Pre-Cruise Packages

• 1 nt Before, Rome Discovery
• 2 nt Before, Rome Discovery
• 3 nt Before, Rome Discovery

Post-Cruise Packages

• 1 nt After, Rome Uncovered
• 2 nt After, Rome Uncovered
• 3 nt After, Rome Uncovered

Itinerary

Day 1, Rome arrival, Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & Raphael’s Room

Upon disembarkation you will be met at the port of Civitavecchia by our local expert to begin our journey to Rome which takes approximately one hour and thirty minutes.

Avoid the lengthy queues and explore one of the world's most extensive art collections with our expert local guide on this fascinating tour of the Vatican. Your guide will share the stories and secrets contained within the Museums' walls, pleasures originally meant for the exclusive enjoyment of the Pope.

Experience Michelangelo's famous Creation of Adam with your own eyes as you explore the Sistine Chapel and wander Raphael's Rooms. After taking in the Museums, be humbled by the imposing beauty of Saint Peter's Basilica, where you will encounter another of Michelangelo's masterpieces, La Pieta.

To end your half-day tour with a fascinating finish, you will stop to admire the magnificent Saint Peter's Square, as your guide points out Bernini's ingenious use of optical illusion. A short ride takes us to your comfortable hotel.

(Duration of tour is approximately 4hrs)

Overnight in Rome.

Day 2, Rome, Ancient Rome & Catacombs

Following a leisurely morning, you will be met in the lobby of your accommodation by your private guide.

The tour starts with a panoramic view of the Colosseum from Colle Oppio before avoiding the queue with preferred entrance to enter the most symbolic of Rome's landmarks. Our expert local guide will bring the bloody past of the amphitheatre to life as you listen to tales of gladiators, mock sea-battles and executions.

You will then stop at the Arch of Constantine before entering the complex of the Palatine Hill - the most famous of Rome's hills. Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of the city, were said to have been found here by the she-wolf who nursed and raised them.

Walk along the "Via Sacra" inside the Roman Forum. Many of the oldest and most important structures of the ancient city were located on or near the Forum. It was the central area of the city around which ancient Rome developed and where commerce, business, prostitution, cult and the administration of justice took place.

After free time for a short lunch, your personal guide will escort you to a Roman Catacomb. Different catacombs are open on different days of the week; therefore your guide will make arrangements to visit a catacomb open on the day of your visit.

(Duration of tour is approximately 6hrs)

Meals: B

Day 3, Rome, Castel Gandolfo, Rocca di Papa

Following breakfast, you will be met in the lobby of your accommodation by your private guide. Today's adventure takes us to Castel Gandolfo, the summer residence of the Pope and the charming town of Rocca di Papa.

As we leave the city of Rome, we drive along the lush countryside to a town overlooking Lake Albano; Castel Gandolfo is considered one of Italy's most scenic towns. Within the town's boundaries lies the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo which serves as a summer residence and vacation retreat for the pope. The resort community is surrounded by many summer residences, villas and cottages built during the 17th century. Castel Gandolfo has several places of archaeological interest including the Emissario del Lago Albano and the remains of the Villa of Domitian. Spend time walking around the village, exploring the sites or sitting at a cafe.

We will free time for lunch in Castel Gandolfo or in our next stop, Rocca di Papa.

Documents from 12th century name Rocca di Papa as Castrum Rocce de Papa ("Rock Castle of the Pope"), because Pope Eugene III lived there at the time. Rocca di Papa is an important equestrian center and also famous for its roast chestnuts. Spend time walking around the charming town and its main street "Via Sacra", while keeping a lookout for the Papal Fortress, Santuario Madonna del Tufo, Fontana della Barcaccia, Church of the Assunta, built in the 18th century and Convent of Palazzolo, located on top of a rock dominating the east shore of Lake Albano.

On our return to Rome we will pass through the town of Marino, well-known for its, fairly average, white wine. Marino was an important town under the Romans and has several interesting buildings. It hosts a Grape festival on the first Sunday of October, when some of the fountains spout wine instead of water. On the following Sunday Marino holds a Doughnut Festival.

(Duration of tour is approximately 8hrs)

Meals: B

Day 4, Rome departure

Following a leisurely morning, your car will arrive to transport you to the airport for your flight onwards.

Meals: B

Uncovered Option 2

Itinerary

Day 1, Rome arrival, Bracciano & Ceri Castles

Upon disembarkation you will be met at the port of Civitavecchia by our local expert to begin our journey to Rome which takes approximately one hour and thirty minutes. On our way, we will have a rare occasion to admire an Italian castle built in the XIV century. It is perfectly preserved and still in the property of the Noble family Odescalchi.

Your guide will lead you into Bracciano's Castle, where you’ll cross the halls between the armors and the ancient frescos on the wall. From the castle's tower you will admire the enchanting volcanic lake of Bracciano and the old towns all around it. This fabulous castle is where Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were married in 2006.

After the Castle's visit, you'll reach the lake's shore where after a stop for a picture you will depart to Ceri. Ceri is an enchanting medieval hamlet built on a rocky spike since the Barbarian invasion of VII century. Here you'll have the opportunity to taste a typical lunch prepared with the same recipes of XV century.

Your guide and the restaurant's owner will illustrate the ingredients connected with the old tradition of the place and many anecdotes about that cuisine and those ancient diners. Before you return to your hotel, you'll have a chance to admire the sanctuary "Della Madonna di Ceri" with the important frescos of XII century and some relics.

(Duration of tour is approximately 6hrs)

Overnight in Rome.

Day 2, Rome, Hadrian’s Villa & Villa D’Este

We begin with the most important archaeological site in the neighborhood of Rome, the Villa built by the emperor Hadrian around 125 A.D. where he could relax away from the noisy city in the enchanting countryside of the smaller town of Tibur (today Tivoli). The villa was the greatest one never belonged to a roman emperor and it covers a large area characterized by different kinds of imposing buildings and picturesque gardens; it was a sort of private city where for the delight and amusement of the emperor and his court. There were warm and cold baths, theatres, temples, libraries and residential buildings where marbles, paintings and mosaics were the elements of different kinds of breath-taking decorations, in part still visible. Lunch break in Tivoli.

Our next stop is the marvelous Villa D’Este. This is one of the most interesting sites in the neighborhood of Rome and also one of the most remarkable examples of a Renaissance villa in Italy, built around 1560 for the rich and powerful cardinal Ippolito d’Este, nephew of Pope Alexander VI, and designed by the architect Pirro Ligorio. Enjoy the palace, where you admire the richness and the colors of the original wall painted decorations of the several rooms where some of the most important painters of the 2nd half of the XVI century celebrated the glory of their ambitious patron; and then you have a relaxing stroll in the gardens to see the innumerable and incredible fountains in different shapes and sizes, illustrated by your guide, surrounded by secular trees and the unique sound of the waterfalls and waterworks.

(Duration of tour is approximately 8hrs)

Meals: B

Day 3, Rome, Colosseum Dungeons & Arena, Roman Forum & Platine Hill

Following a leisurely breakfast, you will be met in the lobby of your accommodation by our local expert.

Avoid the lengthy queues to enter the most symbolic of Rome's Landmarks. You will have aaccess where few tourists are allowed to venture, the depths of the Hypogeum, where gladiators waited to fight. You’ll also get to see the Arena, the stage where the fighting took place.Tales of gladiators, mock sea-battles and executions will bring the bloody past of the amphitheatre to life. Built of concrete and stone, it was the largest amphitheatre of the Roman Empire, and is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. It is the largest amphitheatre in the world.

Continue for a stop at the Arch of Constantine before entering the complex of the Palatine Hill - the most famous of Rome's hills. Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of the city, were said to have been found here by the she-wolf who nursed and raised them.

The last stop of the tour is a walk along the "Via Sacra" inside the Roman Forum. It was for centuries the center of Roman public life. Many of the oldest and most important structures of the ancient city were located on or near the Forum, including the ancient former royal residence, the Regia (8th century BC), and the Temple of Vesta (7th century BC), as well as the surrounding complex of the Vestal Virgins. The Forum today is a sprawling ruin of architectural fragments and intermittent archaeological excavations attracting numerous sightseers. Our tour ends at the Temple, which houses the altar were Julius Caesar was cremated. A short ride takes us to your comfortable hotel.

After your tour, return to your hotel to retrieve your luggage and board your private vehicle for your journey to the port of Civitavecchia. The driving time from your Rome hotel to the port will take approximately one hour and thirty minutes.

(Duration of tour is approximately 4hrs)

Meals: B

Day 4, Rome departure

Following a leisurely morning, your car will arrive to transport you to the airport for your flight onwards.

Meals: B