‘As high as my expectation was raised, I confess, the magnificence of this city infinitely surpasses it.  You cannot pass along a street but you have views of some palace, or church, or square, or fountain, the most picturesque and noble one can imagine’.  The excitement that Thomas Gray had in 1740 can still be felt in Rome.  Our tour introduces the principal sites, buildings and paintings, and places them in historical context – from the Pantheon and Colosseum of Ancient Rome, and the early Christian basilicas, the Baroque churches and the Sistine Chapel.  We also visit the recently reopened Villa Borghese.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Fly to Rome and drive to the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, dedicated to the Virgin in the 3rd century. We then transfer to our hotel where we stay throughout.

Day 2 – We visit the Capitol for an overview of Ancient Rome.  We then walk through the Roman Forum, the heart of Ancient Rome, to the Palatine Hill, where the city was founded.

Day 3 – In the Vatican Museums we see the restored Sistine Chapel, the masterpiece of Michelangelo, and the Raphael rooms.  We visit St Peter’s, the composite work of some of the greatest Renaissance artists and architects.

Day 4 – We visit the Villa Borghese, which has Titian’s Sacred and Profane Love, Canova’s statue of Pauline Borghese and some of Bernini’s most famous works, including Apollo and Daphne.  In the afternoon we visit Bernini’s Sant’Andrea al Quirinale, Santa Maria Maggiore, the Trevi Fountain and Caravaggio’s great paintings of St Matthew in San Luigi dei Francesi.

Day 5 – We visit San Clemente, which is the best preserved early Christian Basilica and San Giovanni in Laterano.  Later we visit the Baths of Caracalla, the beautiful early Christian Church of Santa Sabina, and then drive along the Appian Way to the Catacombs of San Callisto.

Day 6 – Today we see the Pantheon, the best preserved monument of Ancient Rome; the Piazza Navona; and the gallery of the Palazzo Doria Pamphylj.  We then transfer to the airport for the return flight to London.

Rome Cultural Tour - From Ancient to Baroque
Price: £995 per person
Single Supplement: £175
Deposit: £200 per person

Price Includes:  5 nights bed and breakfast accommodation at the comfortable 4-star Hotel Massimo D'Azeglio, which maintains its turn-of-the-century decor, one dinner and a full itinerary of visits accompanied by a Prospect Tour Leader.

Travel: Flights to Rome are not included.  We can book your flights for you and will search for the best price available at that time. All flights booked by us must be paid for at the time of booking.

Suggested British Airways scheduled flight timings.