Roman Holiday

Colosseum visit with Whisper headset, Arch of Constantine, Forum Romanum visit

LEAP Activity | Caesar’s Gladiators

Discover the ancient secrets of the Roman gladiator games and master the basics of hand-to-hand combat at gladiator school.

Tour St. Peter’s Basilica with a licensed local guide and whisper headset so you don't miss a word. Outside the church, four rows of columns radiate out like welcoming arms; inside, the church seems enormous enough to embrace the entire world. The dome, partially designed by Michelangelo, rises 452 feet above the ground. Michelangelo’s mark is everywhere here, from the costumes worn by the Swiss Guards to his exquisite “Pietà” sculpture (the only sculpture he ever signed) to the amazing frescoes of the Sistine Chapel. Because he considered himself a sculptor and not a painter, Michelangelo hated working on these paintings, now considered masterpieces.

Step back 2000 into history with a visit to Pompeii, a Roman town buried by the catastrophic volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Buildings and bodies remain frozen in time and you could spend hours, if not days, exploring the site.

Visit the enormous church of St. Paul Outside the Walls, built over the original tomb of the saint, and then descend into the early Christian catacombs, dating from the first to fourth centuries. Thousands of Christians, including Saints Peter and Paul and several popes, were entombed here at one time. There are still signs of early Christianity, including frescoes of fish and doves and inscriptions on the tombs themselves. Overhead runs the Appian Way, the world’s first real highway, which stretched southeast over 350 miles from Rome.

Explore the main seaport of ancient Rome to see examples of amazingly preserved buildings and impressive Roman frescoes.

The great emperor Hadrian built this enormous villa just outside Tivoli as an escape from Rome, where he spent as little time as possible during his reign. The complex was the epitome of ancient luxury, with baths, sculpture gardens, theaters, dining halls, pavilions, and private suites. The highlight is the reflecting pool, where images of the surrounding columns and statues shimmer in the water.