Exploring Rome's Great Heritage

Spend the morning in Ancient Rome. Begin at the Colosseum, the massive amphitheater that the Emperor Vespasian commissioned in 72 AD. It may resonate for you as the site of bloody gladiatorial combat and animal fights, as a feat of engineering on which arenas and stadia have been modeled for 2,000 years, as a romantic ruin shaped by centuries of pillage, or all of these and more. Then tour the Roman Forum, whose ancient temples and basilicas, now interspersed with medieval churches, 19^th-century reconstructions, and ongoing excavations, were the center of Roman civic life. Continue up the wooded slopes of the Palatine Hill to see the remains of the Imperial Palace.

Today’s route takes you to a Renaissance villa with magnificent gardens and a major art collection, a church that houses paintings by Caravaggio, and an ancient monument with an improbable history. Begin at the public park on the hill called the Pincio, where Lucullus once atended the garden by his villa, and enjoy the splendid view of the city. Then visit the Galleria of Villa Borghese to see works by Titian, Raphael, Caravaggio, Rubens, and Bernini, part of a collection that originated with the holdings of the art-loving Cardinal Scipione Borghese. Enjoy the park and gardens around the Villa Borghese, and continue to the Piazza del Popolo, one of Rome’s great squares, where in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo you will see paintings by Caravaggio and sculptures by Bernini.

Today visit two sites that bespeak the strong English connection to Rome. The Keats-Shelley Museum occupies the second floor of a pink house at the foot of the Spanish Steps. Keats died there in 1821. Along with the more 19^th-century gothic mementos, such as his death mask and a lock of his hair, are facsimiles of his manuscripts and books on Keats and his circle. After visiting the Museum, drive out to the Protestant Cemetery. Keats is buried there beneath an epitaph that reads “Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water.” Shelley’s ashes are buried here as well.

Cross the river to the Vatican and the part of Rome called Trastevere, or “across the Tiber.” The Vatican holds enough treasures to warrant months of viewing, but your tour will encompass the world-renowned works as well as others. In St. Peter’s Basilica, see the famed Pietà, the dome designed by Michelangelo, and the gilded bronze canopy, the Baldacchin, that Bernini created.  Bernini’s magnificently baroque Throne of St. Peter in Glory and his final work in tribute to Pope Alexander II are found in St. Peter’s as well. Whatever else you see in the Vatican’s vast museums, you will visit the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo’s ceiling towers over wall frescoes by Botticelli, Perugino, Ghirlandaio, Signorelli, and Rosselli as well as his own Last Judgment.

Take a full-day excursion to Tivoli, in the Tiburtine Hills outside of Rome. Among those who have spent summers in their villas here are poets Horace and Catullus, the Emperors Hadrian and Trajan, and the Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este, who had the Villa d’Este built in the mid-16^th century. Visit the Villa Adriana (Hadrian’s Villa), where the Emperor Hadrian had built not only his own palace but reproductions of the finest Greek and Egyptian buildings. Most of what has been excavated lies in fragments, though some restorations have been made, including an island structure that was probably the Emperor’s private studio.

The Villa d’Este, impressive as it may be, is overshadowed by the elaborate terraced gardens, which extend down a dramatic hillside. The designers used cascades, pools, water jets and fountains throughout the terraced gardens to create a veritable encyclopedia of Renaissance water works, which spray, erupt, and cascade are a source of fascination and delight.

Today’s excursion takes you through vineyards, olive groves, and pastures to some of the towns of the Castelli Romani in the Alban Hills southeast of Rome. Frascati is known for its wines and villas, especially the imposing Villa Aldobrandini with its terraced gardens and water works. Then on to the lovely towns of Ariccia and Castelgandolfo, each of which have inspired painters since the 17^th century and contain splendid centralized churches by Bernini.  Stop for lunch in Castelgandolfo before you visit the the smaller and often-painted Lago di Nemi, which has long been rumored to hide in its depths a sunken ship laden with treasure.

Leave after breakfast for Fiumicino Airport and your return flight to the U.S. B