DESTINATION:
Rome
Rightfully renowned throughout the world for its wealth of history, art and architecture, Rome is an extraordinary city. It is simply impossible to explore everything that is on offer in a short trip, but even a few days in the Italian capital is enough to gain a sense of its remarkable cultural heritage. The seat of an empire which lasted centuries, a crucial site for the seismic development of art and architecture during the renaissance and home to some of the finest museums in the world, an understanding of Rome is critical for an understanding of western civilization as a whole.
A visit to Rome will bring to life some of the highlights of a capital drenched in historic sites and museums, with a particular focus on the art and architecture of the baroque and renaissance periods. A walk around the Roman Forum or a visit to the Colosseum evokes the might of the Roman empire in antiquity, St. Peter’s Basilica showcases the extraordinary skill of some of the Renaissance's finest architects, whilst the famed collections in the Vatican museums house centuries’ worth of gems that continue to impress.
Recommended duration – 4 nights/5 days
KEY VISITS (Recommended)
- FONTANA DI TREVI (Trevi Fountain) – Rome’s largest and most famous fountain, tucked away in an unlikely square off the Via Corso. The site of the Trevi Fountain originally marked the terminal of the Aqua Virgo viaduct, built by Agrippa in 19 BC to channel water to Rome’s new bath complexes, and the fountain’s upper bas-reliefs refer to this earlier history.
- CHURCH OF SANT’IGNAZIO – boats an illusionistic ceiling by Andrea del Pozzo.
- SAN LUIGI DEI FRANCESI – the work of Caravaggio is much in evidence in this 16th century church, the French national church in Rome. The three masterpieces within the church are the artist’s first significant religious works, painted between 1597 and 1602, and typify his dramatic use of light and shade.
- CHURCH OF SANT’AGOSTINO – housing another of Caravaggio’s works: Madonna di Loreto. This lovely Renaissance church was frequented during the 16th century by an elite circle of artists, writers and courtesans, whose patron, John Gortiz, commissioned a fresco from Raphael and a marble statue of the Virgin and Child with St Anne by Sansovino.
- PIAZZA NAVONA – Rome’s most beautiful Baroque piazza follows the shape of a 1st century AD stadium built by Domitian, traces of which are still visible below the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone. The present square is dominated by the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers), Bernini’s most flamboyant fantasy and the epitome of high Baroque.
- PANTHEON (the Church of Santa Maria ad Martyres) – the ‘temple of all the gods’ is the most extraordinary and best-preserved Roman monument in the city, said to have been designed by the Emperor Hadrian in AD 118.
- PALAZZO DORIA-PAMPHILJ – the majority of Rome’s vast Renaissance palazzi remain inaccessible, but the picture gallery and apartments of this fine palazzo provide a rare opportunity to explore behind the somewhat austere façade. When the Pamphilj family took ownership in 1647, they added a new wing, a splendid chapel and a theatre, and the picture gallery displays what is essentially a private family collection of art. Paintings include works by Velásquez, Titian, Guercino and Caravaggio.
- PALAZZO BARBERINI – houses the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica. The collection includes Raphael’s ravishing Fornarina and one of the most famous of all Baroque illusionistic ceilings,
- The Triumph of Divine Providence and the Fulfilment of her Ends under the Papacy of Urban VIII, simply known as the Barberini Ceiling, by Pietro da Cortona.
- VATICAN CITY – the world’s smallest state consisting of 106 acres on the west side of the Tiber River. Its Renaissance papal palaces, next to the great basilica of St Peter’s, are home to the vast and eclectic collections of the Vatican Museums. Adjacent to St Peter’s is the Sistine Chapel, whose ceiling is famously frescoed by Michelangelo with scenes from Genesis, and whose massive walls are decorated by Michelangelo and many other 15th and 16th century masters. After four years working in Florence, when aged 25 years old, Raphael was called to Rome by Michelangelo’s patron, Pope Julius II. There was no love lost between the two great artists, although the influence of the older master may be discerned in much of Raphael’s work. A celebration of beauty and the sublime, Raphael’s work is epitomised in his triumphal Stanze in Julius II’s private apartments, now known as the Raphael Rooms.
- ST PETER’S BASILICA – the sumptuous marble-clad basilica was designed and created by most of the great architects and artists of the Renaissance and Baroque, its vast interior sheltering hundreds of precious works of art. As well as the glorious cupola, Michelangelo also left St Peter’s another treasure, the Pietà, created when he was only 25. The Crypt, or Grotto, is the place of burial for many popes, with St Peter’s Chapel long having been accepted as marking the grave of the first pope.
- BORGHESE VILLA AND GARDENS – this magnificent villa and its park were designed in 1605 for Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V and an extravagant patron of the arts. Today it houses his impressive collection of paintings and sculpture.
- TIVOLI – an ancient hill town on the outskirts of Rome and home to Hadrian’s Villa. A favourite haunt of many Romans, who came for the fresh springs and wonderful scenery; Tivoli has many temples on its hills, which are still in evidence today.
- VILLA D’ESTE – undoubtedly one of the most famous European residences from the Renaissance period. Built on the site of a former Roman villa, this country residence was first used as a Benedictine convent and then as a governor’s palace, before Cardinal Ippolito d’Este instructed Pirro Ligorio to restore the palace around 1550. The intimate villa was restored again in the early 20th century and today boasts wonderful geometric Italian gardens with over 500 fountains and the beautiful Grotto of Diana.
- ROMAN FORUM – the focal point of all aspects of Roman life, being the epicentre of all things political, economic and religious. The Forum contains numerous statues of past emperors amongst the many temples and tribunals. North of the Forum is Trajan’s Column, which is over 30 metres in height. The beautifully sculpted marble column was erected in 133AD to commemorate Trajan’s success in the Dacian wars, and is topped with a bronze figure of St. Peter.
- COLOSSEUM – possibly Ancient Rome’s greatest landmark, this huge amphitheatre dates back to AD 72 and was the site of many bloody gladiatorial combats and animal fights. The amphitheatre has four levels of seating and could hold up to 50,000 spectators.
FURTHER AFIELD
- OSTIA – The great city which has always remained undestroyed and, some would say, even more exciting than Pompeii. A walking tour will include the excavated remains of the Claudian Harbour, the city streets, the public baths, the Forum, the Capitol, the Theatre and Square of the trading cities of the Empire, the shops, the granaries, warehouses and the enormous range of residential houses with their internal décor and even the gardens.
- NINFA – founded in the 8th century, Ninfa is known as the ‘Dead City’, as it was totally abandoned at the end of the 17th century following a running feud between the town’s influential families and an outbreak of malaria. The town became completely overgrown with wild flowers and the lake reflecting the ruined church, palace and castle has made it a romantic paradise. At the beginning of the 1900s the Caetani family founded the beautiful Botanical Gardens of Ninfa, draining marshes, planting cypresses, holm oaks, beeches, and a large number of roses.