Rome's first emperor, Augustus, siezed control of the Roman Empire in the era of
civil war and civic strife that followed the death of Julius Caesar. Among his greatest achievements was that of bringing peace to the Roman Empire
after a century of war and turmoil. Such an achievement deserved an advertising campaign and Augustus was one of the
most astute spin-doctors the world has ever seen. In celebration of this achievement, he built the Ara Pacis or Altar of Peace, a monument embellished with sculptures meant to convince Romans that life had
never been so good. Now housed in a brand-new building designed by American
architect Richard Meier, the Ara Pacis is one of Rome's most complex and
beautiful sites.
War and Peace
Were there advertising campaigns in ancient
Rome?
Two Hour City Course
Gaius Julius Caesar, born about 100 BC, was a ruthless man driven by political
and military ambition. In his lifetime, he led Roman troops that conquered Gaul, and he held numerous
political offices, eventually being appointed dictator by the Roman Senate. Caesar's position as dictator won him fame and fortune, but it also earned him a
bloody death on the Ides of March in 44 BC when he was stabbed 23 times by
Senatorial conspirators. What's left of Caesar in Rome, some 2000 years later? How can the monuments of Rome help us to understand the life of this
history-changing individual? This course answers those questions as we stroll Rome's city center and study
monuments associated with important events in Caesar's lifetime.
Live at Caesar’s Palace! •
Et tu, Brute?
Half Day City Course
Among the most fascinating and well-known of the ancient Roman Emperors is
Hadrian. Born in provincial Spain Hadrian reigned from 117-138 AD and during his long
reign he brought a relative peace to the vast Roman Empire. An intellectual emperor who traveled far and wide across the lands he ruled,
visiting exotic cities, debating with philosophers, and learning the customs of
diverse cultures. He was also a man fascinated by the cutting-edge developments in architecture
and engineering that came about during his life. And though he was a married man, for many years he lived a "Greek" life with his
beloved Antinous. But how is his memory inscribed upon the city of Rome? What are the monuments he built meant to tell us about his life? To find out, we'll travel from Rome's
National Archaeological Museum to the Pantheon, and from the Temple of Divine Hadrian to Castel Sant'Angelo.
If I Build It, They Will Come •
Can history be written in brick and stone?
Half Day City Course
It is the lives of leaders, both good and bad, that bring Roman history to life.
In this City Course we'll investigate the biographies of ancient Rome's makers
and shakers as we explore the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum. On the Palatine, we'll discuss the city founder, Romulus; explore the career of
Rome's first emperor, Augustus; delve into the antics of the Eterna's own
megalomaniac, Nero; and marvel at the colossal Imperial palace constructed by
the emperor Domitian. Then we'll leave the elite Palatine streets and descend
into the Valley of the Colosseum. Our visit to the largest amphitheater in the Roman world will afford us the
opportunity to discuss the emperors Vespasian and Titus, whose building of the
Colosseum was a political act meant to win the favor of the Romans they ruled.
My Life As an Emperor •
When you’re the Emperor, does size really
matter?
Half Day City Course
Looking for illumination? Or the Illuminati? If you read Dan Brown's best-seller, Angels and Demons, then it's likely that you're curious about the sites that command the
attention of symbologist Robert Langdon and his partner in anti-crime,
Victoria. The nearly impossible task with which the two are charged is to stop the murders
of the preferiti, the four Cardinals most likely to be elected as the next
pope. In order to do this, Robert and Victoria race through Rome in an effort to trap
the assassin before he commits the next clerical crime at one of the Altars of
Science. This City Course will take you to these sites and will help you to decode the
real meaning of the places visited by Robert and Victoria as they weave their
way through the Eternal City. Among the monuments we'll see are
Pantheon, the Chigi Chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo, the Ecstasy of St Teresa
at Santa Maria della Vittoria, and the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona.
Rome Illuminated •
Where’s the anti-matter?
Half Day City Course
Despite his short and tumultuous life, Michelangelo di Merisi da Caravaggio,
left a wealth of spectacular paintings, twenty-one of which are in Rome. His artworks are a testament to his genius, and to the role he played in the
reinvention of painting in the 17thC. This City Course gives you the opportunity to make a detailed examination of
almost half of the Caravaggio paintings in Rome. You'll visit the chapels and
museums that house the works of this amazing artist, studying his revolutionary
paintings, learning about his life, and pondering the factors that might have
motivated him to devise a new style of painting. Our study of Caravaggio's paintings will also provide us with a window onto the
culture of 17thC Rome, a city in which the triumph of the Catholic Church's
Counter Reformation initiated an artistic program unrivaled since the
Renaissance.
Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves •
Who Was Baroques’ Bad boy?
Half Day City Course
Love, deception, political intrigue, violence, and finally a deathly dive from a
high wall. The latest Arnold Schwarzenegger movie? No, it's something better and something
utterly Roman - the 19thC opera Tosca. Romans know all the words and hum the tunes under their breath as they shop in
open-air markets, kick soccer balls in piazzas, or examine the latest flavors
of gelato. This City Course visits the sites at which Tosca's three acts are set: the
church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, the Palazzo Farnese, and Castel Sant'Angelo. On location and en route we'll discuss the historical background of Tosca, the
intricacies of the plot, and the historical details of each site. We'll also have a more general discussion about the history of opera and Rome's
place in the development of this art form.
Tosca Tumbles •
Life is Art? Or Art is life?
Half Day City Course
Rome is so much more than its monuments. It's a living city in which one travels through time with the greatest of ease. This City Course will allow you to take that journey as you slip from present to
past and then back to the future. You'll begin in one of the most sublimely beautiful spots, the Protestant Cemetery. There, in close proximity to skeletons of the ancient city, are the graves of
the Romantic poet,s Keats and Shelley. We'll pay homage to them before strolling through one of Rome's more modern
districts, where we'll visit the Centrale Montemartini, an ex-electric power plant that now houses Rome's most elegant display of
classical antiquities.
Strangers in Paradise •
Is Time Travel Really Possible?
Half Day City Course
