Description :

A discovery of the art and famed location that defines the beginning of Rome, this tour of the Capitoline Museums, Capitoline Hill and surroundings illustrates the legendary past of the Eternal City.  From Trajan’s Column in the Imperial Fora your guide will put the Capitoline into context with the modern Victor Emmanuel II Monument (Il Vittoriano), a major monument of Italy commemorating the Italian Revolution and unification. From the Vittoriano you will walk Michelangelo’s Renaissance staircase to Piazza Campidoglio atop the Capitoline Hill where the ancient bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius awaits you.  One of the seven hills of Rome the Capitoline’s history characterizes it as the first capitol of the Roman World and in fact it is from this very hill that we derive the word “capitol.” With a thorough tour inside the Capitoline Museums you will explore the oldest public museum collection in the world.  Founded originally by Pope Sixtus IV in 1471 the Capitoline Museums now house some of the most famous and definitive pieces of art such as the Dying Gaul, Capitoline Venus, original colossal bronze sculpture of Marcus Aurelius, Capitoline She-Wolf, Bernini’s Medusa, and the colossal statue remains of Constantine. Enjoy the best view of the Roman Forum from the Tabularium underneath the Capitoline Museums before re-emerging to Michelangelo’s Piazza Campidoglio. You will end your visit of the Capitoline Hill overlooking the skyline of Rome upon the terraces of the Victor Emmanuel Monument- the modern tribute to the Italian Republic and memory of the Italian Risorgimento. This walking tour of Rome’s mythic origins and legendary beginnings up to its modern grandeur encompasses the center of the civilization created and cultivated by the Romans leaving any visitor in awe of the humble beginnings which evolved into the most famous of empires. 

City

Rome

In the Eternal City one can see many layers of history, from ancient to modern times, existing side by side. The center of the Catholic Church and the third most visited city in Europe, Rome has something for every seeker of culture and adventure. Once the center of the greatest empire on Earth, its universities, libraries, and museums are repositories of culture going back centuries. The Vatican Museums house many of the world’s great art treasures and are a favorite among art lovers worldwide. The Colosseum stands as both a great monument to the vast empire that was ancient Rome, while at the same time giving a warning to future generations about power and decadence. The city is known for its architecture, which spans centuries and offers a glimpse into the distant past as well as its influence on development through the years. Rome is one of Italy’s and the world’s great cities, a title it has held for centuries, a thought and an idea expressed in its past, and presently on display in the Eternal City.