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ITINERARY 1 - Piazza Venezia, Palazzo Venezia, Basilica of St.Marco, The Victor Emanuel Monument, The Capitoline, The Piazza del Campidoglio, Palazzo Senatorio, Palazzo Nuovo, Palazzo dei Conservatori, Museum of the Conservatori, Museo Nuovo, Capitoline Picture Gallery, Church of St.Maria in Aracoeli, Roman Forum.

PIAZZA VENEZIA: Situated at the centre of Rome, the piazza is one of the most scenic in the whole city. Rectangular in shape, its focal point is the Victor Emanuel Monument: the huge marble wedding-cake raised to the first king of united Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II. The Piazza is the point of confluence of the city most important streets: the via del Corso, the via Quattro Novembre, the via del Plebiscito which leads by way of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele to St.Peters, and the via dei Fori Imperiali, which flanks the ancient ruins of the Roman Forum and leads to the Colosseum. The piazza, thanks to its central position, is a convenient point of departure for various tourist itineraries.

PALAZZO VENEZIA: Built for Cardinal Pietro Barbo, later to become Pope Paul II, in 1455, the palace is attributed by some scholars to the distinguished Renaissance architect Leon Battista Alberti. Considered one of the very first buildings in the Renaissance style in the city, it is very austere in appearance and presents a brown-stuccoed facade relieved by three orders of windows in white marble; particularly striking are those in the shape of a Guelf cross on the first floor. The building now houses the interesting Museum of the Palazzo Venezia which contains important medieval and Renaissance works of art, (paintings and sculptures by Giovanni Bellini, Benozzo Gozzoli, Sansovino, Alemanno, Guido Reni, Giorgione and Pollaiolo) as well as collections of ceramics, terracottas, bronzes, ivories and silverware dating from various periods. Particularly noteworthy are the fine fifteenth and sixteenth century Flemish, German and Italian arrises, and a magnificent series of arms and armour datable from the 9th to the 16th century. The silverware collection includes some fine examples of gold and silversmiths work, with some real masterpieces such as the Orsini Cross (1334) and the Triptych of Alba Fucense.

BASILICA OF SAN MARCO: Annexed to the Palazzo Venezia is the Basilica of San Marco, founded in the 4th century, but completely reconstructed, after various interventions, by Cardinal Pietro Barbo in 1445-71. The facade, in elegant Renaissance style, probably designed by Giovanni Da Maiano, is adorned by a handsome portico formed of three arcades surmounted by the Loggia of the Benediction. The interior, after its restoration by F.Barigioni between 1740 and 1750, is decorated in a pure baroque style. But of the Renaissance church the beautiful wooden coffered ceiling, the work of Giovannino and Marco de Dolci, survives. Some wonderful 9th century mosaics depicting Christ, the Apostles and some saints are preserved in the apse. Displayed in the Sacristy are a 15th century altar by Mino da Fiesole and a painting of the Evangelist St.Mark by Melozzo da Forlì. Outside the basilica, in the Piazzetta San Marco, stands one of the so-called speaking statues of the city "the mouthpiece of satirical pasquinades" popularly known as Madama Lucrezia: the statue is thought to present the goddess Isis.

VICTOR EMANUEL II MONUMENT: The colossal white monument dedicated to the memory of Italy first king, Vittorio Emanuele II, also known as the Vittoriano, stands out bodily in the background of Piazza Venezia. Designed by Giuseppe Sacconi and erected to commemorate the unification of Italy after the Risorgimento, celebrates the great patriotic and military values which had triumphed to forge Italy into a single Nation. The monument was begun in 1885, but was not completed till forty years later. The vast central stairway leads to the Altar of the Nation with the Tomb of Unknown Soldier which contains the remains of an unnamed soldier who died fighting for the country during the First World War; two sentinels keep constant guard over it. Above the shrine, placed within a nice, is the statue of Roma, flanked on either side by celebratory reliefs: to the left the Triumphal Processions of Work, and to the right Patriotic Love, sculpted by Angelo Zanelli. To the side of the ceremonial staircase are two fountains representing the Tyrrhenian Sea (to the right) and the Adriatic Sea (to the left). In front of the latter are the remains of the Tomb of Publicius Bibulus, dating to the 1st century B.C. At the centre of the monument stands the colossal equestrian statue of Victor Emanuel, work of Enrico Chiaradia. The statue is supported on a large plinth decorated with symbolic sculptures of the most important cities of Italy, work of Maccagnini. Above, a wide arcaded colonnade is decorated with a series of figures representing the regions of Italy, and completed by two lateral propylaea bearing huge bronze chariots with Winged Victories at their reins. Inside, the Monument houses the Institute for the History of the Italian Risorgimento, the Library and the Central Museum of the Risorgimento with archive annexed.

THE CAPITOLINE: In ancient times the focal point of religious life, the Capitoline, the most famous of the seven hills of Rome, constitutes the area where the most significant events in the history of the city took place. The hill consists of two summits, at the centre of which now extends the Piazza del Campidoglio, at one time the Asylum, the area granted to the plebs by Romulus. On one of the two heights now stands the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, its site occupied in ancient times by the Capitoline Shrine. On the other stood the great Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. From the steep cliffs of the southern part of the hill, known in ancient times as Mons Tarpeius, traitors of the country were thrown to their death; remains of the Temple of Jupiter can be seen close to it. The architectural complex of the Piazza del Campidoglio, now the centre of the public life of the city, owes its harmonious appearance to the genius of Michelangelo, who designed it for Pope Paul III.

PIAZZA DEL CAMPIDOGLIO: Conceived by the great mind of Michelangelo, the piazza consists of a trapezoidal space delimited by three palaces: on the right the Palazzo dei Conservatori; on the left the Palazzo Nuovo (or Capitoline Museum); and on the side to the rear the Palazzo Senatorio (Senator Palace). The piazza is approached by an imposing staircase (the Cordonata), it too bearing the impress of Michelangelo. At its foot are two lions of Egyptian porphyry. At the head of the stairs are the colossal statues of the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux with their horses; they are flanked, along the balustrade, by the Trophies of Marius, the statues of Constantine and Constantine II, and at the end, two milestone columns brought from the Via Appia. Particularly famous is the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius set up on a plinth at the centre of the piazza. According to some sources, the statue, cast in bronze in the 2nd century A.D., and thought for many centuries to represent the emperor Constantine, was brought here from the Lateran by Pope Paul III in 1538, and placed there according to Michelangelo's plan. It is the model for all later equestrian statues. According to an odd and long standing tradition, the reappearance of the complete gold decoration on the Marcus Aurelius statue will be linked to the end of the world.

PALAZZO SENATORIO: The palace, now with the City Hall and seat of the municipal council of Rome, faces onto the piazza with an imposing facade. At its base is a double stairway, below which emdash at the centre of its twin ramps is a niche containing a statue of the Goddess Roma who holds an orb in her hand, emblem of the rule of Rome over the world.  She is flanked by two colossal statues of river-gods representing the Nile and the Tigris, the latter later transformed into the Tiber. The palace was built on the site of the ancient Tabularium. Behind it rises the bell-tower, erected by Martino Longhi the Elder in the 16th century. A series of large and interesting rooms are contained inside the Palazzo Senatorio; among the most famous are the Room of the Banners, the Council Hall dominated by its statue of Julius Caesar, and the Protomoteca Capitolina, a collection of busts of famous men installed here in 1950. By descending the Via del Campidoglio to the side of the Palazzo Senatorio, we can see the remains of the famous Temple of Vejove, an ancient Italic deity, which came to light during the work of reconstruction.

PALAZZO NUOVO: The building, situated to the left of the Piazza del Campidoglio, was designed by Michelangelo on the model of the Palazzo dei Conservatori facing it on the other side of the piazza. It was built in the 17th century, when it was decided to enhance the piazza perspective effect and so give it the harmoniousness and coherence that distinguish it today. The Palazzo Nuovo now houses the Capitoline Museum, which contains an ancient collection of works of sculpture of the classical period. In the courtyard is the Fountain of Marforio, formed of the colossal recumbent statue of a river-god, another of the so-called speaking statues of the city which, in the placards appended to them, pilloried the follies of the age. The collection of ancient statuary originally housed in the Palazzo dei Conservatori on the opposite side of the piazza was removed here in the mid-17th century. In the Atrium is the important statue of Minerva (5th century B.C.), Then come the rooms which house some fine sarcophagi such as the Amendola sarcophagus and the great statue of Mars. After this are the rooms with the Egyptian Collection and the Collection of Oriental Cults. Ascending to the first floor, consisting of seven rooms, we first enter a wide Gallery which runs the whole length of the building and in which a series of interesting statues are displayed, including the beautiful statue of the goddess Athena found in Velletri near Rome; a fine head of the emperor Probus; and a statue of Cupid drawing a bow. The mosaic known as "the Doves", attributed to Sosus of Pergamon figures four doves drinking from a vase. The room also contains the sarcophagus of a child and the Tabula Iliaca, a relief of the destruction of Troy. Particularly striking is the statue of Venus, a copy of a more ancient one dating from the 2nd century B.C. There are also 65 interesting busts of Roman emperors, which form one of the richest and finest collections of its kind. The Room of the Philosophers takes its name from a series of portrait busts of Greek and Roman thinkers and philosophers, such as those representing Socrates, Cicero, Homer and the orator Lysias. In the other rooms, a series of magnificent sculptures can be found, including a pair of Centaurs, dating from the Adrianic period, and a beautiful statue of a Wounded Amazon, a copy of the original by Kresilias, and a Laughing Satyr, holding up a bunch of grapes. There is also the marvellous statue of a warrior known as the Dying Gaul, which came from the Orti Sallustiani, and a remarkable piece from the Hellenic period portraying Cupid and Psyche. There are also numerous Roman inscriptions, including the Bronze Table containing the Lex de Imperio Vespasiani: which conferred imperial power on Vespasian.

PALAZZO DEI CONSERVATORI: The palace, rebuilt by Giacomo della Porta in the 16th century based on Michelangelo design, contains the Halls of the Conservators, the Museum of the Palazzo dei Conservatori, the Braccio Nuovo, the Museo Nuovo and the Capitoline Picture Gallery. The courtyard contains the colossal head of the emperor Constantine, recovered from the Basilica of Constantine, as well as some interesting reliefs. We now enter the Halls of the Conservators where we find various works of art, including the fresco portraying the Contest between Horatii and Curiatii (painted by Cavalier d'Arpino), in the room of the same name, and sculptures of Urban VIII and Innocent X: the very beautiful bronze statue of a boy pulling a thorn out of his foot, known as the Spinario, dating from the 1st century B.C. Most important of all is the famouse Capitoline Wolf, a bronze statue dating to the 5th century B.C. which has, since time immemorial, been the symbol of Rome. The twin figures were added by Antonio Pollaiolo in the 15th century. A series of other rooms follow, richly decorated with sculptures, friezes and valuable 18th century tapestries.

MUSEUM OF THE CONSERVATORI: Especially noteworthy among its important holdings of classical statues, inscriptions, valuable collections of Greek and Etruscan vases and numerous sarcophagi are: the marble statue known as the Esquiline Venus, an elaborately decorated bronze funerary bed, and a statue of Artemis; the statue of a Seatd girl dates from the Hellenistic period, and there are also portraits of Magistrates and a number of heads and busts, including some very fine ones such as those of the Lion and the Centaur. The Braccio Nuovo was installed in 1950-52. Here we find the archeological remains found during the excavations of the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus: they include some remains from the Temple itself, and various sculptures, including the beautiful statue of Apollo as an Archer, a Greek original of the 5th century B.C. Also worth nothing is an ancient example of Roman painting dating to the 3rd century B.C.

MUSEO NUOVO: The Museo Nuovo (New Museum) was installed in the Palazzo dei Conservatori in 1925 to house interesting Roman and Greek remains of various periods found during the repeated archeological excavations conducted in the city from 1870. The Museum, which consists of ten rooms, contains magnificent examples of Greek art, such as the impressive headless statue of Aphrodite, probably a work of Praxiteles, and the bust of Domitian, a Roman work.

THE CAPITOLINE PICTURE GALLERY: One thing we should on no account miss during our visit to te Capitol is the Capitoline Picture Gallery (Pinacoteca Capitolina), which contains important paintings from the Sacchetti and Pio collections. Founded by Pope Benedict XIV in 1784, it includes famous paintings by Rubens (Romulus and Remus suckled by the Wolf), Diego Velasquez (Portrait of an Unknown Man), and Caravaggio (St.John the Baptist), as well as works by many other artists of the 16th, 17th and 18th century. A distinguished collection of 18th century porcelain is on display in the Cini Gallery.

CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA IN ARACOELI: Occupying the summit of the Capitoline Arx (or Acropolis), it is approached by a long votive stairway built by the population in 1348 to thank the Virgin Mary for averting the threat of the plague. According to tradition, the church stands on the site where Augustus saw the apparition of a woman with a child who said, pointing to the altar where she was sitting: "Ecce ara primogeniti Dei", a prophecy of the coming of Our Lord. Officiated by the Franciscan Minor Friars since 1250, the church boasts of very ancient origins; in fact it was erected over the ruins of the Temple of Juno Moneta. In the 10th century it assumed the name of Santa Maria in Capitolio, which it retained till the 13th century. The unadorned brick facade has three portals, of which the two lateral ones are adorned with lunettes bearing 16th century reliefs. The interior, consisting of a nave and two aisles divided by 22 antique marble columns, is notable for its fine medieval cosmatesque pavement and sumptuous 16th century coffered ceiling, celebrating the victory over the Turks at the naval battle of Lepanto. The many funerary monuments contained in the church include the monument to Cardinal Ludovico d'Albret sculpted by Andrea Bregno in 1465, and a tomb slab sculpted by Donatello. The first chapel to the right, dedicated to St.Bernardine, is decorated with wonderful frescoes by Pinturicchio depicting the saint. Between the nave and the transepts are two fine pulpits sculpted by Lorenzo and Giacomo Cosma in the 13th century. In the right transept is the tomb of Luca Savelli (reusing a roman sarcophagus). The baroque high altar is adorned with a beautiful painting of the Virgin Mary. In the left transept is the monument to Cardinal Matteo d'Acquasparta, probably a work of Giovanni di Cosma. In the sacristy is housed the venerated wooden statue of the Infant Jesus known as the Bambino dell'Aracoeli, before which, during the Christmas period, prayers and religious songs are recited by children from far and wide.

ROMAN FORUM: In ancient times the Forum was a civic piazza surrounded by basilicas, temples and monuments where the public life of the city took place. The area on which it arose was originally unhealthy and prone to flooding, but was reclaimed by various attempts at drainage over the years. The first of these was made by king Tarquinius Priscus with the construction of the Cloaca Massima. Thanks to its position, the place became a favourite meeting point between the inhabitants of the city and those from the surrounding hills who saw in it an ideal market place for selling their wares. Around this trading activity, a series of shops, temples and basilicas progressively arose, eventually transforming the area into the heart of the city, the focal point round which not only the business transactions but more especially the public life of the Roman citizen revolved. It was here that the assemblies of the people and the Senate, the elections of magistrates, the great religious ceremonies and the administration of justice took place. The enormous economic and political expansion of the city meant that the Roman Forum itself became inadequate to cope with its needs and determined the construction of others. In 283 A.D. what had progressively grown into a monumental complex was devastated by fire; the restoration set in hand by Diocletian did not, however mark the end of its decline or arrest its decay which continued irresistibly through the Middle Age, hastened both by the barbarian invasions and the continuous spoliation of its materials for use in the construction of private houses and fortified strongholds. Eventually it was reduced to a pasture for cattle. Only in the 18th century did interest revive in this wonderful complex, testified by excavations and the archeological exploration that is still continuing to this day. The Roman Forum can be entered from the Via dei Fori Imperiali, which starts out from the Piazza Venezia to the left of the Victor Emanuel monument. Or we can approach it by descending from the Capitoline Hill down the Clivus Capitolinus and then taking the Via del Foro Romano. This second itinerary enables us to visit the complex consisting of the Porticus of the Dii Consentes, the Temple of Vespasian, the Temple of the Concord and the Mamertine Prison. The first monument we notice, to the left of the Clivus Capitolinus, immediately below the Tabularium, is the Porticus of the Dii Consentes, where 12 statues representing the main deities of Rome were placed. Only the remains of some columns survive of the Porticus. Close to it is the Temple of Vespasian erected by Domitian in 81 A.D. It is testified by the presence of three wonderful marble columns in the Corinthian style. Adjacent to it, on the Via del Foro Romano, is the Temple of Concord. So called because it celebrated the end of hostilities between patricians and plebeians. Built in 367 B.C., it was reconstructed by Tiberius; but only a few ruins of it remain today. Close to it stands the church of San Giuseppe dei Falegnami, the church of the guild of carpenters built in 1598. Below it is the famous Mamertine Prison, which consists of two superimposed dungeons: the Carcer Mamertinus (2nd century B.C.) and the Carcer Tullianum (3rd century B.C.). It was a place of imprisonment and death for many historical personages, such as the Gaulish king Vercingetorix and the king of Numidia Jugurtha, the one put to death by Julius Caesar, the other starved to death by Marius. According to the legend, another prisoner incarcerated here was St.Peter, who worked a miracle by making a fountain of water spring from the floor, so that he might have water to baptise his gaulers after having converted them to Christianity. It is from his legend that the name San Pietro in Carcere, by which the building is also called, derives. Facing it, on the other side of the road, is the church of Santi Luca e Martina, consisting of two superimposed churches; the lower one was founded in honour of St.Martin in the 6th century; the upper one dates to the 17th century. The handsome travertine facade is by Pietro da Cortona. We now approach the main entrance to the Roman Forum, which is located on the Via dei Fori Imperiali. To the right of the Via Sacra, the road which connected the various parts of the Forum and of which the original Roman paving is still visible, we see the remains of the Basilica Aemilia. The first basilica on the site was founded by M.Fulvius Nobilior and M.Aemilius Lepidus in 179 B.C., and was later reconstructed and enriched by other members of the gens Aemilia. The term basilica in ancient Rome denoted a large rectangular building in whose interior two or four rows of columns delimited a central nave and side aisles (a similar kind of plan was later adopted for the construction of Christian basilicas). Originally secular in purpose, it was assigned to business transactions and the administration of justice. Adjacent to the Basilica Aemilia is the Curia or Senate House. Originally built as an assembly hall by Tullus Hostilius, it was reconstructed under Diocletian, and later, in the 7th century, converted into a church. Inside, the marble floor has been restored, and the marble podia on which the wooden benches of the Senators were placed are visible. Almost in front of the Curia we may see the Plutei of Trajan, the marble parapets or screens which decorated the tribune of the Rostra. They are sculpted with scenes celebrating some important enterprises of Trajan government, such as the provision made by the emperor for the children of poor citizens, and reliefs of the principal sacrificial animals. The square in front of the Curia was in fact the Comitium: the place where the people gathered in assemblies to elect the magistrates and to decide on the major questions of political life. Beyond the Comitium, in front of the Curia, below a large paved area in black marble (Lapis Niger), is an underground shaft believed to be the Tomb of Romulus; an inscription of the 6th century B.C., the oldest so far found in the city, was preserved in it. The magnificent triumphal arch just beyond is the Arch of Septimius Severus. It was dedicated by the People and the Senate to the emperor Septimius Severus and his sons Caracalla and Geta in 203 to celebrate their victories over the Parthians, the Arabs and the Assyrians. Consisting of a central arch and two side arches, it is very well preserved and decorated with reliefs representing episodes from the wars conducted by Severus. Close to it is the Umbilicus Urbis, a circular base which indicated the centre of the city. To the left of the arch we may note a tufa wall: it is all that remains of the original platform that served as the orators tribune. The structure is called the Rostra because it was adorned with the bronze beak (rostra) stripped from enemy ships conquered in battle. In front of it is a small piazza (Piazza del Foro) in which stands the Column of Phocas (608), the last to be erected in honour of an eastern emperor. On the right of the piazza we can see the remains of the Basilica Julia, built by Julius Caesar. Adjacent to it are the imposing remains of the Temple of Saturn, built in 500 B.C., and reconstructed in 42 B.C. The statue of the god Saturn, ancient god of the capitol, was venerated inside it. It also served as the State Treasury. The eight columns with Ionic capitals that remain are those of the pronaos. By taking the Via Sacra right to the end of the Piazza del Foro we come to the few remains of the Temple of Julius Caesar, erected on the site where the body of Caesar was cremated and where Mark Anthony read out his famous testament. Close to it is the basement of the Arch of Augustus, and to its right we can see three wonderful fluted columns of the Corinthian order which formed part of the Temple of Castor and Pollux. It was built in honour of the Dioscuri who, according to the legend, helped the Romans in their victory over the Latins and the Tarquins at the battle of Lake Regillus. In its immediate vicinity is the Lacus Juturnae where Castor and Pollux watered their horses when they brought the news of the victory to the Romans. Behind is the Oratory of the Forty Martyrs and, to its left, Santa Maria Antiqua, the oldest Christian building of the Forum. It was built over a building of the imperial period, reconstructed and dedicated to Christian worship in the 6th century. Of considerable artistic interest are the frescoes that adorn its walls. Returning to the Arch of Augustus, we can see the remains of the Regia: seat of the Pontifex Maximus and of the archive of the annals compiled of the salient events in Roman public life. According to the tradition, it occupies the site of the house of Numa Pompilius, second king of Rome. In front of the Regia stood the Temple of Vesta, which can be recognised by its circular basement. It was in this temple that the sacred fire, symbolising the life of Rome, was preserved. Guarded by the Vestals, priestesses of the goddess Vesta, the fire was constantly kept alight, for it was considered a bad omen for the destiny of the city if it should ever go out. Adjacent to the Temple was the House of Vestals, the sanctuary in which the young priestesses, guardians of the sacred fire, dwelt. Facing the Regia on the other side of the Via Sacra is the Temple of Antonino and Faustina, erected in 141 A.D. in honour of the wife of Antoninus Pius and, on the later death, of the emperor himself: husband and wife are commemorated in the surviving inscription on the architrave. In the 11th century the temple was converted into the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda. To the right of the temple is the site of an archaic cemetary, with burials dating to the early iron age. This is followed, on the Via Sacra, by the Temple of Romulus, circular in plan and dedicated to the deified son of Maxentius. At the end of the Via Sacra is the Arch of Titus, consisting of a single archway. It was erected by Domitian to commemorate the victories of Vespasian and his son Titus over the Jews and the destruction of Jerusalem.

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