Yuletide in Rome

Settle in your hotel. You'll have some free time to unwind and unpack.

Your combination ticket also allows entrance to the archaeological site on the Palatine Hill. Should time allow, you may want to make your way up the hill to visit the site and its museum. This was the oldest residential area in Ancient Rome.

Marvel at Michelangelo’s Last Judgment and brightly-colored ceiling frescoes in the Sistine Chapel.

A visit is included to St. Peter’s Basilica, which houses priceless works of art, in particular Michelangelo’s Pietà and Bernini’s Dove of the Holy Spirit.

San Clemente excavations • In the 19th century, a basilica built in the 4th century was discovered beneath the medieval basilica, still bearing some of its original frescoes. Deeper excavations have uncovered a lower level with a Roman temple to Mithras from the 1st century.

A half-day local guide, well-educated and specially-trained on the history of Ostia Antica, will accompany you.

Ruins at Ostia Antica and Ostiense Museum • Explore the city which was Rome's main seaport until its harbor silted up. Eventually, tidal mud and sand covered Ostia, which laid dormant for centuries. In the Baroque era, marble from its site was used to build palaces in Rome, but excavations undertaken in the 20th century have reawakened the ancient city. Now thoroughly unearthed and excellently maintained, Ostia Antica is a fascinating place to visit. It contains notably the remnants of a synagogue dating back to the 1st century AD, which makes it one of the oldest known synagogue sites.

Your visit also includes the Ostiense Museum, repository of artifacts found on the site.

Alban Hills towns • The volcanic Alban Hills region, set within the Parco Regionale dei Castelli Romani, includes two crater lakes and thirteen picturesque towns founded in the pre-Roman era of Ancient Latium. They are collectively called "Castles of Rome" because they were later chosen by popes and prominent Roman families as cool places (literally) to establish their summer country estates.

Sightseeing stop in Castel Gandolfo to view the Papal Palace • Head up to the highest point of a town set on a long ridge above Lake Albano. It's said to occupy the site of the ancient citadel of Alba Longa, the mythical mother city of all ancient Latium towns, and, by extension, of Rome itself. Nowadays, its name, Castel Gandolfo, is synonymous with the official summer residence of the Pope: the Papal Palace, or Apostolic Palace, built in the 1600s on the site of one of Domitian's palaces.

Sightseeing stop in Frascati • Explore Frascati, which is perhaps the most elegant of the Castelli Romani towns with its villas and parks. It's also widely known for its production of cheese, jams, and DOC white wines.

Winery guided tour and tasting • Learn about the long history of the property and discover the steps involved the production of fine DOCG Frascati wines on your tour of the winery. Then, sample of a couple of homegrown wines.