School Trips to Rome

Rome’s most famous monument needs little introduction.  The huge amphitheatre which staged gladiatorial combat was built during the reign of the Emperor Vespasian and later enlarged by Domitian.  The exterior is built of travertine marble while the interior comprises a rough volcanic rock.  At its height the Colosseum could seat 50, 000 spectators who would have watched hand to hand combat, gladiators fighting wild animals, and re-enactments of famous battles.  With the Fall of the Roman Empire, the Colosseum fell into disuse and for over a millennia was stripped of its more valuable stone. Only within the past century have efforts been made to preserve and conserve its structure.

Lying between the Colosseum and the Capitoline Hill, the Roman Forum was the administrative and commercial heart of the city where ordinary citizens worked and where religious and public life in ancient Rome took place. Above it lies the Palatine Hill where wealthy Romans lived. The Forum and the Palatine Hill are part of the same archaeological site and you can walk freely between the two. Like much of Rome the Forum fell into disrepair after the fall of the Roman Empire, its stone pilaged and the site used for pasture. The advent of the Grand Tour for wealthy English revived interest in Roman history and the site was excavated in the 18th and 19th centuries, a process that is ongoing to this day with the fraught construction of Rome’s third metro line.

Situated adjacent to St Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums display a vast collection of Roman and Greek artefacts and statuary as well as some of the most important art of the Renaissance. Among the highlights is the Map Room, a vaulted corridor with an array of painted maps showing the Papacy’s reach throughout Catholic Europe. The tour culminates at the Sistine Chapel whose incredible roof was painted by Michelangelo.

Located in the Palazzo delle Belle Arti, the National Gallery of Modern Art was founded in 1883 to represent the national art of the newly unified Italian State. It displays a wide range of artworks created between the late 19th century and the second half of the 20th century and is the only national state museum in Italy that is dedicated to modern and contemporary art.

Hadrian’s Villa – the Villa Adriani – is located in the town of Tivoli to the east of Rome. The Villa was Hadrian’s palatial country residence, built around 125 AD. The area was chosen for its abundant waters and the accessibility of four aqueducts that passed through the area to Rome. This enabled the construction of various lakes and water features which are one of the most distinguishing features of the Villa. Today it is as peaceful as it would have been when Hadrian entertained his guests on an opulent marble platform surrounded by fountains.

Following the devastating fire of 64 AD which destroyed much of the centre of Rome, the emperor Nero began planning for a new city of Neropolis, modelled on Alexandria with large squares and wide, linear streets.   The Domus Aurea - Golden House – was his palace. With over 300 rooms it was one of the most lavish projects Rome had ever seen. Having been neglected for centuries, the Domus Aurea underwent a restoration project in the 1990’s and today is open to the public at select times when booking in advance.

Located on the Capitoline Hill and with stunning views across the Roman Forum, the Capitoline Museums are the most important in Rome after the Vatican Museums.  They comprise two separate buildings linked by a tunnel which runs under the Piazza del Campidoglio. This graceful square and the Cordonata staircase which ascends to it were designed by Michelangelo in the late sixteenth century. The museum was opened to the public in 1734 and contains an impressive collection of Romanesque paintings and sculptures. Probably the most famous work is the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. The original can be found inside the building while a copy is sited in the square outside the Museums. Other important pieces include the bronze She-Wolf suckling Romulus and Remus, the famous Fragments of the Colossus of Constantine, and the sculpture of a Lion attacking a horse. There are also numerous works of art by leading Renaissance artists including Caravaggio’s Fortune Teller.

One of Rome’s most recognisable monuments is not in fact something ancient but the much more recent Vittorio Emanuele monument, often referred to as the Wedding Cake. Although it was originally built to honour the King who unified Italy, its correct name today is the Altare della Patria - the Altar of the Fatherland – where Italy honours its unknown soldier. The monument is located on the Capitoline hill and a small elevator at the rear of the structure takes you to the uppermost viewing platform where there are probably the best views across the city.