world. Housed within a complex of medieval and Renaissance palaces on the Capitoline Hill, the collection encompasses masterpieces of classical art and sculpture, including the celebrated Capitoline Wolf, the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, and the iconic Capitoline Venus. Recent renovations have also revealed sections of the ancient Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, whose foundations lie directly beneath the museum complex. The afternoon is at leisure before we reconvene for this evening’s performance of Puccini’s timeless opera, La Bohème, at the Teatro dell’Opera. Overnight Rome (B)

Day 12 | Monday 19 January
Baroque Rome
The Baroque architecture of the 17th- and 18th-centuries transformed the city of Rome, as papal patronage sought to renew and glorify the Eternal City. Today we begin with a walking tour on the Quirinal Hill, exploring sites where the creative genius of Bernini and his great rival Borromini was fully expressed, including Santa Maria della Vittoria and San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane. We continue to the Trevi Fountain and to Bernini’s fountains at the foot of the Spanish Steps, enduring symbols of Baroque artistry and urban imagination. After time for lunch, we visit the Pantheon, rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian, one of the most remarkable achievements of ancient Roman engineering. We then continue to the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, a 16th- century palace in the heart of Rome that houses a superb private art collection, featuring works by Caravaggio, Titian, Jan Brueghel, and Velázquez’s celebrated Portrait of Pope Innocent X – a fitting conclusion to a day immersed in Rome’s grand theatrical vision of art and faith. Overnight Rome (B)

Day 13 | Tuesday 20 January
Caravaggio
We begin this morning with a talk on the genius of Caravaggio, before making our way to the Galleria Borghese, where Cardinal Scipione Borghese and his successors assembled one of Rome’s greatest collections of art and sculpture, among them the breathtaking Apollo and Daphne. Continuing to the Campus Martius, there is free time for lunch before a private visit to the Palazzo Patrizi, where we are welcomed by the Marquis Patrizi Montoro Naro, who will personally guide us through his family’s opulent residence, sharing remarkable stories that bring the palace’s long history vividly to life. A short walk then brings us to the church of San Luigi dei Francesi, whose Contarelli Chapel houses Caravaggio’s powerful cycle depicting the life of St Matthew. Nearby, in Sant’Agostino, we will also have a chance to admire Caravaggio’s Madonna of Loreto, alongside graceful frescoes by Raphael. Returning to our hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Rome (B)

Day 14 | Wednesday 21 January
St Peters & the Vatican Museums
The Vatican Palace and St Peter’s Basilica were the most ambitious building projects of Renaissance Rome. Drawing on classical ideals to proclaim the supremacy of the Roman Church, they brought together the greatest architects and artists of the age — Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Bernini. Our visit today takes us through the Vatican Museums, home to one of the world’s most extraordinary collections of ancient and Renaissance art. Highlights include the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms, and a private visit to the Niccoline Chapel, whose exquisite frescoes are attributed to Fra Angelico. After a break for lunch, we continue to St Peter’s Basilica, with time to appreciate its vast scale and breathtaking beauty. The rest of the afternoon is free before we reconvene for our farewell dinner. Overnight Rome (B, D)

Day 15 | Thursday 22 January
Galleria di Arte Moderna - Departure
This morning, departing guests will enjoy a transfer to Rome Airport for their outgoing flights. For those with evening departures or extended stays, there is an optional morning visit to the Galleria d’Arte Moderna. Housed in a former Barefoot Carmelite monastery dating from the 17th-century, the gallery offers a fascinating contrast to the city’s ancient and Renaissance heritage, showcasing works that trace Italy’s artistic evolution into the modern age. (B)