The Legacy of Ancient Rome

ITINERARY
B= Breakfast • L= Lunch • D= Dinner

Thursday, October 13, 2022: Fly to Rome, Italy

Friday, October 14: Arrive in Rome | Private transfer to hotel | At leisure
Upon arrival at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport (FCO) you are met for a private transfer to our hotel in the city center. The balance of the day is free to relax and perhaps stroll around this centrally-located neighborhood. (Recommendations for dining independently will always be provided.) Overnight at the 4-star Hotel Dei Mellini for five nights.

Saturday, October 15: Imperial Forum | Palatine Hill | House of Augustus | Colosseum  | Welcome dinner
Meet our AIA lecturer, tour manager, and Rome guide at breakfast for an introduction and orientation. We begin with a walk through the Roman Forum, the public center of ancient Rome where the popular assembly and senate met. Visit the Palatine Hill, centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome, standing above the Roman Forum on one side and the Circus Maximus on the other. From the time of Augustus, Rome’s first Emperor, imperial palaces were built here. Visit the House of Augustus, which reopened in 2008 after extensive restoration; its colorful wall paintings and mosaic floors are stunning. After a traditional Italian lunch, view the splendid Arch of Constantine and enter the Colosseum, Rome’s amphitheater, the largest ever built, which accommodated 50,000 spectators. Enjoy a specially-arranged visit to the upper levels. Return to our hotel and gather this evening for a welcome dinner hosted by our AIA lecturer. (B,L,D)

Sunday, October 16: Capitoline Museums | Pantheon | Borghese Gallery
Ascend the stairs of the Piazza del Campidoglio, designed by Michelangelo, overlooking the extensive ruins of the Roman Forum. Enter the Capitoline Museums, the world’s oldest public museums, and view magnificent and iconic Classical sculptures as well as paintings by Caravaggio, Rubens, Titian, Van Dyck, and other masters. After lunch, visit the awe-inspiring Pantheon, built in the 2^nd century A.D. by Emperor Hadrian as a temple to all the gods. It remains the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built and a testament to ancient Roman engineering. We end our afternoon at the Borghese Gallery, housed in a splendid, 17^th-century villa with an exceptional art collection, including outstanding sculptures by Canova and Bernini plus paintings by Titian, Raphael, and Caravaggio. The evening is at leisure, or you may choose to join (at additional cost) an optional wine tasting and dinner. (B,L) (optional D)

Monday, October 17: Tivoli: Hadrian’s Villa | Catacombs in Via Appia Antica | Rome
Visit Tivoli, a town hosting some of Italy’s top cultural treasures, less than one hour’s drive from Rome. Begin at the World Heritage Site of Hadrian’s Villa (Villa Adriana), a 2^nd-century A.D. complex of buildings featuring marvelous pools, baths, fountains, gardens, theaters, and the Imperial Palace. After lunch in Tivoli’s charming town center, continue on to Via Appia Antica (Appian Way), the most famous and ancient of the Roman Roads, and visit the stunning Catacombs of San Callisto. Return to Rome for an evening at leisure. (B,L)

Tuesday, October 18: Vatican City: Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica | Rome: PM at leisure
After an early breakfast at our hotel we drive to the Vatican for an 8am entry, before the usual crowds, and enter the ornate Raphael Rooms and Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the Sistine Chapel. We then visit highlights of the Pio-Clementino Museum, featuring Greek and Roman sculpture, and/or of the Gregorian Etruscan Museum. Next we enter the sumptuously decorated St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world, where we see Michelangelo’s wonderful Pietà, the gigantic bronze canopy by Bernini, and the tombs of the Popes. After lunch nearby, the balance of the day is at leisure: you may choose to return to St. Peter’s to explore more on your own, or to be driven back to our hotel for independent pursuits in Rome. (B,L)

Wednesday, October 19: Sperlonga | Capua | Amalfi | PM at leisure
Drive south to visit the cave of Emperor Tiberius at Sperlonga and the local museum with magnificent sculptures recounting the deeds of Odysseus, which were carved by the same sculptors who produced the Laocoön and His Sons, which we saw in the Vatican Museums. Next stop is Capua to see the Flavian amphitheater, second largest in the world, and renowned because the gladiator and slave rebel Spartacus trained here. Visit briefly the adjacent, two-room Gladiator Museum. Continue driving to our lovely hotel right by the sea in Amalfi. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Overnight at the 4-star Hotel Marina Riviera for two nights. (B,L)

Thursday, October 20: Paestum | Amalfi
Drive along the winding roads of the Mediterranean coast to the World Heritage Site of Paestum, the most impressive Greek site in all of mainland Italy. Founded in the 7^th century B.C., Paestum has three magnificent and massive Doric Greek temples. Also visit the onsite museum with artifacts and frescoes from nearby tombs such as the famous Tomb of the Diver. After lunch, return to our hotel. Gather this evening for dinner in Amalfi. (B,L,D)

Friday, October 21: Capri: Villa San Michele & Lunch at a local home | Naples

This morning we take a high-speed hydrofoil to the fabled island of Capri, Emperor Tiberius’s favorite place. Visit Villa San Michele, the dream home of Swedish physician Axel Munthe (1857-1949), which houses an impressive collection of mostly Roman and Etruscan art from the areas around Rome, Naples, and Capri. After lunch at the home of a Caprese family, we board a high-speed hydrofoil to Naples. Check-in to our hotel and freshen up before we gather for dinner. Overnight at the 4-star Grand Hotel Oriente for three nights. (B,L,D)

Saturday, October 22: Pompeii | Winery lunch | Villa Poppea | Naples
Explore Pompeii, one the world’s most fascinating archaeological sites. In A.D. 79, the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried and thus preserved the ancient city under tons of ash, pumice, and lapilli. Excavations have revealed life in this prosperous ancient Roman city beneath lofty Mount Vesuvius. Highlights may include the House of the Faun, Villa of the Mysteries, the brothel, Garden of Fugitives, and more. Drive to a winery on the slope of Mt. Vesuvius, where we enjoy a wine tasting with lunch. In the afternoon, visit Villa Poppea (Oplontis), an ancient seaside villa with superb wall paintings that was probably owned by Emperor Nero. Return to our hotel for an evening at leisure. (B,L)

Sunday, October 23:  Naples Archaeological Museum | Herculaneum | Farewell dinner
This morning we visit the Naples Archaeological Museum with one of the world’s finest collections of Greco-Roman art and artifacts. The Farnese Collection includes celebrated bronze and marble statues, as well as ancient paintings and important artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum. After lunch we visit Herculaneum,where excavations reveal the customs, habits, and art of an ancient holiday resort for wealthy Romans. Among the most important buildings are the theater, the basilica adorned with marble and paintings, the spa with gym, and the House of Argos. Return to our hotel in Naples for some time to relax, or pack for tomorrow’s departure, before we gather this evening for our farewell dinner. (B,L,D)

Monday, October 24:  Private transfer to Naples Airport | Fly home
You are met at the hotel for a private transfer to Naples International Airport (NAP). (B)