Private Tour in Rome FROM Ciampino AIRPORT Italy

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HIGHLIGHTS

-Vatican Museums(only Sistine Chapel)
-Saint Peter Square
-Victor Emanuel Monument & Piazza Venezia
-The Piazza Del Campidoglio with its splendid view of the Imperial City
-Roman Forum
-The Roman Forum of Julius Caesar
-The Forum of Trajan
-The Forum of Augustus
-The Forum of Nerva
-The Forum of Vespasiano
-The Colosseum
-The Circus Maximus
-The Marcellus Theatre
-The Trevi Fountain
-The Spanish Steps
-The Pantheon
-Navona Square
-Piazza Barberini and the Triton Fountain
-Via Veneto and the Queen Margherita’s Palace
-The Quirinal Hill and the Presidential Palace


DESCRIPTION

This tour has been designed for those guest who wish to enjoy a complete overview of Rome.

You will have the opportunity to walk where cars are not permitted, allowing you to see more, and capture the "best of Rome".

In 3 hour we will show you what you would see in 2 weeks if you would do it by yourselve.

This exclusive tour starts at the Vatican. It is the smallest state in the world.

Explore the richest storehouse of art in the entire world: the Vatican Museum.

Walk through the Tapestry and Geographical Map Galleries, the Candelabra Gallery and the magnificent Raphael Rooms that lead to the fifteenth century Sistine Chapel which holds an invaluable collection of masterpieces like the Michelangelo's ceiling painting of the "Creation of the World".

If the line at the Vatican Museum will be too long the itinerary may be altered to accomodate local conditions.

Then enter the vaste expanse of St.Peter's square through the Bernini's colonnades into Christendom's largest church resting on 800 pillars and littered 44 alters.

See the gilded Papal Canopy suspended over the altar where the Pope celebrates mass, the splendid gilt and the bronze throne in the apse and one of the best known pieces of sculpture in the world - the Pietà, Michelangelo's masterpiece in marble.

Please note that if a mass is being taken, the entrance may be restricted, that the Museum's are closed on Sunday (except the last Sunday of the month) and Saturday afternoon.

In this cases the itinerary may be altered to accomodate local conditions.

Drive by Castel Sant’ Angelo which it was the tumb of the Roman Emperor Hadrian and later became the Pope fortress.

The tour then goes to Piazza Venezia known for the Victor Emanuel Monument also called "wedding cake" and for the building that was Mussolini's headquarters.

Climb the steps of the Capitoline hill and enjoy a beautiful view of the Roman Forum with the Rostrum where Mark Anthony made his impassioned speech over the body of Julio Cesar.

Visit the Roman Forum of Julius Caesar, The Forum of Trajan, The Forum of Augustus, The Forum of Nerva.

The visit to the Forums will be from the outside because the forums will need a 3 hour separate visit itself.

Visit at the Colosseum the most fascinating monument in Rome, a place where 50.000 people could assist to cruel battle between gladiators and wild beast: the Colosseum.

Drive by the impressive Arch of Costantine and the Circus Maximus with stop.

Drive by the Roman Theatre of Marceluse builded by Julius Cesar in 17 BC.

Drive by the Synagogue along the Tiber river and see the Tiberian Island on the left.

Stop at the most beautiful in the world: Trevi, the famous Spanish steps where the finest shopping street is.

Walk through piazza Navona with the famous foutain of the rivers, Bernini’s masterpiece and do not forget your chocolate ice-cream.

Visit then the imposing structure dated 27 B.C. called Pantheon where the great painter Raphael is buried.

Drive by Barberini Square and see the Triton- Fountain projected by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Drive by Via Veneto famous for “ LA DOLCE VITA” in the 1960 and see the Queen Margherita’s Palace (now the American Embassy).

Drive by the Quirinal Hill and see the Presidential Palace.

Return to your Hotel.

NOTES:

* Please dress respectfully for visiting religious monuments; local custom requires covering knees and shoulder.

* Comfortable walking shoes recommended.

* The vehicle will escort you for the entire tour .Walking is limited unlike bus tour where you have to walk the whole day.

* The tour sequence may be altered to avoid congestions but always covering mentioned sights.

* !! Keep an eye on your wallet and purses at all time. Do not wear jewerly or carry large amount of cash

* Entrance to the Colosseum is 11 €

* Entrance to the Vatican Museum is 13 €

PAYMENTS:

All rates are quoted in EUROS.

Rate only includes transportation for the whole tour.

Rate do not include an english speaking driver.

* A LICENSED TOUR GUIDE IN YOUR LANGUAGE CAN BE ADDED TO THIS TOUR.

Rate DO NOT include neither lunch or entrance fees.

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HIGHLIGHTS

- Basilica of ST. Mary Major
- Basilica of St. John in Lateran
- Holy Stairs of Christ's Passion
- Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls
- Porta di St. Sebastiano
- Ancient Appian way
- Chapel of "Domine Quo Vadis"
- Catacombs of St. Callixtus
- Catacombs of St. Sebastian


DESCRIPTION

This tour has been designed for those guest who wish to enjoy a complete overview of Christian Rome.

You will have the opportunity to drive where large buses are not permitted, allowing you to see more, walk less.

This exclusive tour starts at the Basilica of ST. Mary Major after a pick up from your hotel.

Built on the Esquiline hill in 352 A.D. the smallest and the most precious of the four basilicas, first place of cult of the Virgin, extraordinary witness of roman early Christian art with the wonderful mosaics, the magnificent golden decorated ceiling, the relic of the manger of Bethlehem, the tomb of Bernini.

The tour will continue visiting the Basilica of St. John in Lateran the most ancient basilica, built by the Emperor Constantine, first residence of the Popes until the year 1307, Cathedral of the City, with the wonderful seventeenth century remaking by Borromini, the wonderful gentilitial chapels, the relic of the table of the Last Supper, the Baptistry, the Holy Stairs of Christ's Passion, the oldest and tallest among the 13 Egyptian obelisks in Rome.

Hence we will go to the Holy steps, climbed by Jesus to reach Pilate's Palace.

After we will visit the basilica of Saint Paul Outside the walls builded att the beginning of the 4th century, with the end of the persecutions and the promulgation of the Edicts of Tolerance in favour of Christianity, by the Emperor Constantine.

He ordered the excavation of the cella memoriae, the place where Christians venerated the memory of Saint Paul the Apostle, beheaded under Nero around 65-67 A.D. Above his grave, located along the Ostiense Way, about two kilometers outside the Aurelian Walls surrounding Rome, Constantine built a Basilica which was consecrated by Pope Sylvester in 324.

Between 384 and 395 the Basilica, under the emperors Theodosius, Valentinian II and Arcadius, was restored and enlarged according to an extensive project consisting of five naves opening out into an atrium (quadriportico), or courtyard with four rows of columns.

Throughout the centuries the Basilica would not cease to be embellished and enhanced by the Popes.

For example, the massive defensive wall was built to protect against invasions at the end of the ninth century, while the bell tower and the magnificent Byzantine door were constructed in the eleventh century. Other important additions include Pietro Cavallini’s mosaics in the façade, the beautiful Vassalletto family’s cloister, Arnolfo di Cambio’s celebrated Gothic baldachin and the Candelabrum for the Paschal candle attributed to Nicola d’Angelo and Pietro Vassalletto of the thirteenth century.

This historical period represents the golden age of what had been the biggest Basilica of Rome, until the consecration of the new Basilica of St. Peter in 1626.

This sacred place of Christian pilgrimage was well-known for its artistic works.

From here the tour will start again and pass through the Porta di St. Sebastiano to arrive to the Ancient Appian way where we will find the chapel of "Domine Quo Vadis".

We finally arrive at the Catacombs of St. Callixtus: the present catacombs are a series of underground galleries and vaults of various sizes.

These were holy sites where Christians buried their dead and came to pray and celebrate liturgy.

After Constantine, the bodies of many of the famous martyrs and saints were moved to Churches within the city.

Being outside the old city wall, the catacombs were often pillaged and seriously damaged by the invading Goths and Lombards in the 6th and 7th centuries.

In time, the catacombs were lost to visiting Christian pilgrims.

In the 19th century, the first attempts were made to restore the catacombs by excavating and cataloguing them.

By the late 19th century they had once again become an important and romantic place for visitors to learn about their early Christian past.

Return to your hotel.

NOTES:

* Please dress respectfully for visiting religious monuments; local custom requires covering knees and shoulder.

* Comfortable walking shoes recommended.

* The vehicle will escort you for the entire tour .Walking is limited unlike bus tour where you have to walk the whole day.

* The tour sequence may be altered to avoid congestions but always covering mentioned sights.

* !! Keep an eye on your wallet and purses at all time. Do not wear jewerly or carry large amount of cash

* Entrance to the Colosseum is 11 €

* Entrance to the Vatican Museum is 13 €

PAYMENTS:

All rates are quoted in EUROS.

Rate only includes transportation for the whole tour.

Rate do not include an english speaking driver.

* A LICENSED TOUR GUIDE IN YOUR LANGUAGE CAN BE ADDED TO THIS TOUR.

Rate DO NOT include neither lunch or entrance fees.

---CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE---

HIGHLIGHTS

- Borgia Apartments (1492-95)
- Raphael Rooms (1508-1520)
- Pio-Clementine Museum
- Museum of Christian Art (Museo Sacro)
- Pio Christian Museum
- Egyptian Museum
- Etruscan Museum
- Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery)
- Sistine Chapel

DESCRIZIONE

The Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani) contain one of the world's greatest art collections. Housed in the richly decorated galleries and apartments of the Vatican Palace, the Vatican Museums boast the largest collection of classical sculpture in the world, plus extensive artworks from the Etruscan, Egyptian, Early Christian, Renaissance and modern periods and the magnificent Sistine Chapel.
History
History of the Vatican Palace

The first papal residence was the Lateran Palace, founded in the 4th century. Reflecting this early statues, the adjacent church of St. John Lateran is still the pope's official cathedral today.
Skip the Lines!
Book a top-rated guided tour of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums - and walk right past the long lines.

But a temporary papal residence was built near St. Peter's Basilica as early as the 5th century, and by the early 6th century the area had become a thriving suburb. In the 9th century, a residence was attached to the north side of St. Peter's for the accommodation of state ceremonies and foreign rulers such as Charlemagne.

The first papal palace built on the present site was constructed by Pope Eugenius III (1145-53) and fortified by Innocent III in 1208. It was embellished by Nicholas III in 1280 and further enhanced and expanded by successive popes until it became the grand complex that stands today. After the popes returned from Avignon in 1378, the Vatican Palace replaced the Lateran Palace as the primary papal residence; the move became official in the 15th century.
History of the Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums are rooted in the Renaissance, a period of renewed appreciation for classical civilization. It all started with Pope Julius II (1503-1513), who displayed a collection of ancient sculptures in the Cortile Ottagono. Later popes, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, added their own galleries and museums, gradually making the Vatican Museums into one of the largest and most important displays of art in the world.

The Renaissance popes also hired the best artists in the western world, such as Fra Angelico, Michelangelo and Raphael, to decorate their palace apartments and chapels. These are now open to the public as part of the Vatican Museums, providing a unique experience in which some of the greatest art in the museum is part of the museum itself.

To accommodate the millions of visitors who throng the galleries every year, a grand new entrance to the Vatican Museums was added in 2000.
Timeline
1447-55 Fra Angelico paints the Chapel of Nicholas V
1475-83 Construction of the Sistine Chapel
1481-82 Walls of the Sistine Chapel painted by Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Cosimo Rosselli and Pietro Perugino
1492-1503 Borgia Apartments occupied by Alexander VI
1492-95 Borgia Apartments frescoed by Pinturicchio and his school
1503-13 Pope Julius II displays sculptures in the Cortile Ottagono
1508-12 Michelangelo paints the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
1508-20 Commissioned by Julius II, Raphael paints the part of the Vatican now known as the Raphael Rooms (Stanze di Raffaello)
1572-85 Gallery of Maps decorated under Gregory XIII
1623-44 Gallery of Maps restored by Urban VIII
1769-74 Pio-Clementine Museum (as it would later be known) founded by Clement XIV
1775-99 Pio-Clementine Museum expanded by Pius VI
1837 Gregory XVI (1831-1846) founds the Etruscan Museum to hold artifacts discovered in excavations since 1828
1839 Gregory XVI founds the Egyptian Museum
1844 Gregory XVI founds the Lateran Profane Museum, comprised of Roman sculptures and artifacts that could not be displayed in the Vatican Palace
1854 Pius IX (1846-78) expands the Lateran Profane Museum with the addition of the Pio Christian Museum
1910 Hebrew Lapidary Museum founded by Saint Pius X to house ancient Hebrew tombstones from Rome
1926 Missionary-Ethnological Museum founded by Pius XI in the Lateran Palace; later moved to the Vatican
1932 Vatican Pinacoteca opened under Pius XI (1922-1932) in a new building
1973 Collection of Modern and Contemporary Religious Art established by Pope Paul VI (1963-78) in the Borgia Apartment
1987 Vatican Historical Museum (est. 1973) moved to the Papal Apartment in the Lateran Palace
2000 New entrance and lobby opens

What to See

The Vatican Museums are entered through a gate in the north wall of Vatican City and stretch a long distance south to St. Peter's Basilica. Every morning before the doors open, long lines form along the city wall. Once inside, escalators carry visitors up to the new entrance hall (2000), with efficient ticket desks. (The lines can be avoided by booking a guided tour or buying tickets in advance.)

The north end contains the Pio-Clementino Museum, Egyptian Museum, Etruscan Museum and Vatican Picture Gallery; the south end is home to the Raphael Rooms, Borgia Apartments and Sistine Chapel.

In between are long, narrow galleries designed by Bramante, with beautifully painted walls and ceilings. The gallery that leads to the Sistine Chapel is almost always crowded with visitors and tour groups, but the others can be quite empty and peaceful.

Following is a guide to some of the major sections and artistic highlights of the Vatican Museums.

Borgia Apartments (1492-95)

The Appartamento Borgia were the chosen residence of Pope Alexander VI, who commissioned Pinturicchio to decorate them with frescoes between 1492 and 1495. A major feature of these rooms are grotesques, a new trend in Renaissance art inspired by the decorations found in Nero's Domus Aurea around this time. Christian, Jewish, Roman pagan, and Egyptian elements can be seen throughout.

The greatest artworks are found in Room V (Room of the Saints), all by Pinturicchio. The ceiling depicts the Legend of Isis and Osiris and the Bull Apis, referring to the Borgia arms. The end wall shows the Disputation between St. Catherine of Alexandria and Emperor Maximian; the artist depicted himself standing behind the throne on the left. Despite the Egyptian setting of the event, the Arch of Constantine can also be seen in the background. The window wall depicts the Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, in which the Colosseum makes an appearance.
Raphael Rooms (1508-1520)

While Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel, Raphael was hard at work decorating the walls and ceilings of several rooms nearby. Bramante suggested Raphael to Pope Julius II, who was so pleased with his work that he commissioned him for this extensive project. Raphael painted in several phases between his arrival in Rome in 1508 and his death in 1520. Despite the name, not all the rooms in this area were painted by Raphael himself, but all are notable examples of Late Gothic and Early Renaissance art.

Visitors first enter Room IV, known as the Sala di Costantino or Room of Constantine. This was painted after Raphael's death by Giulio Romano and his assistants, under the reign of Clement VII (1523-34). The paintings depict major events in the life of Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor, such as his vision of the cross, the victory at Milvian Bridge, and his legendary baptism by Pope St. Sylvester (whose face is a portrait of Clement VII).

Connected to this room is the Chapel of Nicholas V, frescoed by Fra Angelico in 1448-50. The main subjects are the lives and martyrdoms of St. Stephen (above) and St. Lawrence (below).

Room III (Stanza d'Eliodoro; Room of Heliodorus) was painted by Raphael in 1512-14 on historical subjects chosen by Julius II and Leo X. On the right wall is The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple at Jerusalem, which alludes to Julius II's freeing of the Papal States from foreign powers. The long wall depicts Leo I Repulsing Attila, partly painted by assistants. The pope is shown on a white mule, making reference to the Battle of Ravenna in 1512 that expelled the French from Italy. The impressive Liberation of St. Peter (alluding to the captivity of Leo X after the Battle of Ravenna) is depicted in three night scenes with remarkable use of light.

Room II (Stanza della Segnatura; Room of the Signature) is the room where popes signed important bulls and letters. The frescoes in this room, painted entirely by Raphael between 1508 and 1511, are the most celebrated in the Raphael Rooms. One wall bears the famous School of Athens, depicting ancient Greek philosophers in a Renaissance portico (inspired by Bramante) and featuring portraits of several Renaissance artists. Plato, who points skyward to represent speculative philosophy, is probably a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, while Raphael himself stands to one side. Michelangelo can be seen sitting in front of the steps. Raphael's other paintings in Room II are the Triumph of Theology (a counterpart of the School of Athens); the Disputa (a discussion of the Eucharist); and Parnassus (Apollo playing the violin under laurel trees, surrounded by poets and Muses).

The walls in Room I (Stanza dell'Incendio; Room of the Fire) were painted in 1517 by Raphael's students after the master's designs. As in Room III, the scenes depict historical events that also allude to events in the life of Leo X. Across from the entrance is the Coronation of Charlemagne by Leo III (in 800 AD), which refers to the meeting of Leo X and King Francis I at Bologna in 1516. The pope and king in the painting are portraits of the latter personages.

The room is named for the painting facing the window: Incendio di Borgo, depicting a fire in Rome in 847 that was miraculously extinguished by Leo IV making the sign of the cross. It probably alludes to Leo X restoring peace to Italy. Some think the figure of Aeneas rescuing his father (left of the fresco) and the surprised woman with a jug balanced on her head (to the right) were painted by Raphael himself.

The ceiling of this room was painted by Perugino, Raphael's master. Depicting the Glorification of the Holy Trinity, it was the only existing work not destroyed when Raphael took over the decoration.

From here a door leads into the Chapel of Urban VIII, whose ceiling was painted by Pietro da Cortona.
Pio-Clementine Museum

This wonderful museum of Greco-Roman sculpture occupies two floors of the Belvedere Pavilion at the northwest end of the Vatican Palace. Founded in the 18th century by Clement XIV and expanded by his successor Pius VI, the Pio-Clementine Museum displays the extensive collections of the Renaissance popes as well as 18th- and 19th-century acquisitions. This museum was a major source of inspiration for Renaissance artists and an important stop for fashionable 17th- to 19th-century travelers on the Grand Tour. The museum consists primarily of Greek and Roman originals, as well as some 1st- and 2nd-century Roman copies of Greek originals. In the 16th century, Pope Paul IV ordered that the nudity of all the male statues be covered by a marble fig leaf. The rooms (or "cabinets") and their major highlights are as follows:

1. Gabinetto dell'Apoxyomenos. Highlights include a copy of a Greek bronze statue by Lysippus (c.330 BC) depicting an athlete scraping oil from his body and Bramante's spiral staircase with a new architectural order at each turn.
2. Gabinetto dell'Apollo. Home to the Apollo Belvedere, a beautiful 2nd-century Roman copy of a Greek bronze statue probably by Leochares (4th century BC).
3. Gabinetto del Laocoönte. Named for the famous sculpture of Laocoön and his two sons caught in the coils of serpents (c.50 BC), from a story in Virgil's Aeneid. Laocoön was a Trojan priest of Apollo who warned against admitting the Greek's wooden horse into Troy. This angered Apollo, who sent serpents to kill him and his young sons. Described with admiration by Pliny, this magnificent work of Hellenistic art was discovered on the Esquiline Hill in 1506 and purchased by Pope Julius II. Its original arm was missing until, remarkably, an archaeologist discovered it in an antique shop in Rome in 1905.
4. Gabinetto dell'Hermes. Named for a statue believed to depict Hermes Psychopompos, the Greek conductor of souls to the underworld. It is a copy of an original by Praxiteles.
5. Gabinetto del Canova. Contains three Neoclassical statues placed here when Napoleon took most of the Classical masterpieces to Paris in 1800 - Perseus (inspired by the Apollo Belvedere) and the boxers Creugas and Damoxenes.
6. Sala delle Muse (Hall of the Muses). Statues of the muses found in a villa near Tivola; a statue of Apollo from the same location; portraits of Homer, Socrates, Plato, Euripedes, Epicurus and Demosthenes; and the Belvedere Torso, signed by Apollonious of Athens (1st century BC) and much admired by Michelangelo and Raphael.
7. Sala Rotonda (Circular Hall). Contains a well-preserved mosaic from Otricoli depicting a battle between Greeks and Centaurs; Nero's monolithic porphyry bathtub from the Domus Aurea; and important colossal busts and statues around the walls, most notably the Jupiter of Ocriculum attributed to Bryaxis (4th century BC).
8. Sala a Croce Greca (Hall of the Greek Cross). Home to two magnificent porphyry sarcophagi from the Early Christian era: that of St. Helena, mother of Constantine, and Constantia, daughter of Constantine. The latter was originally in the Mausoleum of Santa Costanza outside the walls of Rome.

Museum of Christian Art (Museo Sacro)

Occupying the west gallery of the lower floor next to the Sistine Chapel, the Museum of Christian Art (Museo Sacro) was founded by Benedict XIV in 1756 in part of the Vatican Library. His inscription over the entrance states his intention to "increase the splendor of the City and bear witness to the truth of religion through sacred Christian monuments." Most of the objects in the museum come from the Roman catacombs, but also included are religious artworks from the treasury of the Sancta Sanctorum, the popes' private chapel in the Lateran Palace.

The treasures of the Sancta Sanctorum are displayed in the Chapel of St. Pius V at the start of the museum. Notable works include an enamel cross given by Pope Paschal I (817-24) depicting scenes from Christ's life and containing five pieces of the True Cross; a 9th-century gold filigree Greek cross, also containing a fragment of the Cross, decorated with precious stones and still bearing some of the balsams with which the pope anointed it every year; the 9th-century reliquary of St. Praxedes from Santa Prassede;and the ivory Ramboyna Diptych (c.900) with a depiction of the she-wolf of Roman legend.

Notable artifacts in the other rooms include the only surviving fragment of the 8th-century mosaic in the Triclinium of Leo III at the Lateran Palace, depicting the head of St. Paul; Early Christian glassware made in Cologne and elsewhere; gold-decorated glass from the 3th to 5th centuries; Christian and pagan terracotta lamps; Byzantine amulets, weights and crosses; and various Gnostic and pagan objects made of ivory and glass.
Pio Christian Museum

The Pio Christian Museum displays a collection begun by Pius XI (1846-78) two years after he founded the Commission for Christian Archaeology to oversee excavations in the Roman catacombs. The collection, which consists primarily of objects found in the catacombs, was housed in the Lateran Palace until 1963. The museum contains some of the finest Early Christian sarcophagi, mosaics and architectural fragments in Europe. Most of the sarcophagi date from the 4th century, while other artifacts range in date from the 2nd to 5th centuries.

Also housed here is the Christian and Hebrew Lapidary, which contains an extensive collection of Early Christian and ancient Jewish inscriptions.
Egyptian Museum

Founded by Gregory XVI in 1839 and located at the northern end of the lower floor, the Egyptian Museum displays artifacts brought from Egypt primarily by Roman emperors. Notable among the collection are the statues from the Serapeum at Hadrian's villa in Tivoli, which he built after his journey to Egypt in 130-31; a sandstone head of Mentuhotep II (2010-1998 BC), which is the oldest portrait in the Vatican Museums; and a colossal statue of Queen Tuaa, mother of Ramses II, brought to Rome by Caligula. Also here are Egyptian sarcophagi, mummies, statues, vases, jewelry, and hieroglyphic inscriptions.
Etruscan Museum

Founded by Gregory XVI in 1837 and located at the north end of the upper floor, the Vatican's Etruscan Museum contains one of the largest collections of Etruscan art in the world. Highlights include the Regolini-Galassi tomb, found in the 19th century at Cerveteri; and the Mars of Todi, a bronze sculpture dated to the 5th century BC. The remainder of the museum contains Etruscan sarcophagi, bronzes, urns, jewelry, a chariot, and terra-cotta vases.
Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery)

Located in a large building west of the main lower galleries at the north end, the Vatican Picture Gallery displays a magnificent collection of mostly Italian paintings and tapestries from the 11th to the 19th centuries. Room 1 contains a wood panel of the Last Judgment from the 11th century; Room 2 is home to the Stefaneschi Altarpiece created by Giotto and his assistants for Old St. Peter's.

Other highlights include paintings by Fra Angelico, Benozzo Gozzoli and Filippo Lippi in Room III; three of Raphael's most famous paintings (Coronation of the Virgin, 1503; Madonna of Foligno, 1511; Transfiguration, 1520) in Room III; a remarkable portrait of St. Jerome by Leonardo da Vinci (1480) in Room IX; Caravaggio's dramatic Descent from the Cross (1608) in Room XII; and Bernini's clay models in Room XVII.

Sistine Chapel:
Thanks to the extraordinary talents of Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), the Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina) in Vatican City has become one of the most famous art galleries in the western world.

Michelangelo's famous Sistine ceiling depicts scenes from Genesis in dramatic and moving detail, while The Last Judgment on the end wall is striking and powerful. As if that were not enough, the side walls are covered with important Renaissance frescoes by other artists, depicting biblical scenes and contemporary popes.

But the Sistine Chapel is more than the sum of its artistic wonders: it is a symbolic statement of papal authority and the place in which papal elections in conclave are held to this day.
History

The Sistine Chapel was commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV, from whom it derives its name, in 1475. It was designed to be - and still is - the pope's chapel and the site of papal elections. The Sistine Chapel was consecrated and dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin on August 15, 1483.

In 1481 Sixtus IV called to Rome the Florentine painters Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Cosimo Rosselli and the Perugian Pietro Perugino to decorate the walls with frescoes. Luca Signorelli may have also been involved in the decoration. The fresco project took only 11 months, from July 1481 to May 1482.
The Sistine ceiling was originally painted by Piero Matteo d'Amelia, who included a star-spangled sky. But in 1508 Pope Julius II della Rovere commissioned Michelangelo to repaint the ceiling.

Michelangelo was called away from his work on the pope's own tomb and was he not happy about the change. He had always insisted he was a sculptor and was contemptuous of fresco painting. The result are glorious depictions of human bodies that could only be created by a sculptor, and the project Michelangelo hated so much (at least at first) ironically became his most well-known work.

Michelangelo was asked to paint the Twelve Apostles and a few ornaments on the ceiling of the chapel. But as he began work on the project, Michelangelo conceived grander designs and ended up painting more than 300 figures.

He worked on the project between 1508 and October 31, 1512, in cramped conditions high on a scaffolding and under continous pressure from the pope to hurry up. The project would permanently damage the artist's eyesight.

Michelangelo was in his 60s when he was called back to the chapel, again against his wishes, to paint The Last Judgment (1535-1541) on the altar wall. The work was commissioned by Pope Clement VII (1523-1534) shortly before his death, and Clement's successor, Pope Paul III Farnese (1534-1549), forced Michelangelo to complete it quickly. It was the largest fresco of the century and is still an unquestioned masterpiece.

For important ceremonies, the lowest portions of the Sistine Chapel's side walls were covered with a series of tapestries depicting events from the Gospels and Acts. These were designed by Raphael and woven in 1515-19 at Brussels.

In recent decades, the Sistine Chapel has been carefully cleaned and restored, beginning with the 15th-century wall frescoes in 1965. The cleaning and restoration of the lunettes, the ceiling and the Last Judgment, a painstaking process using computer analysis, lasted from 1980 to 1994. The restoration included removing several of the "modesty" drapes that had been added over some of the nude figures.

The end result of the restoration has been controversial: Critics say a vital second layer of paint was removed, and argue that many of the restored figures seem flat compared with the originals, which had more shadow and detail. Others have hailed the project for saving Michelangelo's masterpiece for future generations to appreciate and for revealing the vibrancy of his color palette.
What to See

"Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea
of what one man is capable of achieving."
--Johann Wolfgang Goethe, 1787

Located at the southern end of the Vatican Museums and just north of St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel is of no great architectural interest. It is a barn-like simple rectangle, 40.93 meters long by 13.41 meters wide - the exact dimensions of the Temple of Solomon as given in the Old Testament. The chapel is 20.70 meters high and roofed with a flattened barrel vault. There are six tall windows cut into the long sides, forming a series of pendentives between them.

The Sistine Chapel was originally divided into two equal sections, a nave for the laity and a presbytery for the clergy, by a marble screen and the pattern of floor mosaics. In later years, the screen was moved to make the nave smaller and the presbytery much larger. The walls are decorated with frescoes by Renaissance masters and are divided into three horizontal levels.
Wall Frescoes

The wall frescoes, though often missed by visitors captivated by the ceiling, are stunning in their artistic beauty and fascinating in their meaning. The fresco cycle consists of scenes from the Old Testament on the left wall that correspond with scenes from the New Testament on the right wall.

The New Testament fulfillment of Old Testement "types" is a common theme in Christian theology and church art, but in the Sistine Chapel there is another layer of meaning. Pope Sixtus IV wished the entire cycle to illustrate the legitimacy of his papal authority, running from Moses, via Christ, to Peter.

The portraits of the popes, beginning with Peter, above the biblical scenes further emphasized the ancestral line of the popes' God-given authority. Originally there were 28 portraits of early popes who had died as martyrs. (Four of them, the portraits of the first four popes on the altar wall, were painted over by The Last Judgment). The two rows of popes do not appear in chronological order, the sequence moves back and forth between the north and south wall to form a zigzag pattern.

In two of the wall frescoes - Perugino's "Christ Gives the Keys to Peter" and Botticelli's "The Punishment of Korah," the Arch of Constantine can be seen in the background. This also underlined papal authority, for Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor, was traditionally held to have bestowed on the pope secular authority over the western world. The inclusion of Constantine's triumphal arch thus alludes to Sixtus' view of himself as not only the successor of Peter, but the successor of the Roman emperors.
Ceiling Frescoes

The famous Sistine ceiling is divided into nine sections in which nine stories of Genesis - from the stages of Creation to the Drunkenness of Noah - are depicted. The scenes begin from the altar wall and proceed toward the entrance; Michelangelo painted them in reverse order since he started from the area near the entrance wall. The twisting ignudi or male nudes that decorate the corners of the ceiling were highly controversial at the time. In total, Michelangelo's work on the Sistine Chapel includes:

* 9 scenes from Genesis
* 4 corner pendentives
* 4 pairs of bronze nudes above the pendentives
* 8 triangular spandrels with pairs of bronze nudes
* 7 prophets (4 major: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel; and 3 minor: Zechariah, Joel and Jonah)
* 5 sybils
* 20 ignudi
* 10 medallions

The Last Judgment

Michelangelo's other great work is The Last Judgment, on the altar wall. This powerful work centers on Christ the Judge, who compels the damned to hell with his left hand and lifts up the saved to heaven with his right. Surrounding Christ are the planets, the sun and saints.

Notable among the details is Minos, the Judge of Souls, shown in hell with the ears of a jackass. He is a portrait of the papal Master of Ceremonies, Biagio da Cesena, who frequently complained to the Pope about the nudity of the painted figures, saying:

it was a most dishonest act in such a respectable place to have painted so many naked figures immodestly revealing their shameful parts, that it was not a work for a papal chapel but for a bathhouse or house of ill-fame.

When Biagio complained to the pope about his consignment to hell in Michelangelo's painting, Paul III is said to have replied that he has no jurisdiction in hell.

Michelangelo's self-portrait appears twice in The Last Judgment: in the flayed skin held by St. Bartholomew and in the figure in the lower left corner, who is watching the dead rise from their graves.

Return to your hotel.

NOTES:

* Please dress respectfully for visiting religious monuments; local custom requires covering knees and shoulder.

* Comfortable walking shoes recommended.

* The vehicle will escort you for the entire tour .Walking is limited unlike bus tour where you have to walk the whole day.

* The tour sequence may be altered to avoid congestions but always covering mentioned sights.

* Priority Entrance to the Vatican Museum to Skip the line is 29 €

Tickets will be sold separatly from Tour and delivered at Museum Entrance

PAYMENTS:

All rates are quoted in EUROS.

Rate only includes transportation for the whole tour.

Rate do not include an english speaking driver.

* A LICENSED TOUR GUIDE IN YOUR LANGUAGE CAN BE ADDED TO THIS TOUR.

Rate DO NOT include neither lunch or entrance fees.

---CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE---

HIGHLIGHTS

-Vatican Museums(only Sistine Chapel)
-Saint Peter Square
-Victor Emanuel Monument & Piazza Venezia
-The Piazza Del Campidoglio with its splendid view of the Imperial City
-Roman Forum
-The Roman Forum of Julius Caesar
-The Forum of Trajan
-The Forum of Augustus
-The Forum of Nerva
-The Forum of Vespasiano
-The Colosseum
-The Circus Maximus
-The Marcellus Theatre
-The Trevi Fountain
-The Spanish Steps
-The Pantheon
-Navona Square
-Piazza Barberini and the Triton Fountain
-Via Veneto and the Queen Margherita’s Palace
-The Quirinal Hill and the Presidential Palace

DESCRIPTION

This tour has been designed for those guest who wish to enjoy a complete overview of Rome.

You will have the opportunity to walk where cars are not permitted, allowing you to see more, and capture the "best of Rome".

In 3 hour we will show you what you would see in 2 weeks if you would do it by yourselve.

This exclusive tour starts at the Vatican. It is the smallest state in the world.

We will enter the vaste expanse of St.Peter's square through the Bernini's colonnades into Christendom's largest church resting on 800 pillars and littered 44 alters.

We will drive by Castel Sant’ Angelo which it was the tumb of the Roman Emperor Hadrian and later became the Pope fortress.

The tour then goes to Piazza Venezia known for the Victor Emanuel Monument also called "wedding cake" and for the building that was Mussolini's headquarters.

Climb the steps of the Capitoline hill and enjoy a beautiful view of the Roman Forum with the Rostrum where Mark Anthony made his impassioned speech over the body of Julio Cesar.

Visit the Roman Forum of Julius Caesar, The Forum of Trajan, The Forum of Augustus, The Forum of Nerva.

The visit to the Forums will be from the outside because the forums will need a 3 hour separate visit itself.

Visit from the outside at the Colosseum the most fascinating monument in Rome, a place where 50.000 people could assist to cruel battle between gladiators and wild beast: the Colosseum.

Drive by the impressive Arch of Costantine and the Circus Maximus with stop.

Drive by the Roman Theatre of Marceluse builded by Julius Cesar in 17 BC.

Drive by the Synagogue along the Tiber river and see the Tiberian Island on the left.

Stop at the most beautiful in the world: Trevi, the famous Spanish steps where the finest shopping street is.

Walk through piazza Navona with the famous foutain of the rivers, Bernini’s masterpiece and do not forget your chocolate ice-cream.

Visit then the imposing structure dated 27 B.C. called Pantheon where the great painter Raphael is buried.

Drive by Barberini Square and see the Triton- Fountain projected by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Drive by Via Veneto famous for “ LA DOLCE VITA” in the 1960 and see the Queen Margherita’s Palace (now the American Embassy).

Drive by the Quirinal Hill and see the Presidential Palace.

Return to your Hotel.

NOTES:

* Please dress respectfully for visiting religious monuments; local custom requires covering knees and shoulder.

* Comfortable walking shoes recommended.

* The vehicle will escort you for the entire tour .Walking is limited unlike bus tour where you have to walk the whole day.

* The tour sequence may be altered to avoid congestions but always covering mentioned sights.

* !! Keep an eye on your wallet and purses at all time. Do not wear jewerly or carry large amount of cash

PAYMENTS:

All rates are quoted in EUROS.

Rate only includes transportation for the whole tour.

Rate do not include an english speaking driver.

* A LICENSED TOUR GUIDE IN YOUR LANGUAGE CAN BE ADDED TO THIS TOUR.

Rate DO NOT include neither lunch or entrance fees.

---CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE---

HIGHLIGHTS

- ROMAN FORUM
- TEMPLE OF SATURN
- ARCH OF SETTIMIO SEVERO
- LAPIS NIGER
- CURIA
- VIA SACRA
- BASILICA GIULIA
- BASILICA EMILIA
- TEMPLE OF CESARE
- TEMPLE OF DIOSCURI
- TEMPLE OF VESTA
- TEMPLE OF ANTONINO AND FAUSTINA
- BASILICA OF MASSENZIO
- ARCH OF TITO
- PALATINO
- ARCH OF COSTANTINO
- COLOSSEUM

DESCRIPTION

Roman Forum & Colosseum Tour
This tour takes about 2 hours and half.
New Winter time table from November 10th till March 10th
This tour will run Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturdays and any other day in between if needed, please do ask if you want to tour Tuesdays or Wednesdays because we often do have a group booked which you can join.
We meet every day at 09:00 on the UPPER level exit (upstairs) of the COLOSSEO metro stop, directly across the road from the Colosseum. We use the fast-track reservation system so as to minimize waiting times. You can use Roma Pass and the Archeologia card. You can buy Roma Pass inside the Colosseum metro stop. But dont depend on that as they sell out fast.




We will take you on a walk through the Roman Forum, the heart of the ancient city Romulus and Remus and the Roman Empire. From it's mythical beginnings to the rise of Christianity, bringing to life the numerous ruins of over 2600 years of history, we will explore the politics, religions and myths of this great civilisation leading into the most famous of the city's monuments: you will enter the Colosseum without waiting in the line, This entire tour takes around 2 hours and then some. When you arrive at the colosseum metro stop, go inside and find the escalator going up to meet your Angel.
The Roman Forum & Colosseum admission fee is €11 for Adults and €6 for Students and Minors under 14 years.
We DO go inside the Colosseum

We WILL pass the ticket line.

Return to your Hotel.

NOTES:

* Comfortable walking shoes recommended.

* The vehicle will escort you for the entire tour .

* The tour sequence may be altered to avoid congestions but always covering mentioned sights.

* !! Keep an eye on your wallet and purses at all time. Do not wear jewerly or carry large amount of cash

PAYMENTS:

All rates are quoted in EUROS.

Rate only includes transportation for the whole tour.

Rate do not include an english speaking driver.

* A LICENSED TOUR GUIDE IN YOUR LANGUAGE CAN BE ADDED TO THIS TOUR.

Rate DO NOT include neither lunch or entrance fees.

---CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE---

HIGHLIGHTS

- Forum of Cesear
- Forum of Augustus
- Trajan forum
- Archaeological discoveries of the medieval building recovered in the area of the Forum of Nerva and the so called "quartiere Alessandrino
- The baths of Caracalla



DESCRIPTION

IMPERIAL ROME

A walk in the hearth of Imperial Rome: you will visit the imperial Forums and learn about the great emperors who made the legendary history of Ancient Rome. You will visit together with the Forums of Cesear, Augustus and Trajan , the very latest extraordinary archaeological discoveries of the medieval building recovered in the area of the Forum of Nerva and the so called "quartiere Alessandrino" which occupied the area of the Trajan forum during the Renaissance.
Finally you will visit the Capitoline hill, the sacred hill of Ancient Rome reach of history , myths and legends , from which you will admire a wonderful view of the Roman Forum.

THE BATHS OF CARACALLA

The ruins of Caracalla Baths immersed in a splendid green park that has been recently restored , represent one of the most fascinating places in Ancient Rome.
Walking in the park we will discover the architectural splendour of the monumental complex learning about the roman baths rite and the epical history of its constructor : the emperor Caracalla.
Entrance costs €6 and the ticket, valid for seven days, can also be used for entrance to the Villa dei Quintili and the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella.

Return to your Hotel.

NOTES:

* Comfortable walking shoes recommended.

* The tour sequence may be altered to avoid congestions but always covering mentioned sights.

* !! Keep an eye on your wallet and purses at all time. Do not wear jewerly or carry large amount of cash


PAYMENTS:

All rates are quoted in EUROS.

Rate only includes transportation for the whole tour.

Rate do not include an english speaking driver.

* A LICENSED TOUR GUIDE IN YOUR LANGUAGE CAN BE ADDED TO THIS TOUR.

Rate DO NOT include neither lunch or entrance fees.

---CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE---

HIGHLIGHTS

- Basilica of St. John's in Lateran
- Via Merulana
- The Holy Stairs
- Appian Way
- The Dominius Quo Vadis Chapel
- The Catacombs
- Thermes of Caracalla

DESCRIPTION

The Catacombs of Ancient Rome


This tour includes visits to the Christian Rome Basilica of St. John's in Lateran (visit), Via Merulana, The Holy Stairs (visit), Appian Way, The Dominius Quo Vadis Chapel, the Catacombs (visit), a nice walk along the Via Appia Antica to the monument of Cecilia Metella - Thermes of Caracalla.

Return to your Hotel.

NOTES:

* Please dress respectfully for visiting religious monuments; local custom requires covering knees and shoulder.

* Comfortable walking shoes recommended.

* !! Keep an eye on your wallet and purses at all time. Do not wear jewerly or carry large amount of cash

PAYMENTS:

All rates are quoted in EUROS.

Rate only includes transportation for the whole tour.

Rate do not include an english speaking driver.

* A LICENSED TOUR GUIDE IN YOUR LANGUAGE CAN BE ADDED TO THIS TOUR.

Rate DO NOT include neither lunch or entrance fees.

---CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE---

HIGHLIGHTS

-Porta San Sebastiano
- Castelgandolfo
- Albano
- Genzano
- Nemi
- Rocca di Papa
- Grottaferrata
- Frascati

DESCRIPTION

CASTELLI ROMANI

We will leave Piazza San Bernardo, adorned by Mose's Fountain, passing by Piazza della Repubblica. Along the way we will admire the Caracalla Baths, the Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum.
This itinerary will take us on the Appia, passing under the Porta di San Sebastiano (this is the route used by the ancient Romans, who where going to the Castelli in the summer to enjoy the fresh breeze).
Passing through Castelgandolfo, today's summer residence of the Pope, we will arrive in Albano and then Genzano, Nemi, Rocca di Papa, Grottaferrata and Frascati, going along the Via dei Laghi. Once in Frascati, there will be a stop to taste and enjoy the typical wines of this area.

Return to your Hotel.

NOTES:

* Comfortable walking shoes recommended.

* !! Keep an eye on your wallet and purses at all time. Do not wear jewerly or carry large amount of cash

PAYMENTS:

All rates are quoted in EUROS.

Rate only includes transportation for the whole tour.

Rate do not include an english speaking driver.

* A LICENSED TOUR GUIDE IN YOUR LANGUAGE CAN BE ADDED TO THIS TOUR.

Rate DO NOT include neither lunch or entrance fees.

---CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE---

HIGHLIGHTS

- The Capitoline Museums and Piazza
- Overlooking the Roman Forum from the Tabularium
- Santa Maria in Aracoeli
- The Altar of the Fatherland.



DESCRIPTION

TOUR CAMPIDOGLIO

On Capitol Hill was born the oldest settlement in Rome: the law is already there for a mythical village founded by the god Saturn Square long before the Rome of Romulus on the Palatine. Recent excavations have discovered some way bring to light a village that apparently dates back at least to the thirteenth century BC. C.!

Citadel to the origins of Rome, following a symbol of military glory by building the great Temple of Jupiter where they ended the triumphal processions, the Capitol became, after the end of the ancient world, the center of the civil power. In the medieval church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli public meetings were held at times and in the ancient Tabularium, where the ancient guardians of the archive state, sat the Roman Senator.

Michelangelo transformed the entire look of the hill by creating one of the most beautiful squares of Rome around the equestrian statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The buildings are side by then the seat of the Capitoline Museums and the oldest museum in the world. It houses, among many others, famous works, such as the Lupa Capitolina, the Dying Gaul, the Capitoline Venus and the Venus of the Esquiline and the original statue of Marcus Aurelius.

In the twentieth century was built on the hill near the monument to Vittorio Emanuele II: The Altar of the Fatherland, the Romans called "the typewriter! It houses the Museum of the Risorgimento and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The Capitol is still the center of the civil power of Rome, since the old Senators Palace which dominates the square hosts the city of Rome.

Return to your Hotel.

NOTES:

* Please dress respectfully for visiting religious monuments; local custom requires covering knees and shoulder.

* Comfortable walking shoes recommended.

* !! Keep an eye on your wallet and purses at all time. Do not wear jewerly or carry large amount of cash

PAYMENTS:

All rates are quoted in EUROS.

Rate only includes transportation for the whole tour.

Rate do not include an english speaking driver.

* A LICENSED TOUR GUIDE IN YOUR LANGUAGE CAN BE ADDED TO THIS TOUR.

Rate DO NOT include neither lunch or entrance fees.

---CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE---

HIGHLIGHTS

- Villa Pamphilj
- Villa Sciarra
- Il Gianicolo
- Il Fontanone
- St. Peter in Montorio.



DESCRIPTION

TOUR MONTEVERDE

This walk can start by filling fruit and grocery markets in one of the most characteristic areas of Rome: the market in Piazza San Giovanni di Dio A quick passage between the benches offers a colorful and fun "split" of city life.
Continuing along the ring road Gianicolense, after about a mile you come off of Bel Respiro where you can go to Villa Pamphili.
The villa covers 180 hectares, historically divided into three parts, the palace and gardens, pine trees and the farm is the largest park and one of Roman "villas" best preserved. A walk around you to get away from the noise of the city and immerse yourself in a world of leisure and relaxation. Entering the main square of the Bel Respiro with a walk of thirty minutes, you can visit monuments and gardens such as the Casino Joys of the Garden of Delights, the Secret Garden, the Casino di Vigna Vecchia, Casino Corsini, especially you can enjoy the silence unusual considering the fact that we are in a central area of Rome, meadows in spring are colored flowers, trees scattered 'everywhere, the only "disorder" is given by the many birds and Romans who are jogging.

Leaving the Villa San Pancrazio on the side of it is located in Monteverde Vecchio, a few steps from Gianicolo and four steps from the Villa Sciarra.
located on the slopes of the Gianicolo, set among the Gianicolense bastion walls built by Pope Urban II, Villa Sciarra and her seven acres is one of the villas and smaller at the same time one of the most interesting from a botanical point of view and landscape. George Wurts was to give the appearance that more resembles the current. After the gate via Calandrelli you get into a small square on the left is a beautiful rock fountain with reasons, abundant in the villa. Now you have an idea of the wealth of vegetation and its variety, large cedars, Canary Island date palm and dwarf palm trees, along with Cypress and Lauri fill the house everywhere. In the period of flowering Magnolias large color the environment.
Very characteristic is the wisteria kiosk located right on top of the hill near the circular temple with a beautiful wrought-iron dome.
Entering from Via Dandolo, right next to the walls, you come across in the large aviary built to be used as the breeding of white peacocks, so that in those days was known as the villa from the white peacocks and many of the reasons of its hedges are processed in the likeness of these animals. Just in front of the aviary is another beautiful fountain perhaps the best preserved, the fountain of Satyrs.
The hill of Gianicolo is a real hill, higher than the highest of the famous seven hills, which rises rather abruptly on the right bank of the Tiber.
Dedicated to the god Janus, it has maintained over the centuries its strategic role: the last battle for the conquest of Rome has been fought here, in 1849, in a piece of land between the Four Winds, the Vessel and Porta San Pancrazio . And when the French artillery could testify on the top of the Gianicolo, was the end of the Roman Republic.
From here you can enjoy the best view of the city of Rome on the Tiber, in the shadow of the statue of Garibaldi, you can see the main monuments sprout between the houses and buildings of downtown, on the other side stands the Dome San Pietro. As one walks among the busts of the heroes of the defense of the Roman Republic, at noon a cannon recalls the places of battle you in a charming and fascinating at the same time.
Coming out of the Gianicolo walk down towards Trastevere, one meets the Fontanone.
The fountain was built by order of Paul V Borghese, between 1608 and 1612, Giovanni Fontana, as a great show of the Acqua Paola (old water Traiana), from Lake Bracciano.

In 1690 Pope Alexander VIII, did create the large square in front of the fountain that you can still admire the fountain and had to add the large pool of white marble, built by Carlo Fontana, who made even more magnificent. The aqueduct Paul allowed the ingress of water into the homes of Trastevere.In the seventeenth century Alexander VII, wanted to use as a garden behind the fountain to Botanical Gardens which, in 1820, Pope Pius VII sought to transfer into the garden of Palazzo Salviati, at the foot of the Gianicolo.
Continuing down to Trastevere we find the church of San Pietro in Montorio.
Construction work began in 1480 in the place where the apostle was crucified according to a tradition now decidedly refused, the King of Spain who owned the land, gave orders to start the construction of the church on the ruins of a monastery dating from the ninth century.
The famous Temple of Bramante was also commissioned in fulfillment of a vow taken at the birth of their firstborn. The great architect adopted for this building, central plant, making clear references to 'Christian martyrdom' and pagan temples dedicated to the heroic and mythological figures. It was in the use of quotation classical Doric columns held by Vitruvius, the Roman architectural theorist, the style most appropriate to celebrate the life of the hero.
In the original design, the play of curved lines of the small temple was to be completed by a cloister round plan, whereas now the building is placed in a square courtyard Franciscan monastery.
The temple is one of the few buildings left untouched by Bramante and demonstrates the extent to which the architect assimilated the ideas and canons of classical architecture but without merely imitating.
On the whole, inspires a sense of perfect harmony, as any classical temple.

Return to your Hotel.

NOTES:

* Please dress respectfully for visiting religious monuments; local custom requires covering knees and shoulder.

* Comfortable walking shoes recommended.

* !! Keep an eye on your wallet and purses at all time. Do not wear jewerly or carry large amount of cash

PAYMENTS:

All rates are quoted in EUROS.

Rate only includes transportation for the whole tour.

Rate do not include an english speaking driver.

* A LICENSED TOUR GUIDE IN YOUR LANGUAGE CAN BE ADDED TO THIS TOUR.

Rate DO NOT include neither lunch or entrance fees.