EXCURSIONES EN TIERRA

You'll see the Eternal City on an orientation drive passing iconic structures which includes the Colosseum of ancient Rome where gladiators fought. In Vatican City admire the beauty of St. Peter’s Square, and view some of the treasures of the world’s largest church, St. Peter’s Basilica during your brief visit. The Vatican Museum is home to masterpieces spanning the centuries, marvel at the Sistine Chapel, topped by Michelangelo’s magnificent ceiling. Lunch is included.

This is your opportunity to visit Fatima, an important world pilgrimage site, known by many as the Lourdes of Portugal. Your guide will describe the legendary story behind the region’s fame en route during your approximately two-hour drive.

Fatima was a very poor and forgotten parish until an apparition of the Virgin Mary was seen by three peasant children back in 1917. The little village was transformed almost overnight into a pilgrimage town that grew around the imposing modern basilica and shrine. You'll stop at the modern basilica and square, which is larger than St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. Here, enjoy about two hours of free time to explore the area on your own.

OVERVIEW

See icons that define Rome during several transformative time periods and come away with a deeper understanding of Italy’s capital. The Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain beautifully represent the Baroque era. If you toss a coin in the fountain – ensuring a return to Rome according to legend – it will be collected later that day and donated to charity. Standing on the terrace overlooking the Roman Forum will offer a perspective of ancient times as this public space was used for events ranging from religious ceremonies to secular spectacles. Similarly, an outside look at the massive Colosseum will add insight, especially through the guide’s enlightening commentary. The amphitheater held as many as 50,000 spectators that come to watch everything from gladiatorial games to public executions. After you behold the Renaissance treasure St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City from the square out front, you will enjoy free time for shopping and independent exploration.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Climb the iconic Spanish Steps and drop a coin in the Trevi Fountain if you wish.
• Behold the famed Roman Forum from the terrace overlooking it.
• Enjoy outside visits of the Colosseum and St. Peter’s Basilica as the guide describes them.
• Spend free time shopping or further exploring landmarks that you find most interesting.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

See the most iconic high-profile attractions in Rome, some in greater depth than others, and spend free time exploring the area around the Trevi Fountain. While driving through the Eternal City – a sobriquet first attributed to the poet Tibullus in the 1st century B.C. – you will pass most every ancient landmark, including the Colosseum, Circus Maximus and Palatine Hill, where Rome was founded. Stops will be made for deeper explorations at St. Peter’s Square within Vatican City and at the Galleria Borghese, a revered museum whose collection includes exceptional paintings by the likes of Titian, Raphael and Caravaggio. Be sure to see Bernini’s masterful sculpture “David,” which unlike Michelangelo’s earlier version, shows the hero about to release the fatal stone from his slingshot. Afterwards, you will have time to explore independently in the Trevi District, home to the famed fountain and the Spanish Steps. If you wish to dine, options are abundant.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Settle in for an eye-opening drive through Rome that passes numerous ancient landmarks.
• Stop to snap photos and explore a bit further at expansive St. Peter’s Square.
• Browse the extraordinary collection of artwork at the Galleria Borghese.
• Spend time exploring the area around the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps on your own.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Explore the absolute icons that define Vatican City, the smallest independent nation-state in the world. While browsing the priceless works within the Vatican Museums – which include the incomparable frescoes that Michelangelo painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel –you may wish to see masterpieces from periods other than the Renaissance. Your guided visit will start from the Pine Courtyard, where the Sistine Chapel Michelangelo Judgement panel is displayed for guide commentary as silence is required inside the Chapel. Afterwards, you will see the Pio Clementino Museum, where a priceless collection of Greek-Roman sculptures are unveiled to visitors. Amongst them is The Masterpiece of Laocoonte Group which is a sight to behold. On the way to the Sistine Chapel, the corridors of chandeliers, tapestries and geographic maps will enrich your journey. Finally, Michelangelo’s wonder will surround and embrace your senses as you look up and gaze in wonder. Next, down the Scala Regia, you will have direct access to Saint Peter’s Basilica, which was completed in 1615 after more than a century of construction, is just as stunning and may be the greatest building of its age. Be sure to see Michelangelo’s Pietà inside and take time to truly appreciate the massive Bernini-designed square out front. During the hours of free time that follow, you might shop.

HIGHLIGHTS

• See some of the world’s most priceless artwork and artifacts in the Vatican Museums.
• Visit the Sistine Chapel and see more than Michelangelo’s glorious ceiling frescoes.
• Browse St. Peter’s Basilica, parts of which Michelangelo worked on.
• Spend free time shopping or further exploring other attractions in Vatican City.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Spend a delightful and wonderfully enlightening day exploring Rome’s most representative landmarks, beginning with an introductory drive through the city. As you pass the Egyptian-influenced Pyramid of Cestius, the 3rd-century Baths of Caracalla and the ancient chariot racetrack Circus Maximus, the guide will describe these icons in fascinating detail. You will also behold the famed Colosseum from the exterior and the Pantheon, a 1st century B.C. monument renowned for the oculus at the center of its dome. As a contrast to these ancient sites, you will drop by the Trevi Fountain, an immense baroque-style masterpiece with statues of mythical and allegorical figures. You will see more baroque-era fountains at Navona Square, where leisure time will allow you to shop and dine on your own. The focus will turn to Christianity as you browse the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, once the largest church in Christendom.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Drive past ancient monuments such as the Baths of Caracalla and Circus Maximus.
• Enjoy outside visits of the Colosseum and the Pantheon as the guide describes them.
• Marvel at the ornate Trevi Fountain and drop a coin in its waters, if you wish.
• Spend free time shopping or dining in and around Navona Square.
• Behold the treasures within the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Experience the places which made Rome immortal by observing it from another point of view on board a double-decker bus. Along your route, a very informative audio guide will help you understand the incredible history and the splendor of the art that makes Rome a truly fascinating city.

Your tour starts at the pier with a 90 minute transfer by coach to the heart of Rome. Once there, you’ll transfer to your double-decker sightseeing bus. These buses travel a circuit all day long and have stops at some of the city’s most iconic monuments and cultural venues. The beauty of the Hop-on, Hop-off option is that you can choose which stops you want to leave the bus and explore at your leisure.

Stops will be made at the Colossuem, Circus Maximus, Piazza Venezia, The Vatican, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza di Spagna and Piazza Barberini. These stops will enable you to visit places such as Vatican City with the wonderful St. Peter’s Basilica, the Colosseum and its Archaeological Area, and the famous Trevi Fountain. You will also have the possibility of shopping at Via Nazionale and Via del Corso.

The tour is tape-recorded and individual earphones are available should you wish. The sightseeing buses run at a frequency of 25 minutes around each of the noted main interest points. You will be advised when to return to the main terminal in order to catch the transfer back to the ship.

A visit to the Vatican Museum with the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica, combined with an orientation drive through the grand avenues of Rome, in the company of a small group highlights your day. Although a quick pace and substantial amount of walking is required, your day will be extremely rewarding. In the morning, enjoy an orientation drive through the Eternal City passing the Arch of Constantine and the famed Colosseum.

After lunch, you’ll visit the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, boasting Michelangelo’s magnificent ceiling. You’ll gaze in awe at Piazza San Pietro, one of the world’s most beautiful squares that faces the largest church in the world, St. Peter’s. Some of its fabulous treasures will be shown to you by your guide during a brief visit. You’ll then rejoin your motorcoach for the return to Civitavecchia.

Enjoy a day touring diminutive San Marino, the world’s oldest republic, which being inland has survived surprisingly intact since being founded in 301 A.D.

It's a relaxing ninety-minute drive through the picturesque countryside to San Marino, which perches atop the slopes of Mount Titano. Despite being Europe’s third-smallest state (after Vatican City and Monaco) and least populated state, San Marino has a surprisingly large number of fine boutiques, restaurants, and intriguing museums.

Upon arrival, you’ll have free time to explore them on your own. You may wish to start in the medieval city center, which you’ll enter through the Porta San Francesco. The expansive Piazza della Libertà, was built in the 14th century over ancient cisterns.

The adjacent Public Palace features stone excavated from Mount Titano and is decorated with coats-of-arms from the nine districts that comprise San Marino. The nearby Basilica of the Saint has a neoclassical design and contains the relics of Saint Marinus, the republic’s founder, who fled here after being persecuted for his Christian sermons. If you’re feeling ambitious, you might also climb the hill to La Rocca, an 11th-century fortress towering above Mount Titano. Enjoy lunch on your own and perhaps do some shopping before rejoining your coach for the drive back to Ravenna.

If you would like to explore the Eternal City of Rome on your own, this private motorcoach transfer is ideal. You’ll be dropped off in a central location, and your return transfer to the ship departs from the same place as your drop-off. A tour escort will be traveling with you to and from the ship to answer any questions you may have about sightseeing or shopping. You’ll then rejoin your motorcoach for the return to Civitavecchia.

Begin your exploration of the 'Eternal City' with an outside visit of the Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum – Imperial Rome’s symbol of power. You’ll drive past the Roman Forum, Piazza Venezia, Marcello Theatre, and Circo Massimo to the Trevi Fountain.

You’ll have some free time for lunch before rejoining your coach to head towards St. Peter's Square. Here you’ll visit the Basilica, which can hold up to 300,000 people. After your visit, you’ll be transferred to your Norwegian Cruise Line program hotel or the airport for your departure.