Rome is a city with a continuous history stretching back over 2,700 years, and one time perhaps one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen!
After the 1½ hour drive through the Etruscan countryside, the tour begins in the Vatican City, the smallest state in the world.
With 1,000 citizens all connected with the Church, it mints its own coins, prints its own stamps and keeps its own army of Swiss guards. St. Peter’s Basilica took well over 100 years to build in the Renaissance and Baroque styles and involved a succession of important artists and architects including Bernini, Raphael and Michelangelo.
Resting on 800 pillars and littered with 44 altars, St. Peter’s is by far the largest church in the world. Of special interest are Michelangelo’s Pieta', the bronze statue of St. Peter and Bernini’s Baldachin over the High Alter.
Next visit is the Vatican Museum and the 15th century Sistine Chapel, in which there are paintings by Botticelli and other great masters. Overall, the Chapel is dominated by the superhuman efforts of the greatest master of all, Michelangelo. His "Creation of the World" covers the ceiling and his “Last Judgment” fills the wall behind the altar.
You will then have some free time for lunch at a recommended restaurant or at a restaurant of your choice. After lunch rejoin the buses for an impressive drive through Rome.
Places of interest seen on the drive will include Borghese Park, the Janiculum Hill and the Castle Sant’Angelo, the medieval fortress-palace of the popes.
In the Circus Maximus imagine the chariots thundering around the arena!
See the Basilica of St. John in Laterano and Santa Maria Maggiore, both very early churches, and the huge monument to Victor Emmanuel near the Capitol Hill. The Roman Forum, hub of the city in Republican and Imperial times still has remains of temples, law courts, the house of the Vestal Virgins and  the rostrum where Mark Anthony made his impassioned speech over the body of Julius Caesar.
Admire the Trajan Column, with its 2,500 marble figures!
Visit the historic Colosseum, acknowledged as one of the world’s most celebrated buildings: it was here where ancient Rome came to watch gladiatorial contests and other spectacles.

Note: There is some walking involved in this tour. To enter the Basilica ladies must cover their shoulders, please dress conservatively. The order of the tour may be altered at the guides discretion depending on traffic. They may be some waiting to enter some popular sites. Lunch not included. Price includes English speaking guide.

Vehicle will vary depending on the number of passengers. Less than 5 passengers will travel in a private sedan and prices have been adjusted accordingly.