SHORE EXCURSIONS

You'll see the Eternal City on an orientation drive passing iconic structures which includes the Colosseum of ancient Rome where gladiators fought. In Vatican City admire the beauty of St. Peter's Square, and view some of the treasures of the world's largest church, St. Peter's Basilica during your brief visit. The Vatican Museum is home to masterpieces spanning the centuries, marvel at the Sistine Chapel, topped by Michelangelo's magnificent ceiling. Lunch is included.

This is your opportunity to visit Fatima, an important world pilgrimage site, known by many as the Lourdes of Portugal. Your guide will describe the legendary story behind the region’s fame en route during your approximately two-hour drive.

Fatima was a very poor and forgotten parish until an apparition of the Virgin Mary was seen by three peasant children back in 1917. The little village was transformed almost overnight into a pilgrimage town that grew around the imposing modern basilica and shrine. You'll stop at the modern basilica and square, which is larger than St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. Here, enjoy about two hours of free time to explore the area on your own.

Experience the places which made Rome immortal by observing it from another point of view on board a double-decker bus. Along your route, a very informative audio guide will help you understand the incredible history and the splendor of the art that makes Rome a truly fascinating city.

Your tour starts at the pier with a 90 minute transfer by coach to the heart of Rome. Once there, you’ll transfer to your double-decker sightseeing bus. These buses travel a circuit all day long and have stops at some of the city’s most iconic monuments and cultural venues. The beauty of the Hop-on, Hop-off option is that you can choose which stops you want to leave the bus and explore at your leisure.

Stops will be made at the Colossuem, Circus Maximus, Piazza Venezia, The Vatican, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza di Spagna and Piazza Barberini. These stops will enable you to visit places such as Vatican City with the wonderful St. Peter’s Basilica, the Colosseum and its Archaeological Area, and the famous Trevi Fountain. You will also have the possibility of shopping at Via Nazionale and Via del Corso.

The tour is tape-recorded and individual earphones are available should you wish. The sightseeing buses run at a frequency of 25 minutes around each of the noted main interest points. You will be advised when to return to the main terminal in order to catch the transfer back to the ship.

You'll start in ancient Rome, with a visit to the city's iconic Colosseum. The Romans built amphitheaters all across their vast empire, but this is the largest and most important of them all. Its four levels of seats could hold 50,000 spectators for bloody gladiatorial combat and wild animal fights. At times the Colosseum was flooded and simulated sea battles were fought.

Next, stop at the Trevi Fountain. This massive Baroque extravaganza was built in 1732 and features Neptune, god of the sea, surging forward in his shell-shaped chariot. Afterwards, you'll walk to the Pantheon, where you can enter on your own and have free time for lunch. This is one of the best-preserved of all the ancient Roman structures, with the largest brick dome in the history of architecture.

In Vatican City admire the beauty of St. Peter's Square, and view some of the treasures of the world's largest church, St. Peter's Basilica during your brief visit. The Vatican Museum is home to masterpieces spanning the centuries, marvel at the Sistine Chapel, topped by Michelangelo's magnificent ceiling.

A visit to the Vatican Museum with the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica, combined with an orientation drive through the grand avenues of Rome, in the company of a small group highlights your day. Although a quick pace and substantial amount of walking is required, your day will be extremely rewarding. In the morning, enjoy an orientation drive through the Eternal City passing the Arch of Constantine and the famed Colosseum.

After lunch, you'll visit the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, boasting Michelangelo's magnificent ceiling. You'll gaze in awe at Piazza San Pietro, one of the world's most beautiful squares that faces the largest church in the world, St. Peter's. Some of its fabulous treasures will be shown to you by your guide during a brief visit. You'll then rejoin your motorcoach for the return to Civitavecchia.

Enjoy a day touring diminutive San Marino, the world’s oldest republic, which being inland has survived surprisingly intact since being founded in 301 A.D.

It's a relaxing ninety-minute drive through the picturesque countryside to San Marino, which perches atop the slopes of Mount Titano. Despite being Europe’s third-smallest state (after Vatican City and Monaco) and least populated state, San Marino has a surprisingly large number of fine boutiques, restaurants, and intriguing museums.

Upon arrival, you’ll have free time to explore them on your own. You may wish to start in the medieval city center, which you’ll enter through the Porta San Francesco. The expansive Piazza della Libertà, was built in the 14th century over ancient cisterns.

The adjacent Public Palace features stone excavated from Mount Titano and is decorated with coats-of-arms from the nine districts that comprise San Marino. The nearby Basilica of the Saint has a neoclassical design and contains the relics of Saint Marinus, the republic’s founder, who fled here after being persecuted for his Christian sermons. If you’re feeling ambitious, you might also climb the hill to La Rocca, an 11th-century fortress towering above Mount Titano. Enjoy lunch on your own and perhaps do some shopping before rejoining your coach for the drive back to Ravenna.

If you would like to explore the Eternal City of Rome on your own, this private motorcoach transfer is ideal. You'll be dropped off in a central location, and your return transfer to the ship departs from the same place as your drop-off. A tour escort will be travelling with you to and from the ship to answer any questions you may have about sightseeing or shopping. You'll then rejoin your motorcoach for the return to Civitavecchia.

Begin your exploration of the 'Eternal City' with an outside visit of the Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum - Imperial Rome's symbol of power. You'll drive past the Roman Forum, Piazza Venezia, Marcello Theatre, and Circo Massimo to the Trevi Fountain.

You'll have some free time for lunch before rejoining your coach to head towards St. Peter's Square. Here you'll visit the Basilica, which can hold up to 300,000 people. After your visit, you'll be transferred to your Norwegian Cruise Line programme hotel or the airport for your departure.

OVERVIEW

This excursion is for guests that use a cane/walker, have limited mobility issues or for companions of those guest that have booked mobility equipment tour.

Those guests that are fully dependent on their mobility device please book: CIV_A2 ACCESSIBLE Mobility Equipment- Rome, Vatican & St. Peter's Basilica.

Tour includes step-free routes, shorter distances and no stairs. Accessible restrooms with wide doors for wheelchairs are present along the tour route. Vehicles are adapted with an access ramp (or lift where available) to accommodate a limited number of wheelchairs and/or mobility scooters. Guides are not allowed to push wheelchairs; therefore, guests needing special assistance must be accompanied by an able-bodied.

Delve into Rome’s fascinating history by exploring iconic attractions such as the ancient Colosseum and the wonders within Vatican City. Unlike earlier amphitheaters that were constructed into hillsides for support, the Colosseum is a freestanding structure. It held as many as 50,000 spectators who came to watch mock naval battles and gladiators fight. After a 14th-century earthquake severely damaged the amphitheater, the fallen stones were used as building materials elsewhere. You will also behold the glorious Vatican Museums, the frescoes that Michelangelo painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the papal apartments known as the Raphael Rooms. And what better way to conclude your immersion into Rome than at St. Peter’s Basilica? This pilgrimage site on Vatican Hill was constructed in the early 16th century and was once the world’s largest church. It remains one of the holiness sites in Christendom. Inside, you will see the Pietà, which Michelangelo completed when he was only 24.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Experience the Colosseum up close for a greater understanding of its construction and use.
• Behold Vatican highlights that include its museums, Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms.
• View St. Peter’s Basilica, a pilgrimage site that was once the largest church in the world.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.

OVERVIEW

This excursion is for guests who are fully dependent on their mobility device. You will be required to supply your own wheelchair/scooter. Your mobility equipment (manual or electric) must not exceed the following dimensions: W 31", L 37", H 66".

Those guests that are companions, use a cane or walker, or have limited mobility issues must book the companion tour code: CIV_A1 ACCESSIBLE Companion: Rome, Vatican & St. Peter's Basilica.

Tour includes step-free routes, shorter distances and no stairs. Accessible restrooms with wide doors for wheelchairs are present along the tour route. Vehicles are adapted with an access ramp (or lift where available) to accommodate a limited number of wheelchairs and/or mobility scooters. Guides are not allowed to push wheelchairs; therefore, guests needing special assistance must be accompanied by an able-bodied.

Delve into Rome’s fascinating history by exploring iconic attractions such as the ancient Colosseum and the wonders within Vatican City. Unlike earlier amphitheaters that were constructed into hillsides for support, the Colosseum is a freestanding structure. It held as many as 50,000 spectators who came to watch mock naval battles and gladiators fight. After a 14th-century earthquake severely damaged the amphitheater, the fallen stones were used as building materials elsewhere. You will also behold the glorious Vatican Museums, the frescoes that Michelangelo painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the papal apartments known as the Raphael Rooms. And what better way to conclude your immersion into Rome than at St. Peter’s Basilica? This pilgrimage site on Vatican Hill was constructed in the early 16th century and was once the world’s largest church. It remains one of the holiness sites in Christendom. Inside, you will see the Pietà, which Michelangelo completed when he was only 24.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Experience the Colosseum up close for a greater understanding of its construction and use.
• Behold Vatican highlights that include its museums, Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms.
• View St. Peter’s Basilica, a pilgrimage site that was once the largest church in the world.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.