Rome City Break

After your arrival in Rome, you will get to know your fellow travelers and your tour guide over dinner together in an Italian trattoria. Look forward to the days ahead in the city, which skilfully combines antiquity, Renaissance and Baroque in its magnificent, lively streets and boasts numerous cultural highlights. (A)

The day is dedicated to the most beautiful squares and fountains of Rome. Strengthened by breakfast, you start your tour at the Fontana di Trevi. You can hardly see the ground anymore because of all the coins that the visitors throw over their left shoulder to return to Rome soon. On the Spanish Steps, with its floral splendor, you let the beautiful atmosphere of the square take over. The Pantheon appears rather inconspicuous from the outside; but then inside reveals the largest domed building of antiquity with a diameter of 43 meters. The Piazza Navona with Bernini's fountain is considered one of the most beautiful squares in Rome. Here your eventful day comes to an end. For culture vultures, we recommend a visit to the impressive Castel Sant'Angelo (not included). The former mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian and the later fortress of numerous popes got its name from a legend from the year 590, according to which the archangel Michael appeared to Pope Gregory I and announced the end of the plague epidemic at that time. Today, the bronze statue of the angel on the top of the castle bears witness to this vision. In your free time, discover the museum that is now located inside the Castel Sant'Angelo. Splendid papal chambers and halls decorated with frescoes as well as chapels await you there. (F)

After breakfast, you will travel back to the time of gladiators and the glory days of the Roman Empire. Easily recognizable from afar, the Colosseum has retained its captivating effect to this day. Let the interior of the largest amphitheater ever built in the world take you back to long forgotten times. Then continue to the Roman Forum, once the center of ancient life and today one of the most important excavation sites in Rome. From the area lined with temples and mighty colonnaded streets, the world was once ruled. Why is the Arch of Titus so reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris? Find out, and then use the free afternoon to soak up the impressions of this fascinating city in one of the small, shady squares with a creamy cappuccino or a glass of strong Brunello. Your tour guide will be happy to give you tips for exploring off the beaten path. (F)