Rome to Ravenna

This morning, we explore ancient Ariminum, the end of the Via Flaminia. We start with the remains of the amphitheatre and continue to Augustus’ Triumphal Arch, the oldest surviving Roman arch which marks the end of the Via Flaminia. Walking through the ancient forum, we make our way to the Domus of the Surgeon a well-preserved house which provides precious evidence of the city’s prosperity. We end our morning with Tiberius’ Bridge which brought the Via Flaminia to the city and is still in. After lunch, we make our way to Pesaro where we explore the Archaeological Area of the Via dell’Abbondanza which includes the remains of an elite house from the 1^st century AD replete with mosaics and the Cathedral which has mosaics dating from the 4^th and 6^th centuries that are rich in symbolism.

The journey down the Via Flaminia continues towards Umbria. We stop briefly to admire Roman bridges at Fossombone and Cagli which bore the Via Flaminia and bear witness to the incredible engineering skills of the Romans. The road takes us to Gubbio, ancient Iguvium, where we explore the Palazzo Priori which houses the unique Iguvine Tablets, written from the 3^rd to the 1^st centuries in both Umbrian -a language written in Etruscan script - and Latin and which give truly priceless evidence of ancient Italian rituals. We continue to the sizeable remains of the Roman theatre built in the 1^st century BC and which seated 6,000. We end the day in the wonderful city of Perugia.

The ancient city of Perugia, which was Etruscan in origin, is a wonderful blend of ancient and renaissance remains. Today we visit some of the city’s most spectacular remains, starting with a private visit to the Hypogeum of the Volumni, an Etruscan tomb dating to the 5^th-6^th centuries from the 1^st century BC which includes four chambers and a number of very well-preserved urns. We proceed to the superb archaeological museum which houses priceless Etruscan remains, such as the tomb of cai cutu and the Cipuus Perusinus, one of the longest inscriptions in Etruscan. The morning ends with a walk through the Rocca Paolina, the medieval part of the city buried by Paul III out of vengeance to the Etruscan Arch at its entrance. There is a free afternoon where you can further explore the delights of the Renaissance city at your own pace.

This morning we travel to Assisi, ancient Assisium and the birthplace of the Roman poet Propertius and the even more famous Saint Francis. We start with an exploration of the Roman heart of the city, including private visits to the Domus del Larario, a superbly preserved 1^st century AD house replete with mosaics and frescoes found only in 2001, and the Domus di Properzio a house built at the same time which has fabulous opus sectile floors and frescoes. We continue to the ancient forum, still located in the heart of the city in the Town Square, and the Temple of Minerva before venturing to the UNESCO listed Basilica of San Francesco with its priceless Giotto and Cimabue frescoes. There will be free time to explore the city in the afternoon.

We journey to Spello to see the Villa of the Mosaics, a sumptuous house complete with mosaics found only recently and opened after meticulous restoration. We continue with exploration of ancient Hispellum, with a visit to the Roman arch before proceeding to the UNESCO listed Temple of Clitumnus built in the 7-8^th centuries AD and containing precious frescoes. Continuing on the Via Flaminia we make our way to Spoleto where we see remains of the Triumphal Arch built in honour of Drusus and Germanicus, as well as the Roman theatre built in the 1^st century BC and finally the Domus of Vespasia Polla, a house with lovely mosaics once owned by the Emperor Vespasian’s mother. We end the day with the spectacular Romanesque Cathedral of Spoleto known for its Fra Filippo Lippi apsidal fresco.

Today we travel to the ancient site of Carsulae, which became wealthy because of the Via Flaminia, and also drew in ancient tourists wanting respite from the hustle and bustle of Rome. The ancient town was despoiled in the intervening years, though it has a fine section of the Via Flaminia framed by the Arch of St. Damian. After lunch we venture to the ancient site of Ocriculum, modern Otricoli, which has a number of remains, including a bath complex, theatre and basilica as well as an amphitheatre. Following this, we journey to Rome, stopping to consider the famous ancient Milvian Bridge, a strategic bridge which was the site of the famous battle between Constantine and Maxentius, on the way.

We venture to the Roman Forum, where all Roman roads started and where the master itinerarium was stored. Here we see newly opened sites such as the Aula Isiaca, a 1^st century subterranean room found underneath the so-called basilica of the Domus Flavia and Domitian’s Ramp, the monumentalised entrance to Domitian’s Palace on the Palatine. In the forum, we also see the Umbilicus Urbis Romae which marked the centre of Rome and the starting point of all roads leaving from Rome. We end the day at the Palatine where we see remains of Nero’s Domus Transitoria, opened to the public only since 2019, as well as the Domus Flavia and Augustana, built by Domitian. After lunch, we explore the Arch of Constantine and the Imperial Fora.

On our last full day, we venture to the Campus Martius to explore the route of the Via Flaminia. We start with a visit to the Pantheon, the Hadrianic masterpiece which is covered by what remains the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. Nearby we venture to Domitian’s stadium, today’s Piazza Navona complete with Bernini’s wonderful Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi and continue until we reach the Porta del Popolo, a gate of the Aurelian Walls where the Via Flaminia entered Rome. We walk down the Via Flaminia, to the Ara Pacis, the superb altar built to celebrate the peace instituted by Augustus and the Mausoleum of Augustus which has been undergoing restorations in recent years. We have free time in the afternoon.

We start the day with a visit to Ostia, the wonderfully preserved port of Rome where highlights include the Piazzale delle Corporazioni, the Caserma dei Vigili as well as several Mithraea and wonderfully preserved latrines in the Forum Baths. Our tour comes to an end and we make our independent onward journeys.