LOCATION: Centro storico 

The Basilica of San Clemente is a virtual elevator that will transport us back in time, down to a depth of about 20 meters. Ground Floor – our journey begins in the 12th century Basilica, rich in medieval mosaics and Renaissance frescoes by Masaccio and Masolino.
Floor -1 - the early Christian Basilica, built in the 4th century and in use until the 11th century, still contains frescoes, plus a discovery linked to St Cyril and the Slavic alphabet, the Cyrillic. Floor -2 - we will find ourselves in a Roman Domus and Administrative Office-Mint, we will hear and see an underground water source, and we will learn the secrets of one of the most beautiful Mithraeums in Rome. Our journey will end in Syria as we explore the legends and truths related to this very ancient religion.

LOCATION: Ostia Antica 

Ostia Antica is a rare example of a city frozen in time. By exploring its main streets and hidden corners, we will relive the daily life of an average Roman from 2,000 years ago. Ostia Antica’s theater, spas, places of worship like Mithraeums and a Jewish synagogue, domuses and insulae, warehouses and laundromats, shops, and bar-restaurants, all made it a welcoming and inviting place for the many different cultures that arrived here from all over the Mediterranean. The name Ostia derives from the Latin “Ostium” or mouth, the entrance of the Tiber river. What began as the first Roman colony grew into the most important port of the Empire, only to later be transformed once again into Rome’s ration warehouse. This will be a walk on the edge of reality.

LOCATION: San Giovanni

A journey among the first Christian mosaics in the city of Rome. We will discover the symbolism, the inspiration, and above all the Christian iconography in the Early Middle Ages. We will start with the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and its early Christian mosaics from 432 AD. We will proceed to the Basilica of Santa Prassede for its mosaics from 817 AD, as well as the Basilica of Santa Pudenziana, which boasts the oldest mosaic decorations in Rome (401 AD). Our journey will end in the Basilica of the Santissimi Cosma e Damiano with a mosaic from 526 AD. In short, symbolism, inspiration, iconography, dogma and propaganda.

LOCATION: Centro storico

In the year 1000, man is at the center of a rediscovered space, that is, the relationship that exists between him and the world in which he lives. The new philosophy takes its inspiration from classical antiquity, science, logic, optics, mathematics, theology and literature, and from these a new iconography is born. Rome experiences a Renaissance thanks to Cluniac reform and the attempt to regenerate the Christian Empire promoted by Otto III. The new pictorial discourse is very linear and is inspired by antiquity, with soft and delicate colors of subtle lyricism. The revival of early Christianity provides a repertoire of symbolism from which to material can be reworked and updated. The Basilica of S. Clement, the church of the Santissimi Quattro Coronati, the ancient Baptistery of St John the Lateran, and the old Constantinian Basilica of St John with its Patriarch are the examples that will give us a fresh perspective on the Middle Ages: dark but luminescent.

LOCATION: Farnesina

Built in the early sixteenth century at the behest of Agostino Chigi, a wealthy Sienese banker, the Villa Farnesina in Rome is one of the most noble and harmonious achievements of the Italian Renaissance, where architecture and pictorial decoration come together in a single, admirable synthesis. Designed by the architect Baldassarre Peruzzi for Chigi and his courtesan, Francesca Ordeaschi, as a suburban villa, it was meant to become their love nest on the Tiber. Inside, a complex decorative program was realized, including the fresco cycle of Cupid and Psyche by Raphael, and the cycle of Alexander the Great and Roxane by Giovanni Antonio
Bazzi, known as Sodoma, not to mention the works by Peruzzi and Sebastiano del Piombo. A journey into mythology as a medium where art takes shape.

LOCATION: Celio

An extraordinary bath complex both for its size and its rich decoration, the Thermae Antoninianae were built by the son of Septimius Severus, Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Bassiano, known as Caracalla. The rectangular plan is typical of the "great imperial baths": not only a building for bathing, sports and personal hygiene, but also a place for strolling and studying. The central block, the area specifically intended for the Baths, is arranged on a single axis along which the caldarium, tepidarium, frigidarium and the swimming pool open in sequence. On the sides, symmetrically arranged and doubled up, are two gyms and changing rooms. In the enclosure are the cisterns, two symmetrical libraries, two large exedras, and the tabernae. The basement is the fulcrum of the life of the complex and also houses a Mithraeum, one of the largest preserved in Rome today.

LOCATION: Centro storico

In his spiritual will, the Res Gestae, Emperor Augustus recorded the Senate’s desire to build an altar to Peace following military exploits in the Alps between 16 and 13 BC, including the subjugation of the Reti and Vindelici, the seizure of the Alpine passes, the visit to a finally pacified Spain, the foundation of new colonies, and the imposition of new taxes. The inauguration of the Ara Pacis took place on January 30, 9 BC. Initially the Senate had proposed to build the altar within the Curia but the idea did not take fruit; instead, the recently urbanized northern Campo Marzio was preferred. The altar dedicated to Peace thus made its home, not by chance, at the center of the vast plateau where traditionally military exercises and, in more recent times, gymnastic exercises of the Roman youth took place.

LOCATION: Centro storico

Returning from the military campaign in Egypt, which ended with the Roman victory at Actium in 31 BC and the subjugation of Cleopatra and Marc Antony, Octavian Augustus began the construction of his Mausoleum in 28 BC. He chose the northern area of the Campus Martius, which was previously occupied by the tombs of some illustrious men and had not yet been urbanized.
The Greek historian Strabo described the monument as "a large mound near the river on a high base of white stone, covered up to the top with evergreen trees; on the top is the bronze simulacrum of Augustus and under the mound are the burials of him and his relatives; behind there is a large forest with wonderful walking paths”. With its diameter of 300 Roman feet (about 87 m) the Mausoleum is the largest circular tomb ever realized. The monument consisted of a cylindrical body covered in travertine blocks; at its center a door preceded by a short staircase opened to the south. On display near the entrance, perhaps on pillars, were the bronze tablets engraved with the Res Gestae, or the emperor's autobiography.

LOCATION: Ostia Antica

The Queen of the Roads (La Regina Viarum), thus defined by the poet Stazio, was the first major artery of the Roman public roads. Paved about 2,300 years ago, it still has the ability to physically transport us back in time. We will cycle along it, traveling among old arches, a Roman gate, Christian catacombs, one of the first Christian basilicas, a mausoleum, a private circus, tombs and villas. What better way to experience the emotions of those arriving or leaving ancient Rome. The characteristic basalt slab, an element that will accompany us throughout the tour, has survived intact to this day thanks to the superb engineering skills of the Romans. Our route takes us only 8 km from the center of Rome, which allows children to participate, but will nevertheless immerse us in the vast greenery of the Appia Antica Regional Park.

LOCATION: Tivoli

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, Hadrian’s Villa was built between 118 and 138 AD near Tivoli, the ancient Tibur. The massive Villa includes residential structures, spas, nymphaeums, pavilions and gardens— an ideal destination for the pursuit of Otium, leisure activities. The property originally extended over 120 hectares; currently about 40 hectares can be explored. The richness of villa’s architectural and sculptural decoration was extraordinary, and has been a source of inspiration since the Renaissance.

LOCATION: Tivoli

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, Villa d’Este represents a masterpiece of the Italian garden with an impressive concentration of fountains, nymphaeums, grottoes, and hydraulic special effects and music. Built by Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este after he failed in his aspirations to become pope, here he recreated the splendors of the courts of Ferrara, Rome and Fointanebleau and revived the magnificence of Hadrian’s Villa.