When in Rome Tour: The Ins & Outs of The Eternal City

Rome was famously made up of Seven Hills, with the regal beauty of the powerful city spanning the undulating landscape. Capitoline Hill remains the only visible hill at the heart of ancient Rome. Your guide meets you in the hotel lobby after breakfast and escorts you to the edges of what remains of the imperial city. Standing beneath the Colosseum, you understand the captivating power the structure held over visitors near and far in the ancient world. The outer walls reach a height of more than 155 feet tall and once supported massive masts for a canopy shading upwards of 50,000 spectators.

Your guide leads you through the archways, down the tunnel and into the bright light washing over the stadium’s center. A wooden platform dusted with sand once covered the central arena. The subterranean walls beneath where the platform once stood craft a maze where gladiators trained and wild animals waited for their time on stage. The scent of antique stone emanates from the stands and the walls. After wandering through along Via Sacra, the main street of the Roman Forum lined with remnants of pristine temples and decorative columns, you climb the gorgeous stairs leading to Piazza del Campidoglio, a square set between the peaks of Capitoline Hill. The piazza combines the wonders of ancient Rome with the beauty of the Renaissance as embodied in the architectural designs of Michelangelo.

At breakfast, you sit in the comforts of your lavish hotel, sipping a rich and refreshing espresso in the Italian tradition of starting your day. The aroma of fresh brioche accompanied by orange and strawberry jams fills the dining room. You meet your guide after breakfast and venture to the stunning grounds of the Villa Borghese. In the 17th century, Pope Paul V transformed the former vineyard into a public park. The verdant grounds encompass 148 acres, and the space is often referred to as Rome’s Central Park. Romans visit the trails in the morning to job or walk in the fresh greenery daily.

A replica of the Temple of Aesculapius edges the duck pond. Willow trees dangle their branches into the water, and geese glide over the surface with ease. Cardinal Scipione Borghese was an avid art collector in 16th and 17th centuries. The wonders of his private collection fill the galleries of the neoclassical villa overlooking the gorgeous park. Intricate mosaics from Roman mansions stand beside extravagant frescoes, each accentuated by the lavish marble floors and embellished stucco walls. The entrance hall contains a 4th-century mosaic depicting gladiators beneath a gravity defying bas-relief of a horse and rider. You make your way through the galleries to find the breathtaking work of Caravaggio, including Boy with a Basket of Fruit, portraying a young, beautiful model holding a bunch of luxurious, exotic fruits.

The Vatican separated from Rome in the 1920s, establishing Vatican City as one of the smallest countries in the world, encompassing 109 acres. The dome designed by Michelangelo crowns the remarkable figure of St. Peter’s Basilica, which was consecrated in the 17th century. Decorative columns frame the oval piazza standing before the basilica entrance. An Egyptian obelisk referred to as the “The Witness,” stands 130 feet above the cobblestones in the heart of the piazza, and was first taken from Egypt in the 37 AD to decorate the Circus of Nero. Your guide leads you to the steps of the necropolis beneath the basilica to experience one of the most exclusive tours in all of Rome.

The walls are cool to the touch, taking you down beneath the city surface, safe from the Mediterranean climate throughout the year. The necropolis dates back to the 4th century AD and once stood below the temple of Emperor Constantine. Your guide points to ancient graffiti adorning the walls that translate to “Peter is here.” The opulence of the cathedral, along with the faint aromas of frankincense and myrrh, fade in the stairway leading down to the catacombs. The labyrinth of tunnels fills with the damp aroma of ancient earth and stone. You reach the small area in which St. Peter resides, located near the Red Wall and surrounded by tombs placed in a style representing veneration. The brick walls open into a doorway in which you can see the resting place as the man known as the Prince of the Apostles.

In the morning, Rome returns to its bustling character with locals sipping stopping at their local corner café to sip espresso before work. The scent of rich, freshly brewed coffee drifts along the cobblestone streets and blends perfectly with the sweet aroma of brioche emanating from the newly opened bakeries. Your guide meets you at the hotel, and you return to what have become the familiar grounds of Vatican City. The Vatican Museums contain upwards of four miles worth of exhibitions, representing artifacts from ancient Egypt and masterful artwork from the Renaissance. Polished marble floors line the entirety of the galleries and halls, glinting in the reflection of gilded portrait frames and borders.

The Pio Clementino Museum encompasses the largest complex of any of the exhibits in Vatican City. Pope Clement XIV established the collection in the 18th century, which exhibits important Greek and Roman masterpieces now forming 12 rooms. A stunning Roman copy of Lysippus, an original 4th-century BC Greek bronze statue, represents an athlete in the act of wiping sweat from his body. Your guide leads you around the sculpture to take in the intricate, full-body work, representing the entirety of a person from back to front. In Raphael’s Room, you enter into what was once Pope Julius II’s private apartment. The master Renaissance artist Raphael worked on the paintings from 1508 until his death in 1520, crafting the unforgettable School of Athens, considered a love letter to the artistry and creativity of Renaissance masters along with the inspiring brilliance of classical Greece.

In the summer, Romans continue to vacation in the cool air of the hills less than an hour outside of Rome’s historic city center, where the ancient Roman nobles and emperors once visited to escape the summer heat. You meet your private transfer and guide after breakfast and make your way to the charming town of Tivoli, located on the Monti Tiburtini hillside overlooking the Aniene River east of Rome. The marvelous complex of Hadrian’s Villa was erected in the 2nd Century AD and decorated with works reminiscent of the inspiring artifacts and art that enchanted Hadrian during his travels across the Roman Empire. The villa complex encompasses nearly 300 acres and combines the architectural elements of Greece, Roman, and Egyptian heritage.

The villa resembles a lavish garden more than an archeological site. The small baths contain ornate furnishings with hot, warm, and cold temperatures. The area known as the Canopus once contained more than 150 statues lining the canal. The water contains two platforms, which once supported two Roman copies of Greek maritime statues. The rounded edge contains Amazonian statues and a warrior opposite what was once the vaulted banquet hall. The aroma of oak and chestnut trees fills the air. Segments of the arching colonnade remain at the edge of the Canopus. The opulence and charm of the villa captivate you in the remains of the 2,000-year old art and architecture.

In the morning, the sunlight washes over the Villa Medici, a stunning 16th-century mansion located near the Spanish Steps spanning 18 acres of gardens and lavish galleries. The aroma of fresh espresso emanates from the secret blend of beans and spices made in Caffe Sant’Eustachio. Your guide meets you in the hotel lobby eager to introduce you to a side of Rome often overlooked by visitors to the Eternal City, beginning with the National Museum. The gallery spans five palaces to create the greatest collection of Ancient Roman art, consisting of frescoes, mosaics, friezes, and sculpture. You begin at the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme for an expansive view of Classical-era artwork.

The 19th-century palace retains elements of its aristocratic past but has been renovated to allow visitors to focus on the ancient artifacts. Each piece is a masterwork of expression and character of models and famous Romans. A statue of Augustus Caesar features the renowned figure with a toga pulled over his head as a shawl. The statue connotes the figure’s transition to an assumed priest. A 5th-century BC statue depicts a wounded Niobid. The character reaches for her back in agony after the Roman goddess Artemis’s arrow struck true. After wandering through the preserved opulence of the ancient world, you enter into the modest exterior of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, which contains the extravagant Bernini sculpture of the Ecstasy of St. Teresa.

Flower stands on the corners of Rome offer a sweet aroma to the morning streets, accentuated by the bright petals blossoming against the city’s surrounding stone buildings. After breakfast, you venture to Ostia Antica, once home to the bustling port of Rome. The city was founded along the shores of the Tiber River in the 5th century BC and faded into obscurity after the fall of Rome, before the river silted up. The abandoned streets remain intact on a quintessential grid. Cypress and oak trees grow along the green space overtaking the former forums.

Your guide points out the difference between structures from the Republic versus the Empire. He points to the ground to show the variance in leveled foundations, causing the buildings erected during the later imperial era to be built on higher ground. Mosaics around the former Square of the Guilds were designed in the 2nd century AD. The different art pieces advertise the trades and services of the various shops once lining the street. A lighthouse is the symbol of the Ostia port.

Your guide explains that the elephant represents traders from Africa. You could imagine what each store once offered to interested passersby. The scent of herbaceous chestnut trees blends with the aroma rising upwards from the stone baking in the sunlight. The Forum Baths acted as the social center of the city, decorated with marble steps to lounge on while soaking in the pools. Locals rinsed their bodies with olive oil while standing on a colorful mosaic depicting Neptune riding four houses through the waves.

On your final morning in Rome, you sip a frothy cappuccino at an outdoor table of Mondi Caffe, a shop known for roasting its own unique blend of beans accompanied by a rich chocolate cones used as cups. Rome returns to life with vespas passing through the streets, joggers returning the verdant trails of Villa Borghese, and the sunlight glinting off the elegant cross crowning St. Peter’s Basilica. When you are ready, your private transfer meets you in the hotel lobby and escorts you to Fiumicino Airport for your flight home. You have explored the ins and outs of Rome and still feel you could spend more time basking in the splendor of the Eternal City.