Afternoon Tour - Where Gods, Angels & Demons Live

The Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Castel Sant'Angelo, 

The Tibre River,  St. Peter's Square

3:30 pm - 7:30pm
 

Rome is more than inanimate monuments and marble statues. It is a vivacious city shaped over the ages by emperors, artists, and architects who, in building the Eternal City, created a remarkable human story where gods, angels and demons lived.

On this tour we will learn how to capture the sometimes humorous and devilish antics of the people that created them and learn about the struggle between the pagan and Christian gods through the centuries.

For example we will visit the Basilica Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, built on top of a Roman temple dedicated to the Egyptian god Isis, and where Galileo Galilee, the father of modern astronomy, is buried. In front of the Basilica we find Bernini’s famous elephant holding up one of the 11 Egyptian obelisks of Rome. Sculpted in 1667, Bernini intended it as a devilish taunt: the elephant’s rear end is pointed at the nearby building where Galileo was sentenced as a heretic (and perhaps tortured) during the Inquisition, almost 35 years earlier.

Most tourists photograph the elephant showing the church in the background – a common postcard image. We want to make his story (history) more interesting by putting flesh and bone on it: The more emphatic and captivating image is showing the Palazzo of the Inquisition behind the behind of the elephant!



We’ll discover other landmarks that illustrate this interweaving of pagan and Christian beliefs like the world’s oldest Christian Basilica where pagan gods lived, the myth of the devilish humor of Bernini’s man with his hand raised against the church built by his arch-rival Borromini even before the church was built, Bernini’s angels in front of the tomb of Marcus Aurelia and of course the Vatican – Seat of the Christian World with Bernini’s colonnade symbolizing the arms of the Christian God welcoming people and built over Nero’s Circus where Christians were persecuted by the Roman pagans.

Just as Bernini uses the trick of the eye on the colonnades in St Peters to create a sense of grandeur and scale, we’ll show you how to create the same impact in your photography using the techniques of top professionals.

The Itinerary

The Pantheon is a building in Rome that was begun in 27 BC by Marcus Agrippa. It was completely rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian sometime between AD 118 and 128.  The dome was the largest built until modern times, measuring about 43 m in diameter, and rising to a height of 22 m above its base.  Dedicated in AD 609 as the Church of the Santa Maria Rotunda, it holds he tomb of the artist Raphael.

Piazza Navona is a marvel of light and sculpture. It is exceptionally long and owes its shape to the ruins that formed it, the Circus Domitian -- a part of which can still be seen.  In the center of the piazza is Bernini's  la Fontana dei Fiumi (Four Rivers) erected in 1651. Piazza Navona is an extremely lively place filled with local artists selling their art.

Campo dei Fiori translated literally from Italian, means "field of flowers." The name was first given during the Middle Ages when the area was actually a meadow.  The philosopher  Giordano Bruno was burnt alive by the Roman Inquisition.  Today it serves as an open market during the day, and is a popular spot for young people to gather at night.

Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II  (Vittorio Emanuele II Bridge) was dedicated to the first king of Italy and inaugurated in 1911, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the reign.  It is the most monumental bridge among all those built after Rome became the capital of Italy.  From this bridge you will see magnificent views of both St. Peter's basilica and the Castel Sant'Angelo.

The Tiber River is the third-longest river in Italy has achieved lasting fame as the main watercourse of the city of Rome which was founded on its eastern banks.  We'll enjoy magnificent views of the Castel Sant'Angelo and the cupola of St. Peter's Basilica, as well as Mussolini's famous Romanesque statues which adorn the Vittorio Emanuele II bridge.

Castel Sant’Angelo was built by the Emperor Hadrian (117-138) as a Mausoleum for himself and his successors. In 1277, it was connected to the Vatican by the famous corridor, a safety passage that runs along the top of the encircling wall of the Vatican and the Popes used it as a fortress and a prison. The bridge in front (Ponte degli Angeli) is adorned by some of Bernini’s most beautiful and interesting statues.

St. Peter’s Square is one of Rome’s greatest sites. Bernini's square and colonnade form a superb entryway to the greatest church of Christendom, dominated by the magnificent Dome of Michelangelo. The basilica rises over the foundations of a paleochristian Church, which, according to tradition, was built over the tomb of the Martyred Apostle Peter.

Starting point of afternoon tour. We will begin our tour in front of MacDonald's at the top of Pantheon Square (Piazza della Rotunda).  To see the meeting point, click on the link below:

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Prices include tour fee, instruction, and assistance by our travel expert in securing accommodations.  Hotel accommodations, tips/gratuities, drinks/food,  Air/train tickets to/from Rome are not included in the price. Children under 13 years old not allowed on tour without prior permission.  We reserve the right to make changes in the itinerary if circumstances beyond our control occur.