Premium Colosseum – Ancient Rome at its Best

Extended Description

With our early start, we’ll arrive at the Colosseum before those enormous tour groups. And, as with all of our walks, we’ll skip the often-long line to get directly into the amphitheatre. Once there, you’ll be able marvel at this miracle of Roman ingenuity… and grimace at the memory of the thousands of gladiators and animals massacred here, in peace. In a try at your own Russell Crowe moment, even bellow “Are you not entertained!?” into the air. Without the crowds, hear it echo back! Through it all, your guide will use visual aids and reconstructions to show you just how the Colosseum would have looked to Romans 1,900 years ago. (Hint: It was even more impressive).

Once you’ve had your fill of blood and gore (and learned how the Romans didn’t… for 325 years!), experience the very heart of ancient Rome: the Roman Forum. Here was where Rome ruled its Empire of untold political and cultural influence—and of more than 2.5 million square miles and 65 million people. Among the evocative ruins, discover the Arch of Constantine, built by Rome’s first Christian emperor; the Senate house, where toga-clad elites decided on behalf of all of those millions; and the Temple of the Vestal Virgins, where a special cult of women kept Rome’s sacred flame alive. Your guide will bring it all to life with tales of love, betrayal, and larger-than-life characters (Caesar, Cleopatra, Mark Antony…), and, of course, with those handy visuals.

But no ancient city tour is complete without a stop to check out the Emperor’s Palaces! Explore Palatine Hill, where emperors lived from the time of Augustus. It’s from here, too, that Rome was born. And the story of its founding is every bit as dramatic and bloody as, by now, you might expect.