Exploring Rome

Exploring Rome Overview

An expert-led archaeological, cultural and gastronomic tour of Rome with Peter Sommer Travels.

Consuls, emperors and popes have decided the continent’s destiny from here, and the rich heritage of Rome’s eventful history is inscribed in every street and stone, in the very fabric of the city, waiting to be discovered.

The rise of Rome is a fascinating tale. From its humble beginnings as a small settlement on the rocks overlooking the marshy ground around the River Tiber, the city came to dominate first Italy and then the entire Mediterranean. At the height of its empire, when it had become a true world power, Rome was a super-city controlling the lands from Scotland in the West to Iraq in the East, the only time this vast area was ever ruled by a single power. The wealth and might of those centuries led to the embellishment of the city with countless monuments and buildings, each telling its own story of Rome’s glory. They include elaborate forums, numerous great sanctuaries such as Augustus’s dignified Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace) and Hadrian’s sublime Pantheon, but also the Markets of Hadrian, the vast Colosseum constructed by Nero and the great imperial bath complexes of Caracalla, to list but a few.

The loss of that empire was not the end of Rome’s role as a cultural beacon: the city’s central role in western Christendom perpetuated its significance, maintaining an emotional hold over later ages every bit as strong as the military dominance it had once exerted. As the home of the popes, Rome was transformed again with an array of magnificent churches ranging from late antique basilicas bedecked with glittering mosaics, to the delicate masterpieces of the Renaissance and the exuberance of the Baroque. The rediscovery of Rome’s ancient past and its incorporation into later styles have made the city an aesthetic feast for artists and travellers to this day, a place that lives and breathes history at every step and that houses many great treasures, some of which you will encounter in the magnificent Vatican and Capitoline Museums.

Today, Rome is a vibrant modern capital city, existing amongst the many layers of its long history, a fascinating mixture of the new, the old and the ancient. The city effortlessly combines these elements into a unique and stylish whole, a fascinating setting for never-ending discoveries, from the grandiose to the serene and from world-famous highlights to hidden secrets. On Exploring Rome, you will encounter all of that wealth and be inspired by it as so many generations before us have been. Beyond the confines of Rome itself, you will also visit the huge and secluded Villa of Hadrian at lush Tivoli and the astonishingly well-preserved residential quarters of ancient Ostia, Rome’s harbour town.

Staying in a superb hotel built into a fully restored Renaissance monastery that stands atop a perfectly preserved imperial Roman cellar, you will also have access to a delightful district with a nightlife that manages to be both enticing and relaxed at the same time. It is impossible to imagine a better place to enjoy the delicious food and wines of this unique city.

Join us on Exploring Rome, a tour that will immerse you in the story of one of the world’s greatest cities, accompanied by two of our guides, both historical experts and connoisseurs of Rome’s charms and glories. Rome will indeed be eternal, as exploring, admiring and enjoying it will be an unforgettable experience.