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Here is what you can expect...
• Learn tips & tricks used by the pros to make impressive photographs.
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Discover and experience Rome through the eyes of a local photographer.
• Discover new
viewpoints and ways of seeing the world photographically, and observing interesting details which might easily be overlooked.
• Sensing the quality and direction of light and how to capture the magic moment.
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Improve your photographic technique.
• Knowing your camera and how to get the most out of it.
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Have a more interesting experience and involvement when visiting Rome.
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Have fun!
Dates & Times
Available Dates - on request
July 5 - August 2
September 2 - October 23
Days:
Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday
Start times:
June - July 9:30 am
September – October 9:00 am
End Times:
June – July 7:00 pm
September – October 6:30 pm
Highlights
Coliseum
Roman Forum
Campidoglio Teatro Marcello
Piazza Matei Pantheon Campo dei
Fiori Piazza Farnese
Piazza Navona Bridge of Angels
Castel Sant'Angelo
St. Peter's Square
The Coliseum is one of the world’s most famous landmarks and tourist attractions. Although it survives only as a ruin, it still rates as one of the
finest examples of Roman architecture and engineering. We won't go inside as the wait can be up to 2 hours! But the Coliseum is most photogenic from
the outside in any event!
The Foro Romano, or Roman Forum, was the focal point of the city for early Romans. It was the center for
commercial, political, and civil activities and contained markets, prisons, statues, entertainment areas,
temples and monuments built by various emperors. Perhaps more than any other Roman ruin, the Forum with its
great temples and arches gives us a glimpse into both the architectural and political power of Rome during the
time of the emperors and is the perfect outdoor classroom to make exciting and memorable photographs of one of
the world's greatest historic sites.
The Campidoglio is a remarkable square and an urban masterpiece designed by Michelangelo. At the center of the
square stands the great bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. Teatro Marcello
was the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. Caesar wanted to build a theater to rival the one built by Pompey, whom he had
just defeated and killed in the struggle for the control of Rome. Part of the site that he chose had been used at least since 179 BC for dramatic productions
in front of a temple of Apollo.
When Caesar was killed in 44 BC, all work on his theater complex stopped, and the site remained in limbo until 22 BC. By then Augustus was seven years into
his long rule, and his plan to transform Rome from a city of brick to a city of marble was already under way. Caesar's theater was a likely project, but
Augustus did not want to repeat Caesar's mistake. Using private funds, he expanded the site, making sure that those injured by Caesar's high-handed
expropriations 22 years earlier were also compensated. Construction began in 22 BC and by 17 BC, although incomplete, the theater was used for some of the
theatrical productions that were part of that year's Ludi Saeculares (secular games). The theater was formally dedicated in 13 BC in memory of Marcellus, the
son of Augustus' sister Octavia.
Built mainly of tufa, cement, and opus reticulatum brickwork, the Theatrum Marcelli was completely sheathed in white travertine. True to Caesar's original
plan, it was bigger and more elaborate that Pompey's theater. It seated about 12,000 spectators (maybe 14,000 with standees) which was twenty percent more
than would fit into Pompey's theater.
Tortoise Fountain (Fontana delle Tartarughe) was built by
Taddeo Landini and Giacomo della Porta, and located in Piazza Mattei. It is one of the most unique and less-known
fountains in all of Rome. Recently restored to its original state, this is one of those "off the beaten path" places that make Rome so interesting.
The Pantheon was begun in 27 BC by the statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. It was
completely rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian sometime between AD 118 and 128. It is remarkable for its size, its
construction, and its design. The dome was the largest built until modern times, measuring about 142 feet (43 m)
in diameter, and rising to a height of 71 feet (22 m) above its base. It was dedicated in AD 609 as the Church of
the Santa Maria Rotonda, or ad Martyrs, which it remains today. The tomb of Raphael is found inside.
After a fabulous lunch at Tony's favorite trattoria - Antica Taverna, we will walk down
Via dei Banchi Vecchi, ancient street once home to Florentine bankers, to Campo dei Fiori where Giordano Bruno was burnt at the stake as a heretic.
We’ll visit Piazza Farnese the setting of Puccini's opera Tosca, with its 16th Century Palazzo and two magnificent fountains made from two giant basins
originally from the Baths of Caracalla. Our route takes us through Piazza Navona, Via Coronari - antique row - and onto Castel Sant'Angelo.
Piazza Navona is a marvel of light and sculpture. It is exceptionally long and owes its shape to the ruins that
formed it, for under the buildings that surround Piazza Navona are the remains of the Circus Domitian, Domitian's
stadium -- a part of which can still be seen. The piazza features many fine old buildings, a beautiful church and
three stunning fountains. In the centre of the piazza is Bernini's most spectacular fountain, la Fontana dei Fiumi
(Four Rivers) erected in 1651. Piazza Navona is an extremely lively place with open-air cafes around it. During
the summer, numerous artists draw or paint members of the public for a fee. The place is crowded each day and there
are often buskers and sometimes mimes to entertain.
Castel Sant’Angelo is the chief site
of executions in Rome built by the Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd Century A.D. The most celebrated being the 22 year old Beatrice Cenci who was decapitated by
the sword along with her step mother in 1599 for murdering their lecherous father. Legend has it that every year on the night before her death, she came back
to the bridge carrying her severed head. It appeared in Dan Brown's 2000 novel
Angels and Demons, the location was the secret lair for the Hassassin and
is the last existing church of the Illuminati.
It was built, as was the Elian Bridge in front, by the Emperor Hadrian (117-138) as a Mausoleum
for himself and his successors. Antoninus Pius completed it in 139. In 271, the Emperor Aurelian incorporated
the pile into the defense system he designed: it lost its function as a tomb to become a fortress. In 1277, it
was occupied by Nicholas II who connected it to the Vatican by the famous corridor, a safety passage which runs
along the top of the encircling wall of the Vatican. Henceforth, it remained under the control of the Popes who
used it as a fortress, to impress, but also as a prison and a place for torture. The bridge in front (Ponte degli Angeli)
crosses the
Tiber River and is adorned by some of Bernini’s most beautiful and interesting statues.
The Tiber River (Italian
Tevere, Latin
Tiberis) is the third-longest river
in Italy, it has
achieved lasting fame as the main watercourse of the city of
Rome, founded on its eastern banks.
Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II
(Vittorio Emanuele II Bridge) was dedicated to the first king of Italy and inaugurated in 1911, on the occassion 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.
St. Peter’s Square is one of Rome’s greatest sites, visited by millions of tourists and faithful.
The splendid square and colonnade, Bernini's finest work, form a superb entryway to the greatest church
of Christendom, dominated by the magnificent Dome of Michelangelo. Michelangelo, Giacomo della Porta and
Domenico Fontana carried out the construction of this basilica, plagued by numerous obstacles and problems.
The basilica rises over the foundations of a paleochristian Church, which, according to tradition, was built
over the tomb of the Martyred Apostle Peter.
top of the page
Prices include tour fee
and private instruction.
hotel accommodations, meals, tips/gratuities, additional drinks/food, Air/train tickets to/from Rome, are not included in the price. We reserve the right to make changes in the
pricing and/or the itinerary if
circumstances beyond our control occur.
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Adventures thru the Lens
