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.

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Your tour will start with a scenic drive from the ship to Rome. Your walking tour will have designated selfie stops at:
• Colosseum
• Imperial Forum
• Campidoglio
• Borghese Gardens
• Pinicio Terrace
• Spanish Steps
• Trevi Fountain
• Navona Square
• St. Peter’s Square

To make this experience even more fun you will be provided with a selfie stick to help catch the perfect picture. In addition, you will enjoy some free time at Navona Square and end your picture-perfect day with a gelato near St. Peter’s Square.

Walk through Lungotevere, one of the oldest sections of Rome, and sample a multitude of classic Italian treats. Your culinary immersion will begin at Campo de Fiori, where you will meander a bustling outdoor marketplace with stalls full of colorful produce, aromatic spices and classic Italian condiments. Crudites will be offered, allowing you to see just how tasty raw vegetables can be, especially when dipped in seasoned fresh-pressed olive oil. You will then walk to a bakery for a pizza tasting, on to a chocolate shop to sample confections and then to Sant’ Eustachio, a coffee shop that makes its espresso with water from an ancient aqueduct. The proprietors will explain how they ensure the freshest ingredients and highest quality. A refreshing dessert follows at Giolitti, which may be Rome’s oldest, if not finest, gelato shop. You will then enjoy free time around Navona Square, a wonderfully atmospheric area built over a stadium from the 1st century.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Taste an array of classic Italian treats in one of the Rome’s oldest sections.
• Expect to sample crudites, pizza, chocolate confections, coffee and gelato.
• Spend free time exploring atmospheric Navona Square.

Enjoy a leisurely walk through the woods with a truffle hunter and a dog specially trained to sniff out the prized subterranean mushrooms. Truffles grow near the roots of trees such as birch oaks and hornbeams and prefer well-drained soils. Expert truffle hunters know where to find them and fiercely guard the locations, as gourmands covet these aromatic, flavorful delicacies, sometimes paying huge sums for the rarer ones. As you follow the truffle hunter and dog through the forest, you will learn about the local species of truffles and their characteristics. Watching the dog in action will be quite the treat, as it has a knack for finding truffles at peak ripeness. The lagotto romagnolo is the traditional truffle-hunting breed in Italy, although many other breeds can be trained to point out a buried truffle. As the perfect end to your truffle-hunting adventure, you will sample a selection of truffle-based specialties.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Watch a specially trained dog find truffles growing underground deep in the woods.
• Gain insight into the world of rare truffles, which are coveted among gourmet chefs.
• Sample classic Italian specialties made even more flavorful with local species of truffles

OVERVIEW

See the absolute icons that define Rome and learn about their historical importance by listening to entertaining pre-recorded commentary on your own audio guide. The device is synchronized to each location so as you approach a landmark the wireless audio guide will automatically describe its points of interest in fascinating detail. Besides offering in-depth information, it allows you the freedom to move about at your own pace. You will see highlights such as Palatine Hill – where Rome was founded – the legendary Colosseum and Circus Maximus, an ancient chariot racetrack that was also used for gladiator fights and other barbaric public spectacles. Photo stops have been chosen to showcase attractions in both the foreground and background. For instance, as you stand atop Capitoline Hill, one of the famed seven hills of Rome, the Roman Forum will be seen below. Free time around Trevi Fountain will allow you to dine and shop independently. The final part of the tour will enrich your experience with the view of the Pantheon, Navona Square, S,Angelo’s Castle and St.Peter’s Dome.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Visit the most historically important, must-see landmarks in Rome.
• Hear engaging commentary about each location through your own wireless audio guide.
• See ancient sites such as the Colosseum and icons built centuries later such as Trevi Fountain.
• Enjoy free time to shop and dine on your own.
• Come away with a remarkably in-depth understanding of Rome through the centuries.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Discover some of the more unusual attractions in and around Rome, including one of its largest catacombs and Castel Gandolfo, the pope’s glorious summer residence.

After departing from the pier, a meandering drive toward Rome will bring you to the Catacombs of Santa Domitilla, which are believed to be the world’s oldest Christian cemetery. While browsing the sprawling complex of burial chambers, be sure to notice the stunning frescoes, which have been meticulously restored with lasers that removed centuries of grime without damaging the color pigments below.

Continuing on to the lovely village of Genzano, you will enjoy a traditional Italian lunch and wine tasting at the farm Monte Due Torri. Not far away lies the beautiful village of Nemi, which overlooks a smallish volcanic lake of the same name.

This area is known for the wild strawberries that grow in the surrounding woods, and Nemi takes full advantage of their popularity by using berries in all sorts of dishes. During free time, you might try something as classic as strawberry gelato or as unexpected as strawberry risotto. Strawberries and references to them are virtually everywhere.

A stop at Castel Gandolfo, the pope’s summer residence, rounds out this excursion, presenting yet another perspective of the Roman countryside. Construction on the palace began in the 1600s but it wasn’t until somewhat recently that this glimpse into papal life was opened to the public. After exploring on your own, you will have time to shop before returning to the pier.

Meander through the excavated ruins of Ostia, the commercial center and port for ancient Rome, which was completely abandoned after the fall of the empire.

After departing from the pier, you will settle in for a leisurely and picturesque drive that follows the coast to Ostia, Rome’s principal port through antiquity. It was founded at the mouth of the Tiber River in the 7th century B.C. to extract salt from the nearby marshes.

Ostia was later fortified and thrived until the fall of Rome, when the port was abandoned. Fortunately, river silt eventually covered the city, protecting it from the elements and plunderers. The ruins that remain today offer a wonderful glimpse into early Roman life.

As you meander roads such as the main thoroughfare Decumanus Maximus, you can expect to see one of the world’s oldest theaters, which is still used on occasion. Nearby, you will find the Forum Baths, a mosaic of Neptune riding four horses and a collection of large warehouses that stored grain and other items needed to feed the ancient Romans.

Ostia is also full of temples, including one dedicated to Hercules and another patterned after the Pantheon in Rome. You may also see excavated private residences adorned with frescoes, a bakery with millstones scattered about and commercial offices for ship-owners and traders. The port was designed around a grid pattern that became the standard for Roman military cities, and the layout is still visible today.

Admire a lush landscape dotted with historic towns, farms and grand villas. You’ll travel to Lake Albano, situated in the crater of an extinct volcano, and the hilltop town of Castel Gandolfo, a pretty village that clusters around the papal palace, where the popes have had their summer residence for centuries. Enjoy a walk in the medieval village and see the exterior of the palace.

Drive through the rolling hills of Rome’s wine growing region and stop at a local farmhouse. You’ll be greeted by a member of the family, who will show you around the property. Mama herself will demonstrate how to make fresh pasta and you may give it a try if you like, before settling down for a homemade Italian lunch, accompanied of course by home produced wines.

After lunch, drive to the heart of Rome, stop to view the exteriors of the Colosseum and a panoramic sightseeing of other highlights of the city. View the exteriors of the Colosseum, Roman Forum and other highlights of the city.

OVERVIEW

See icons that define Rome during several transformative time periods and come away with a deeper understanding of Italy’s capital. The Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain beautifully represent the Baroque era. If you toss a coin in the fountain – ensuring a return to Rome according to legend – it will be collected later that day and donated to charity. Standing on the terrace overlooking the Roman Forum will offer a perspective of ancient times as this public space was used for events ranging from religious ceremonies to secular spectacles. Similarly, an outside look at the massive Colosseum will add insight, especially through the guide’s enlightening commentary. The amphitheater held as many as 50,000 spectators that come to watch everything from gladiatorial games to public executions. After you behold the Renaissance treasure St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City from the square out front, you will enjoy free time for shopping and independent exploration.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Climb the iconic Spanish Steps and drop a coin in the Trevi Fountain if you wish.
• Behold the famed Roman Forum from the terrace overlooking it.
• Enjoy outside visits of the Colosseum and St. Peter’s Basilica as the guide describes them.
• Spend free time shopping or further exploring landmarks that you find most interesting.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Watch extra-virgin olive oil being produced at a mill in Canino and savor its extraordinary flavor when drizzled over local specialties. Along the way, you will pause for photos of two medieval churches near the town of Tuscania – Santa Maria Maggiore and the Basilica of San Pietro. The latter is so atmospheric and architecturally spectacular that it was used as a set for the Academy Award-winning film “Romeo and Juliet.” The nearby town of Canino is known more for its olive oil, which carries a Protected Designation of Origin that guarantees that it is produced, processed and prepared locally using traditional methods. You will gain an understanding of those time-honored steps while touring the Canino oil mill. The extra-virgin variety must be cold-pressed within 12 hours of harvesting, giving it an intense green color, low acidity and a medium fruity taste. As you will see, it perfectly complements the Italian specialties that you will be served.

HIGHLIGHTS
• See the steps involved in producing extra-virgin olive oil at a mill in Canino.
• Enjoy a tasting of the olive oil on locally made specialties that complement its taste.
• Snap photos of two medieval churches in the town of Tuscania.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Spend free time exploring three iconic areas in Rome on your own, a liberating experience that will allow you to focus on the attractions that sound most appealing to you. You will first be dropped off near the Vatican, home to Saint Peter’s Basilica and Saint Peter’s Square, the massive circular plaza out front. Options there include browsing the Vatican museums and the countless shops on the adjoining streets. Your next stop will leave you in the vicinity of Rome’s most glorious baroque architecture, so you can easily reach the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Pantheon, which emperor Hadrian completed in 126 AD. You may notice the Piazza Navona’s elongated oval shape, the result of it being built over a 1st-century stadium. The elliptical Colosseum is Rome’s most famous and notorious amphitheater as spectators came to watch everything from gladiatorial games to public executions. As your third stop, the area surrounding it offers abundant opportunities.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Spend hours independently exploring three of Rome’s most popular areas.
• Enjoy the freedom of seeing the attractions that interest you most without having to rush.
• Start in the vicinity of the Vatican, where you might browse its museums and shop.
• Easily access the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Pantheon on your second stop.
• Behold the Colosseum on your third stop and meander about the area on your own.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Guided by the expertise of a retired AF, browse an extraordinary collection of aircraft at the Air Force Museum on the shores of Lake Bracciano, a volcanically formed body of water near the town of Vigna di Valle. Located on the site of a former seaplane base, the museum holds every imaginable sort of aircraft in four hangars that showcase the evolution of flight, starting with the sketches of Leonardo da Vinci. It is home to everything from the world’s oldest flying object – a Garnerin balloon that took off in 1804 – to technologically advanced jet fighters. You may see experimental planes, the first bi-planes, aircraft used in both World Wars and planes still in service today. Italian-made aviation engines by the likes of Fiat are also on display. More than 80 aircraft are exhibited, some outdoors such as the Grumman HU-16 Albatross, a huge amphibious plane that even operated on ice and snow with skis. A buffet brunch will follow your guided museum tour.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Visit an Air Force museum that displays dozens of historically important aircraft.
• See everything from the world’s earliest flying object to planes till being flown today.
• Be awed by the range of fighter planes from both World Wars.
• View the aircraft up-close so you can better understand their significance and technologies.
• Enjoy a buffet brunch and time to shop after browsing the museum.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.