Civitavecchia Shore Excursion

The focus of this Civitavecchia shore excursion is ancient Rome as the Gladiators would have known it. The majority of your time is spent at Roman sites such as the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon and Capitol Hill, the most sacred of Rome's seven hills.

When you arrive in Rome you meet your Licensed Guide who is trained in ancient Roman history. You start at the Coliseum which dates back to 80 AD and is perhaps the grandest and most famous of the city's monuments. This enormous arena once featured 76 numbered entrances, marble seats for 50,000 spectators, retractable shade awnings and subterranean passages. Gladiatorial combats against wild beasts and some say even mock naval battles were staged here. Your guide accompanies you inside the Coliseum to explore and explain its illustrious history.

As you leave the Coliseum, you will see the immense Arch of Constantine, built as a memorial to honor Constantine's defeat of the pagan Maxentius in 306 AD. Your guide will lead you through the ruins of one of the world's most important historical sites, the Roman Forum. In Ancient Roman times this was the center of political, religious and commercial life. The grand foundations, columns and arches have survived the thousands of years since Rome controlled most of the known world in its empire.

After your walking tour of the Roman Forum you end at Capitol Hill, the most sacred of Rome's seven hills. This is the site where an Etruscan temple to Jupiter once stood. You can climb the long, sloping steps designed by Michelangelo surmounting the hill at the Piazza del Campidoglio. In the center of the piazza is a bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. To one side is the Capitol Hill Museum and at the back of the square is a view over the famous Roman Forum with the Coliseum rising in the distance.

You say goodbye to your licensed guide here, but you still have a couple of hours with your driver guide to discover more of Rome.

We recommend lunch and then a visit to the Pantheon, one of the best preserved buildings remaining from Ancient Rome. Its 16 monolithic stone columns are each 18 feet in circumference and support the portico that leads to an enormous dome with an oculus, a central opening for light. Imagine how they transported these huge stones from Egypt more than 2000 years ago!

The Pantheon was built in 27 B.C. as a temple to planetary gods and was rebuilt in 120 A.D. by Hadrian. During the following centuries, it was damaged and plundered. During the Renaissance, Michelangelo came to the Pantheon to study the dome before he designed the cupola for St. Peter's Basilica. There are Italian kings buried here along with the great Renaissance painter, Raphael, whose tomb was discovered about 125 years ago.

When you return to the pier Civitavecchia later today, you will have an understanding of the Gladiator's Rome.

Mobility: NO wheelchairs