Expert Led Private Tour on Caesar and His Empire

In this tour of ancient Rome we explore the remaking of the city by Julius Caesar and his nephew Augustus, in the first century of the common era. This was a time of explosive growth and upheaval in ancient Rome, as Roman society shifted from a republican democracy to an autocratic form of government. Our tour takes us into an area known to the ancients as the Campus Martius (Field of Mars), which became the centerpiece of Julius Caesar's program to re-make the city of Rome in his image after seizing power. This program was taken up ambitiously by his nephew Augustus, who ruled for over forty years. We'll visit several key sites of ancient Rome, including the Pantheon and Ara Pacis, as well as a number of lesser-known sites arrayed along what was once the triumphal way of the Caesars—a memorial to Julius and a unquestionable demonstration of Imperial power. This is a great walk for travelers who are enthusiastic about ancient Rome and want to dig deeper into the history, themes, and ideas that made the first century and the Imperial era generally so critical.

With so many important monuments to consider and a dense layering of history, the actual course of this walk varies from day to day, depending on the academic background of the guide leading it and the proclivities of the group participating. Regardless, it will provide us a deep and broad understanding of classical Rome and how it has shaped the modern city.