Highlights
- The House of Augustus
- The House of Livia
- The Farnese Gardens
- The Cryptoporticus of Nero
- Santa Maria in Antiqua
- The Imperial Ramp
- The Temple of Romulus
- Logia Mattei
Preview Description
Find out what life was like for the VIPS of ancient Rome and discover some of the Eternal City’s best preserved monuments on our special tour of the Palatine Hill’s Houses of Augustus and Livia. On this exclusive new itinerary, we’ll get to know antiquity’s most powerful couple in the beautiful buildings the ancient civilization’s first emperor and his wife called home over 2,000 years ago
Description
The Palatine Hill was where the story of Rome began with the mythical founding legend of Romulus and Remus, and it was only natural that the man who would be emperor chose to follow in their footsteps by taking up residence here. Incredibly the humble house he purchased on the leafy slopes is still standing, and visiting its succession of beautifully painted rooms today offers a vivid window into the splendid world of the ancient empire. Wandering through the refined halls of Augustus’ understated domus, we’ll come face to face with some of the best surviving examples of ancient Roman painting, gracing the same walls Augustus gazed on 2 millennia ago. Delve deep into the mind of the man who made an empire as we explore Augustus’ study, decorated with unforgettable frescoes of plants and fantastical creatures.
Next door to the House of Augustus is perhaps the jewel of the Palatine Hill: the House of Livia, identified as the dwelling of the emperor’s wife thanks to an inscription discovered on a lead pipe in the 19th century. Here, fabulous mythological frescoes light up the House of Livia’s walls and original marbles gleam underfoot; protected underground for thousands of years, the remarkably preserved frescoes are a real delight for the senses.
Our tour of ancient Rome doesn’t end there: in addition to visiting the houses of Augustus and Livia we’ll also have the opportunity to explore the remainder of the Palatine hill, including the ruins of the emperor Domitian’s luxurious palace and the site where the insane Caligula was assassinated. In the sprawling remains of the Roman Forum below, you’ll learn about daily life in the ancient empire and follow in the footsteps of antiquity’s greatest figures, from Julius Caesar to Cicero. We'll even get to climb the monumental ramp that led the emperors from the Palatine into the Forum below, and visit the ancient church of Santa Maria in Antiqua, hewn from the remains of the Imperial palaces.
So prepare yourself for a crash course in the intrigues and power plays of antiquity and join us on a unique journey into some of the Rome's most exclusive and fascinating ancient sites!
Please note that the house of Livia is temporarily closed at this time, however there are still other sites that we can visit during this tour.
Activity Level
This is a walking tour with steps, staircases and uneven surfaces. Comfortable walking shoes and a bottle of water are strongly recommended.
Roman Forum Here we have a great valley, the political heart of ancient Rome, where the daily life of the ancient Romans unfolded. The Republic revolved around the Senate, where giant, ... morerichly decorated spaces still resound with the voices of the great senators that unleashed war and brokered peace in the Mediterranean. While the House of the Vestals introduces us to the only female religious order in Rome, the via Sacra, still marked by the wheels of carts that traversed it for centuries, helps us understand the Romans’ amazing engineering capabilities. In front of the Temple of Julius Caesar we will be catapulted into the story of one of the greatest political murders of all time. Nearby, the temple of Antoninus and Faustina tells us of the extent of the Roman empire, with its rare marbles and its inscriptions. The images carved into the Arch of Titus tell of the conquest of Jerusalem and the transfer of its ancient treasures to Rome, fascinating histories that your expert guide will explain.
The Roman Forum, also known by its Latin name Forum Romanum (Italian: Foro Romano), is a rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marketplace, as the Forum Magnum, or simply the Forum.
For centuries the Forum was the center of day-to-day life in Rome: the site of triumphal processions and elections; the venue for public speeches, criminal trials, and gladiatorial matches; and the nucleus of commercial affairs. Here statues and monuments commemorated the city's great men. The teeming heart of ancient Rome, it has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world, and in all history. Located in the small valley between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills, the Forum today is a sprawling ruin of architectural fragments and intermittent archaeological excavations attracting 4.5 million or more sightseers yearly.
Type: Attraction, Cultural, Historic
The Palatine Hill is the centremost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city. It stands 40 metres above the Roman Forum, looking down upon it on ... moreone side, and upon the Circus Maximus on the other. From the time of Augustus Imperial palaces were built here.
Rome has its origins on the Palatine. Excavations show that people have lived in the area since the 10th century BC. Excavations performed on the hill in 1907 and again in 1948 unearthed a collection of huts believed to have been used for funerary purposes between the 9th and 7th century BC approximating the time period when the city of Rome was founded.
The hill has a strong link to Roman mythology. It is believed that on Palatine Hill, the twins Romulus and Remus were found in the Lupercal Cave by their four-legged shepherd mother, who raised them. Ultimately, this is where Romulus decided to build the city. Palatine Hill, Rome
The Palatine Hill today. Therefore, it was on this hill that the Roman Empire began.
From the start of the Empire (27 BC) Augustus built his palace there and the hill gradually became the exclusive domain of emperors; the ruins of the palaces of at least Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD), Tiberius (14 – 37 AD) and Domitian (81 – 96 AD) can still be seen.
Type: Attraction, Cultural, Historic
| 2 People | Private Tour | $ 67901 | Please use "Additional Guests" to add more |
| Weekly on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, until Tue, Dec 31 2024 | 9:30 AM | | 10:00 AM | | 10:30 AM | | 11:00 AM | | 11:30 AM | | 12:00 PM | | 12:30 PM | | 1:00 PM | | 1:30 PM | | 2:00 PM | | 2:30 PM | | 3:00 PM |
Check In Details
You will meet your guide in front of the Cafe/Restaurant Angelino ai Fori, Largo Corrado Ricci, 43a. They will have a Through Eternity sign or flag.
Cancellation Policy
Standard Policy
- Cancellations made 2 days before will be fully refunded except for a service fee of 3%.
- Cancellations made at a later date will not be refunded.
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