This tour includes an English-speaking guide (private - only for you).
You will meet the English-speaking guide in Piazza Venezia.
This guided tour of Ancient Rome begins with the visit of the marvellous Imperial Fora. The Imperial Forums were built near the previous Forum of the Republican era with the specific intent to give the city more prestige and to give citizens the opportunity to set up markets, to hear speeches, to attend religious ceremonies, and so on. The Imperial Forums consist of the Trajan’s Markets, theTrajan’s Forum, the Forum of Augustus and the Forum of Caesar.
The Trajan Markets were created to celebrate a great victory in the war by the emperor Trajan: that emperor decided to erect a Forum that would surpass all others in size and splendour, committing the work to the great architect Apollodorus of Damascus. Of great interest here is the Trajan’s Column, a monument built to celebrate the conquest of Dacia: it evokes all the highlights of that territorial expansion. The Trajan's Column is nearly 40 meters high and at the top there was a statue of Trajan, now lost and then replaced with a St. Peter statue by the initiative of Pope Sixtus V in 1587. On the main side facing the Basilica Ulpia, there is the gateway to the monument with an inscription celebrating the offer of the column to the emperor by the Senate and the Roman people. In reality, the column was to serve primarily as the tomb of Trajan. In fact the entrance of the base leads to a larger hall where it was buried a golden urn with the ashes of the emperor. All along the column shaft, there is a spiral and continuous decoration about 200 meters long which represents, as already mentioned, the two successful campaigns in Dacia lead by Trajan in 101 AD and in 105 A.D.
The Forum of Augustus was dedicated by Emperor August to Mars, the father of the Roman people and the god of war. Excavations have unearthed the remains of this great Forum and the gigantic Temple of Mars Ultor of which remain the three Corinthian columns 15 meters high.
The Forum of Julius Caesar was consecrated in 46 BC and finished by Caesar Augustus; it was the first of the so-called Imperial Forums built with the spoils of victory in the Gallic wars. Formed by a rectangular square surrounded on four sides by arcades, it hosts the Temple of Venus Genetrix.
The Forum of Nerva (also called Transitorium - Transitional Forum) was begun by the Emperor Domitian. The Forum was inaugurated in 97 AD by his successor Nerva, from which took its name. Built after the Forum of Caesar and Augustus, it had to take advantage of a small space, stretching particularly in width.
At the end of the Via dei Fori Imperiali one can find the Coliseum, the greatest wonder of Roman civilization. This huge amphitheatre was begun by Vespasian in 72 A.D. and finished by his son Titus in 80 A.D. His real name is Flavian Amphitheatre. The Coliseum held the function of a big stadium of our era. The Coliseum, elliptical, measured 187 x 155 meters. The height of the outer part of the Coliseum is about 50 meters above the ground. In nearly half a millennium of history, the Colosseum hosted thousands of bloody games, many of which are mentioned in historical sources for the exceptional quantity of men and animals used. There were hosted even less ferocious shows, as the dance of some swimmers who, disguised as Nereids, composed complex choreography in the water. The games for the inauguration of the Colosseum were second only to those promoted by Trajan in 107 AD to celebrate his triumph in Dacia. In fact on that occasion, the games lasted for 120 days during which were killed ten thousand gladiators and eleven thousand animals.
SUGGESTIONS:
In winter it is advisable to wear warmer clothing. In addition do not forget to take your identification document with you for the free ticket (for guests under 18) or for half price of the entrance fee (European Union citizens, ages 18 to 25).
