In Transit: Overnight flight crossing the Atlantic Ocean with arrivals the following day.

Note: Transfer to the hotel for check-in. Minimal exertion.

Arrive To: Arrival at hotel in Rome. As we wait for all program participants to arrive, feel free to explore the area just around the corner at Largo Argentina, where Julius Caesar was assassinated. The temples date from 4th to 2nd c. BCE.

Lunch: Lunch at Ristorante L'Angoletto Romano, across the street from the hotel.

Afternoon: At the orientation meeting, the group leader distributes the most updated and detailed program schedule and goes over logistics. The session is followed by a neighborhood walk pointing out the location of ATMs, pharmacies, grocery stores, and nearby attractions. Behind is Campo de' Fiori, central Rome's open air fruit and vegetable market open Monday-Saturday. On Sundays small producers of organic honeys, wines, cheeses, fabrics etc. set up booths. A statue of Giordano Bruno stands in the middle, commemorating the place where he was burned at the stake in 1600. Around the Campo are numerous restaurants, fast food and other services. The roads leading into the Campo are lined with affordable boutiques and specialty stores.

Dinner: Prior to dinner gather at the appointed time for a welcome reception to meet your fellow adventurers. Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Hotel Tiziano

Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner

Note: Walking on uneven cobblestone paths and a low hill requires stamina for a one and a half hour outing. To reach the upper level of the Colosseum there is an elevator. Feel free to take the stairs for a more authentic experience. The entrance fee to the Palatine, Forum and Colosseum is all inclusive, so this field trip takes place during a half day. The visit is typically divided by lunch at a local restaurant, to allow some rest time.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel restaurant.

Morning: An illustrated lecture on The History of Ancient Rome leads you from its foundation as a small village to its supremacy which lasted nearly 1000 years. Many of the ancient institutions continue to the present. Expert-led visit to the Colosseum for reserved entrance time.

Lunch: Lunch at a restaurant near the Colosseum.

Afternoon: Expert-led visit continues to the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum. The word "palatial" is related to the Palatine, because wealthy leaders of Rome built their palaces there. Visit the Imperial palaces and the museum which shows evidence of the post holes used by the earliest settlers for dwelling huts. Descend and continue walking in the Roman Forum, the civic, religious and political hub of ancient Rome. The expert will build mental pictures of the walls now lacking from the foundations. See the two remaining arches, that of Septemius Severus and of Titus. The Arch of Constantine contains friezes and bas-relief sculptures recycled from other arches and monuments.

Dinner: Dinner at a restaurant near Campo de' Fiori.

Lodging: Hotel Tiziano

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Pretty taxing, the two mile walk includes ascent of a low hill and visit through two branches of the Capitoline Museum.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel restaurant.

Morning: Free morning. The group leader will have suggestions for museums and interesting sites.

Lunch: Lunch on your own to sample some local cuisine. Suggestions will be indicated.

Afternoon: Excursion on foot to the Capitoline Museum. The expert will comment on various pieces in the collection, including the She Wolf bronze sculpture, symbol of Rome with Renaissance additions of Romulus and Remus; the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius and the foundations of the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. Cross to the other wing of the museum through the Tabularium, ancient Rome's archives. There is a commanding view of the Forum from that vantage point. Emerge at the Palazzo Nuovo Wing where the Dying Gaul and the Capitoline Venus are on display. Walk back to the hotel for a late afternoon lecture on the art of Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel frescoes.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant to enjoy Roman cuisine.

Lodging: Hotel Tiziano

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Note: The museum is crowded and requires being able to walk up 3-4 flights of stairs. We schedule a reserved entrance time. The time in the museum will spent standing while listening to an explanation or walking. There are few opportunities to sit and rest.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel restaurant.

Morning: Coach to the Vatican. The Vatican Museums is a complex of multiple collections: Egypt and Mesopotamia; Greek, Etruscan, Rome; a picture gallery. There are unannounced closings of galleries, so our expert will maximize the time and discuss the most significant pieces available. Michelangelo's frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, with scenes from the book of Genesis and the Last Judgment behind the main altar are the main attraction. From the Sistine Chapel, the guide will lead the group through the back door down to the Basilica of St. Peter. In a side chapel, behind a protective glass, you can see the famous Pieta', Michelangelo's early work and only piece he signed. Above the altar stands Bernini's Baldacchino or canopy; it is over 100 feet high. There are countless historical references and events associated with this Basilica, once the largest in the world. Stepping out onto the front porch, you will admire the colonnade designed by Bernini, evocative of the welcoming embracing arms of the church.

Lunch: Coach to a local restaurant near the banks of the Tiber River.

Afternoon: Expert-led walk to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain, which derives its name from the fact that TRE (three) VI (vie-roads) converged there. The fountain, an allegory of Neptune, god of the waters, was built to commemorate the restoration of an aqueduct which brought water into downtown Rome during the 18th century. Walk continues to the Pantheon, the temple/celestial observatory engineered by the Emperor Hadrian around 122 CE. The niches along the interior perimeter are illuminated by the sun at different times of the year and day. King Vittorio Emanuele II, his wife and son are buried there. The painter Raphael's tomb lines the far most left niche from the main entrance. The interior forms a sphere 142 feet in diameter and the oculus is 29 feet across. Short walk to the hotel.

Dinner: Dinner at a local pizzeria.

Evening: The Church of S. Ignazio often sponsors musical performances. If one is scheduled around the times we are there, it will be included. The Church is near the Pantheon.

Lodging: Hotel Tiziano

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: About a 1 mile walk. The Basilica of S. Mary Major is decorated with marvelous mosaics dating from the 5th -13th centuries.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel restaurant.

Morning: Starting at S. Mary Major on the Esquiline, you can marvel at the wonderfully preserved mosaics that span 1500 years of workmanship. The artist Bernini is entombed near the main altar. Down hill lies the church of S. Peter in Chains where you can see the cenotaph (funerary monument) of Pope Julius II by Michelangelo. The central statue of Moses is the main attraction. On the Caelian Hill, there is an underground Roman house dating to the 2nd-3rd c. CE, with original frescoes which defy interpretation: are they pagan, Christian, or transitional?

Lunch: Lunch on your own.

Afternoon: A journalist/professor gives a talk on Contemporary Politics and Society that focuses on the institutions and political climate that shape life for citizens and residents of Italy today.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: Hotel Tiziano

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Note: Gentile walk up the Aventine Hill. Coach to the Quirinal Hill and back to the hotel. Distance covered about a 1.5 miles on foot.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel restaurant.

Morning: Coach to the Aventine, the southern-most hill of Rome. It was a populist area, now upscale with a number of foreign embassies. St. Dominic resided at S. Sabina and brought oranges from Spain as a gift to his patron, Pope Honorius III. The Orange Garden adjacent to the church is now a park offering a splendid morning view of the city. The orange trees descend from those original plantings. Brief stop at the Circus Maximus. The Circus, originally for chariot races, is used as a gathering place for concerts, political rallies and to celebrate sporting victories, when Italy won the World Cup, over 1.5 million people gathered there in honor of the team. Coach to the Quirinal Hill to see Bernini's church of S. Andrea al Quirinale, an oval floor plan. The Palazzo Quirinale, once the residence of popes is now the residence of the President of Italy.

Lunch: Lunch at a restaurant near Piazza Navona.

Afternoon: Lecture, Why Rome Matters, in this presentation, your instructor will try to pull together the significant aspects of Rome's influence, past, present and future. You will recall that the United States Founding Fathers relied heavily on the examples of Roman history and modeled our republic on the ancient writers. Our laws and judicial structure have clear links back to Rome.

Dinner: Dinner on your own.

Lodging: Hotel Tiziano

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Note: Light day of exertion, depending on your destination during free time.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel restaurant.

Morning: Free morning to explore your special destination. Suggestions will be provided.

Lunch: Select a place to have lunch from the many options available.

Afternoon: Coach to the Borghese park for an expert-led visit of the Galleria Borghese, the collection of art amassed by Cardinal Scipio Borghese, nephew of the Pope. The villa which houses his collection was used as a retreat and reception hall for dignitaries visiting Rome. A connoisseur of art, he acquired through purchase or intrigue art that he fancied. His most impressive collection of sculptures were done by Bernini when he was in his early 20's. His collection includes works of art by Caravaggio, Titian, Raphael, Botticelli, and others. The museum limits the visit to two hours.

Dinner: Farewell dinner.

Lodging: Hotel Tiziano

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Note: Coach to airport and check in with airline and clear security.

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel or packed meal for those that depart early.

Morning: Transfers to airport.

Meals Included: Breakfast