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Hidden Rome
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Summary
Rome is the pivotal city of Europe, a capital that has dominated the history of the last two millennia. Its famous, great monuments are accompanied by a host of smaller, more difficult to reach, or just hidden sites and monuments all of which tell their own stories about the eternal city. This tour will take you to some of Rome’s greatest monuments but also to some of its most secret, through tombs and catacombs, temples and villas – it’s a chance to see the imperial city from a new point of view. We will be based in the very centre of the city with time for you to explore on your own.
This tour has a plethora of special visits. We have gained access to some of the most exquisite and important monuments: We visit the tombs of the Scipiones, the family which produced Hannibal’s nemesis, Scipio Africanus, as well as the catacombs of Saint Agnes on the Via Nomentana, built adjacent to one of the great churches of the age of Constantine. We also explore the Mithraeum of the Circus Maximus, created literally beneath the stairs of the great altar of Hercules. Perhaps the piece de resistance is the visit to the extraordinary Domus Aurea, Nero’s Palace built on 4 hills and now covered by later imperial projects.
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Full Price
£2,895
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£2,795
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Benefit from this limited time offer:
- Save £100 if you pay your full balance today, just £2,795
The price above includes any applicable early booking discount and a pay in full discount, and applies only if you pay the full balance at time of booking.
Deposit: £500 Single supplement: £345
Includes flights
Keeping you safe on your next tour
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FREE 'Travel Safe' kits for every traveller
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Enhanced Health and Safety audits
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Distanced seating on coaches
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'Get me home' service and private airport transfers
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COVID protocols at our hotels, and aboard our cruise ships
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Packed lunches and flexible dining options
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Flexible balance payment date and COVID-friendly refund conditions
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COVID-testing and training for tour staff
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Constant monitoring and post-tour tracing
Meet your Experts
Prof. Valerie Higgins
Andante Guide Lecturer
Professor Valerie Higgins is currently Associate Professor of Archaeology and Program Director for Sustainable Cultural Heritage at The American University of Rome.
Your itinerary
Day 1 - London - Rome
We fly to Rome and transfer to our city centre hotel.
| Hotel | Albergo Santa Chiara, Rome |
|---|---|
| Meals included | Dinner |
Day 2 - The Appian Way
Today we drive to the Appian Way and visit some of the villas of the senatorial aristocracy found there. Here we will see the vast suburban estate of the Quintili, so sumptuous that the emperor Commodus executed its owners and confiscated it. We proceed to the equally extensive Villa of the Emperor Maxentius built in order to be a dynastic centre for his family. It includes a palace/villa, a chariot racing circus and large mausoleum. We will focus on the well preserved Circus which includes starting gates. In the afternoon we will visit another huge imperial project, the Baths of Caracalla, capable of accommodating thousands at a time.
| Hotel | Albergo Santa Chiara, Rome |
|---|---|
| Meals included | Breakfast, Lunch |
Day 3 - Golden House - Colosseum
This morning we visit another imperial palace, the legendary Golden House which the Emperor Nero built after the great fire of Rome as a rus in urbe, a countryside in the city, and as such included artificial lakes, fountains, vineyards, as well as flocks. The megalomaniac building was eventually demolished by his successors and can now only be visited at certain times, in groups, where it ongoing restoration can be viewed. More underground surprises will follow at the church of San Clemente, and then an afternoon visit to the Colosseum where we will be permitted to visit the areas below the arena floor of this iconic monument.
| Hotel | Albergo Santa Chiara, Rome |
|---|---|
| Meals included | All meals included |
Day 4 - The Field of Mars
Walk through part of the Field of Mars, visiting well-known sites like the Pantheon. Free time follows later.
| Hotel | Albergo Santa Chiara, Rome |
|---|---|
| Meals included | Breakfast, Lunch |
Day 5 - Aventine Hill
This morning we visit the Cripta Balbi, one of the most important excavations undertaken in recent decades, where the change from ancient to modern was examined in a ground-breaking exploration. We then explore the Forum Boarium, to see the temples of Portunus and Hercules, and visit the churches of Santa Maria in Cosmedin and San Giorgio in Velabro. After lunch we go to the Mithraeum of the Circus Maximus and later, we ascend the Aventine Hill to visit Santa Sabina.
| Hotel | Albergo Santa Chiara, Rome |
|---|---|
| Meals included | All meals included |
Day 6 - Aurelian walls
Today, a series of hidden gems scattered around the city. We begin on the Via Nomentana at Santa Constanza, built as a mausoleum for the sister of Constantine the Great. Later we will visit the early Christian catacombs that lie below the adjacent church of San Agnese. The theme continues in the afternoon when we make our way to the Aurelian walls where we shall find two exquisite and highly important tombs, the Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas, and the tomb of the Scipiones, the great family of the Republic who brought glory to Rome.
| Hotel | Albergo Santa Chiara, Rome |
|---|---|
| Meals included | All meals included |
Day 7 - Ostia Antica - London
A morning drive to Ostia Antica, on the coast, which was Rome’s great harbour centre. Here goods for the teeming bazaars of the city were stored and prepared for sending upriver. We will explore this extensive town and its facilities, the level of preservation is comparable to Pompeii. In the afternoon we drive on to the airport for our flight home.
| Meals included | Breakfast |
|---|
Tour dates & prices
Included in your cost:
- Expert Guide Lecturer
- Professional Tour Manager
- Local travel aboard a private air-conditioned coach
- Accommodation
- Meals as per the itinerary, wine and tea or coffee with dinner
- Entries to all sites as per the itinerary
- All taxes & gratuities
- Field notes
| Tour Departure | Tour ID | Departure date | Return Date | Guided by | Price | Deposit | Single supplement | Offer | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 October 2021 | AHRO211022 | 22 October 2021 (Friday) | 28 October 2021 (Thursday) | Prof. Valerie Higgins | £2,745 (inc. flights) |
£500 | £325 | Call for availability | |
| 18 February 2022 | AHRO220218 | 18 February 2022 (Friday) | 24 February 2022 (Thursday) | Oliver Gilkes | £2,825 (inc. flights) |
£500 | £345 |
£2,675 save £150 |
Book your trip |
| 25 March 2022 | AHRO220325 | 25 March 2022 (Friday) | 31 March 2022 (Thursday) | Oliver Gilkes | £2,825 (inc. flights) |
£500 | £345 |
£2,675 save £150 |
Book your trip |
| 22 April 2022 | AHRO220422 | 22 April 2022 (Friday) | 28 April 2022 (Thursday) | Dr Andy Souter | £2,865 (inc. flights) |
£500 | £345 |
£2,765 save £100 |
Book your trip |
| 21 October 2022 | AHRO221021 | 21 October 2022 (Friday) | 27 October 2022 (Thursday) | Prof. Valerie Higgins | £2,895 (inc. flights) |
£500 | £345 |
£2,795 save £100 |
Book your trip |
| 24 March 2023 | AHRO230324 | 24 March 2023 (Friday) | 30 March 2023 (Thursday) | Oliver Gilkes | £2,985 (inc. flights) |
£500 | £355 | Book your trip |
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