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Rates per vehicle for this
excursion:
sedan (1/4 persons) 485 €;
minivan (4 persons) 505 €;
minivan (6/7 persons) 530 €.
minivan (7/8 persons) 600 €. |
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The rates include: 8 hours of
touring in the requested vehicle conducted by experienced driving
guide and VAT (value added tax 10%). Rates do not include entrance
fees or meals and drinks. |
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Supposing
we start from Via Veneto, which is where most of the hotels are, we drive
down the Via Sistina and stop at church of the Trinity (Trinità dei
Monti) to look at the famous Spanish Steps from above. We continue than to
Villa Borghese and stop at the Pincio Terrace to enjoy the beautiful
panorama of Rome and the Vatican City. Driving down the hill from the
Pincio, we arrive at Piazza del Popolo with its astounding obelisk dating
back to Ramses II (13th century B.C.) and Bernini’s Twin
Churches. Our route than takes us to the ruins of the Mausoleum of
Augustus and Piazza Navona. |
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We stop to take a good
look at Piazza Navona, the third largest square in Rome and the only one
decorated with three fountains. All of them were designed by Bernini. Near the central
fountain one can also admire the enchanting Baroque styled church of Saint
Agnes by Borromini. Finally we arrive at St. Peter’s Basilica.
There
are no words that can describe the biggest Catholic church in the world.
According to the legend it was founded by the first Christian emperor,
Constantine, but it was entirely rebuilt in the 16th Century
under the supervision of Michelangelo. Inaugurated in 1614, it is the
celebration of the Baroque Style, housing some of the most beautiful
statues made by Bernini, the second greatest
architect and sculptor that
ever worked in Rome. Second only to Michelangelo. After
visiting St. Peter’s Basilica most people like to stop for lunch and I
take them to a nice, typical, little restaurant nearby or, if they prefer,
to a cafeteria for some pizza or sandwich. The afternoon is almost
entirely dedicated to Ancient Rome. |
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One can’t miss the Pantheon, the best preserved of the Roman
buildings. It was originally built by Marco Agrippa in 27 B.C., but almost
fully reconstructed under the emperor Hadrian in 130 A.D. who provided the
temple with a dome made of solid concrete. The building is absolutely
impressive for the modern visitor, but it was an amazing miracle for the
architects of our Renaissance. Especially for Michelangelo, who was inspired by the
dome of the Pantheon when he designed St. Peter’s Dome, and for Raphael who
instead wanted to be buried in the Pantheon.
The visit of the Capitol Hill (Campidoglio)
comes after the Pantheon. The square on the hill was designed by
Michelangelo who was able to create an optical illusion by which it appears
larger than it really is. |
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From the top of the hill you also see the incredible scenario
of the Roman Forum, the ruins of the ancient centre of the city of Rome,
what remains of the temples, the political and commercial buildings that
where full of activity throughout the entire Roman Age and the square
where people gathered to listen to the Emperor speech. Next we arrive at the Colosseum, certainly the most
famous of the places to visit in Rome together with St. Peter’s Basilica
and the Fountain of Trevi. Built nearly two thousand years ago stills
stands there in spite of the fact that for hundreds of years the nobles
have been subtracting marble from it to build their churches and their
palaces and the people have been stealing the metal that was keeping the
blocks of marble linked together. Making us think that sometimes men
create things that last longer and leave a bigger mark in history than
they would ever expect…
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