Rome

The epic core of the ancient Roman Empire. The Flavian Amphitheatre (Colosseum) remains the ultimate monument to Roman engineering, while the adjoining Roman Forum preserves the temples, basilicas, and senate house where Caesar walked. Palatine Hill provides panoramic vistas across the Circus Maximus.

Vatican City houses humanity's greatest collection of Renaissance art. The Vatican Museums lead through the Gallery of Maps and Raphael Rooms into Michelangelo’s crowning Sistine Chapel ceiling. St. Peter’s Basilica boasts Michelangelo's *Pietà* and Bernini’s monumental bronze baldachin.

Constructed by Emperor Hadrian in 125 AD, the Pantheon features the world’s largest unreinforced solid concrete dome with its open central oculus. A 5-minute stroll leads to Piazza Navona, built over the Stadium of Domitian, showcasing Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers.

Located across the Tiber River, Trastevere is a labyrinth of ochre-colored medieval buildings covered in climbing ivy. By evening, its cobblestone alleys come alive with traditional trattorias, wine bars, and the illuminated mosaic facade of the 12th-century Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere.

Set within Rome’s lush public gardens, the Galleria Borghese houses Bernini’s most astonishing marble masterpieces (*Apollo and Daphne*, *The Rape of Proserpina*) alongside seminal Caravaggio canvases (*Boy with a Basket of Fruit*).