Rome Tour Package – Rome Holiday Packages

The Pantheon in Rome was built on the orders of Hadrian between 118AD and 125AD, it functioned as a temple to all the Roman Gods. The temple was built to replace Marcus Agrippa's temple which had burnt down in 80AD. The original inscription can still be seen above the Pantheon entrance "Marcus Agrippa son of Lucius, having been consul three times made it. The Pantheon façade features a triangular pediment which once would have held sculptured battle scenes. The pediment is supported by three rows of columns leading into the front portico. From the rectangular front entrance hall (cella) bronze doors lead into the main part of the building which is circular. The marble veneer covering the interior walls was a later addition but the geometric patterned marble floor is the original Ancient Roman floor.

Piazza Navona is an elongated oval-shaped public square in Rome, it was built on the former Stadium of Domitian (the remains of which can still be seen on guided tours from Piazza Tor Sanguigna13). The original name was Circus Agonalis or Circus Agonalis. The Piazza was paved in the 15th century and used as a market place and a venue for special events including mock naval battles. Today is a lively and popular social meeting point in the numerous cafes, restaurants, and places of entertainment which line the square. The square is the venue for many annual fairs and festivals. The Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone (1670)is also on the square and is perhaps the sources of the square's present name. The main attractions of the square are the three fountains, the most famous being Fontana Dei Quattro Fiumi.

The expansive St. Peter's Square is located within Vatican City in front of St. Peter's Basilica. In the 1600s the plaza was designed by Bernini who also had a hand in designing the adjacent basilica The elliptical shaped open area of the square is surrounded by 284 Tuscan-style Doric colonnades, in 4 rows; the columns are 13 meters high. The enormous scale of the square and its surrounding columns was intended to create awe in the worshipers who gather here to receive the Pope's blessing from the church or Vatican Palace where he often appears to address the crowds. The square is paved in cobblestones divided up only by radiating lines created from limestone and zodiac signs so that the obelisks can be used as a giant sundial. A red porphyry stone on the paving marks where Pope John Paul II was shot in 1981.

St Peter's Basilica is perhaps the holiest and most important church in Christendom, located within Vatican City on Vatican Hill; it is the heart of the Catholic Church. The location has long been considered holy as the apostle Saint Peter is believed to have been buried here in 64AD. Peter is considered to have been the first Pope and so its place in Vatican City is fitting. Within the church, there are the angelic faces of 40 types of cherubs created in stone, mosaic and metal. The statues of 39 saints, the founders of religious congregations, appear along the sides of the Nave and across the Transept. In all, there are 45 altars, 11 chapels and 10,000m² of mosaics as well as beautiful marble floors. Among the valuable pieces of Renaissance and Baroque art in the Basilica is Michelangelo's Pieta in the first chapel on the right. Other stunning works of art in St. Peters is the bronze baldachin above the papal altar and the confession (burial crypt) of St. Peter. St. Peter's tomb is one of 100 tombs within the church; they include 91 popes, kings and queens.

The Castel Sant'Angelo, also known as The Hadrian Mausoleum, was constructed 130AD-139AD on the edge of the River Tiber by Emperor Hadrian for himself, his family and his successor's interment. The mausoleum has a cylindrical colonnaded drum, 64 meters in diameter, on top of an 89-meter wide square base which was covered with lush planted gardens and trees. Situated on the right bank of the river, the Ponte Sant'Angelo connects it with the rest of the city. Visitors approach the structure by following a 400-foot long spiral ramp. Visitors can see the beautiful rooms used by the pontiffs with delicate frescoes and on lower floors they can see the prisons and torture chamber.

The Fontana di Trevi is the largest baroque fountain in the world. The fountain is well known from the Fellini film "La Dolce Vita" and "Three Coins in The Fountain." Legend has it that if you throw a coin into the fountain and make a wish to return to Rome, your wish will be granted. It is situated in the Trevi District of Rome at a junction of three roads (hence the name the-three+vie-roads). The statue of Ocean stands at the highest and central point of the fountain, he stands in a chariot pulled by two horses ridden by two Tritons. One Triton is old and one is young while one horse is restless and the other calm. To the left of Ocean is a statue of Abundance and to the right a statue of Health. Above the statues are reliefs of Agrippa overseeing the construction of the aqueduct and another of the Virgin leading the soldiers to the water. There are also allegorical figures and carvings of about 30 types of plants.

This outstanding museum is housed within the equally stunning Barberini Palace which boasts The Triumph of Divine Providence, a ceiling fresco by Pietro da Cortona. The central Gran Salone, where the ceiling fresco is located, was designed by Bernini who also designed the building's façade. Visitors to the museum can also see the rococo apartments, the Gallery of Decorate Art, furnished with precious objects by Cornelia Costanza Barberini who lived here with her husband Prince Giulio Cesare Colonna di Sciarra. The apartments are furnished and decorated as they would have been when the couple lived here and the walls and ceilings are adorned with beautiful frescoes.

This is one of the famed seven hills upon which Rome was built and it was considered the most sacred. The English word "capital" is derived from Capitoline. It is located between the Forum and the Campus Martius and was the site of Rome's first temples, the Temple of Jupiter and the Capitoline Triad and of the Tabularium, the city hall of records. Capitoline Hill was the site of many major events in Roman history. The hill and the structures built on it fell into ruin and only in the 16th century was it restored to its former glory. The new renaissance structures were built on top of the ancient ones leaving little of the former Empire structures. Michelangelo was commissioned to create long ramp-like steps (Cordonata stairs) which lead up to Piazza del Campidoglio as well as a pedestal for an equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius.

Held every Sunday morning, this is the largest market in Rome and the place to come for a bargain. With a mix of second hand and new goods, food, antiques, and general bric-a-brac, spare at least a couple of hours to browse the endless rows of stalls.

The Vatican Museums are within Vatican City and comprise several exhibitions housed within several museum galleries. The collection began with the purchase by Pope Julius II of the statue of Laocoon and his Sons in 1506. Although the collections could have been kept within the Vatican walls as the Pope's private collections, lucky for mankind, the popes chose from the very beginning to make the art available to the general public. This was done to promote knowledge of art, history, and culture. In addition to having access to some of the world's finest artwork the public also get to see inside the palaces of the Vatican which house the collections. The must-see highlights not to miss are the Laocoon; Caravaggio's Deposition; Raphael's Transfiguration; Aldobrandini Marriage; The Good Shepherd; Belvedere Torso; work by Raphael; Apollo Belvedere; da Vinci's St. Jerome and of course the breathtaking Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling.

The Roman Forum is located in a valley between Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum, between the Palatine Hill, Capitoline Hill, and Esquiline Hill. The area was originally marshlands which were cleared with an ingenious system during the reign of the last Etruscan kings (until 509BC). The Cloaca Maxima canal was constructed to drain off the land into the Tiber River. Once the area was inhabitable it began to develop into an urban center and for more than 1000 years this was the most important part of the city. The area's central square, called Foro, was where the Romans would gather for meetings, trials, and trade, the Forum was the center of life in Ancient Rome. Also in the Forum, there were markets, temples, government buildings, stores, and inns.

It is located at the foot of Capitoline Hill next to Trajan's Forum. Piazza Venezia is not a pedestrian square and the large square sees endless traffic, including most buses. The square is close to many tourist sites and most visitors will find themselves crossing this square at some point in their trip to Rome. Several important buildings line the square including the Palazzo Venezia, commissioned by the Cardinal Venezia. The square takes its name from the palace. The palace was completed in 1464 and belonged to Pope Paul II, it continued to be the residence of successive popes until Pope Pius IV. After that, it became the Venice Embassy (Serenissima) and later was acquired by Mussolini's government. The dictator would give speeches from the palace balcony. Today it houses the Museo del Palazzo Venezia.