It’s hard to imagine a European city with so much history readily on tap, a genuine cradle of Western civilisation. Founded in 753BC on three of the area’s seven hills, the city state was at first ruled by kings until the Roman republic was established in 509BC. The Republic, however, fell victim to internal conflict and a civil war eventually brought Julius Caesar to power as dictator in 44BC. His great nephew, Augustus, became the first emperor in 27BC. The Empire reached its zenith in about 120AD and the population of the city was over a million.
However, the Empire and city were finally overrun in the fifth by Germanic tribes and the Empire collapsed. The city’s days of glory were far from over, though. During the Renaissance, Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello and Bramante, among others, all worked in Rome, producing works of incomparable artistic and architectural brilliance.
The city was the last piece in the unification ‘jig-saw’ when Italian troops seized it from the Pope in 1870 and it became the capital of the unified state. Darker days awaited during the twenty-one years of the Fascist (1922-43) dictatorship under Mussolini and then German occupation, until liberation by the Allies in 1944.
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Key Study Areas
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Location Click here to view map
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History Excursions
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Our best value sample itinerary from £380
5 Days to Rome by Air
Day 1:
Travel to Rome by air; meet your transfer to take you to your accommodation. Time permitting, explore the local area.
Day 2:
Spend the day exploring Rome. Start at the Colosseum and the Forum, and the extensive ruins of the centre of ancient Rome. In the afternoon, visit the Piazza Venezia with its palaces and monument to Victor Emmanuel. In the evening, visit the Spanish steps and the Trevi fountain.
Day 3:
Travel to the Vatican City to see St Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. In the afternoon, discover the Jesuit’s Gesu church and the Pantheon, a perfectly preserved Roman monument.
Day 4:
Full day excursion to the San Callisto Catacombs and to Tivoli to visit Hadrian’s Villa.
Day 5:
Check out of your accommodation and meet your transfer to the airport for your return flight.
