5. Classical Rome: Full-Day Bus Tour from Civitavecchia
Depart from the port of Civitavecchia by bus at 9:30 AM for Rome, accompanied by a local bus assistant. When you reach the city a professional, licensed guide will be waiting for you. After just about an hour and fifteen minutes of travel, the bus will stop next to the imposing Leonine Walls. On this full-day tour, your guide will provide commentary about Rome’s historical traditions and its art, as you take in most of the important monuments.
The guide will accompany you up until St. Peter’s Square as you take in the stunning views of St. Peter's Basilica and the magnificent Square, surrounded by Bernini’s famous colonnades dating from 1656. Please note that if there are long lines waiting to enter St. Peter's Basilica, the guide will tell you about the Basilica from the outside. Please refer to the Additional Information section about priority entrance to the Basilica.
Meet your tour leader at a designated point for the second part of the tour. You'll be driven on the bus for a panoramic ride along the streets near the Tiber, cross it near the Tiberine Island, see the city’s other monuments, you’ll pass by the Capitoline Hill, designed by Michelangelo. During the ride, you’ll see the Marcello Theater, commissioned by Emperor Augustus. Your guide will also point out the Temple of Portuno and Temple of Hercules, 2 of the finest smallest temples in the center of Rome.
At the end of this amazing panoramic ride, you will stop near the Colosseum and start the walking path with the guide at the foot of this amazing monument. You’ll come to the Circus Maximus, the largest stadium built in ancient Rome, and the site of chariot races for more than a thousand years.
Then continue along the famous Via Dei Fori Imperiali leading to Piazza Venezia and admire the amazing Altar of the Fatherland. Start out with a visit to the spectacular Trevi Fountain, originally designed by Bernini, but finally constructed by the architect Nicola Salvi. Next, you’ll have a break of 30-40 minutes for a light lunch or even just an ice cream from one of the local shops.
Walk to the Pantheon, the great pagan temple that dates back 2,000 years. Finish your tour with a visit to Piazza Navona, where Bernini and Borromini, the greatest architects of the 17th-century, reached their highest achievements. The Church of St. Agnes in Agony was designed and built by Borromini and the 4 Rivers Fountain is a Bernini masterpiece.