Stadium of Domitian

Architecture Tours

Discover what lies beneath Piazza Navona in central Rome on an audio guide tour, available in 6 different languages. Travel back in time and look at a selection of unpublished photographs, 3D reconstructions, videos and informative panels that tell the story of the Stadium of Domitian. Learn about the development of the site into the current piazza and the evolution of ancient Roman sports. Descend 5 meters below street level to explore the former circus in all its dimensions, and get details about the travertine blocks, brickwork and marble columns of the main entrances. Hear how up to 30,000 spectators were divided at the arena. See artifacts from the days of the Roman Empire found during archaeological excavations, including fragments of sculptures and a torso made from Pentelic marble from the quarries of Penteli north of Athens. 

Explore the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill on a guided tour. Enter the Colosseum, admire the vast building from every angle, notice where the building has crumbled from past earthquakes, and tread in the footsteps of ancient Romans. Walk up to Palatine Hill and take in breathtaking views of the ruins from the top. Upon entering Palatine Hill, you'll see the House of Augustus and witness a vast collection of frescoes that would give you a deeper insight into Ancient Rome and its rulers. Visit the Roman Forum, a place that used to be the site of triumphal processions and elections and the venue for public speeches in ancient Rome. See the Temple of Romulus, an architectural wonder located within the Roman Forum. Hear fascinating stories about these sites from your tour guide.

Discover the most important landmarks in Rome on a walking tour with a professional art historian and local guide. Begin at the Spanish Steps and make your way to Trevi Fountain and the ruins of Vicus Caprarius which lie beneath. Learn about art and history as you explore Rome's famous 2,000-year-old temples including the Pantheon. Your guide will take you underground so you can see what life was like for some of Rome's oldest inhabitants. Browse artisan shops along the way to Piazza Navona, and admire Bernini's and Borromini's masterpieces including the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, then head underground to see the remains of the ancient Stadium of Domitian. End your tour in Campo de Fiori square, a stone's throw from Trastevere, where you can unwind in authentic wineries and tavernas or enjoy some of the best nightlife in the city.

Your tour will begin at the Area Sacra of Largo Argentina, where your professional, local guide will be waiting for you. Travel back in time as you discover the Roman temples of the Area Sacra, discovered during Mussolini's dictatorship. The Area Sacra is known as the sacred area of Roman cats and is home to four temples. Follow your guide towards one of the highlights of Rome, the Pantheon. Built in the 1st century AD and a second time during Hadrian's reign, the Pantheon was the temple dedicated to all Gods. As you continue your tour, pass by the Church of Sant Eustachio, built in memory of one of the first Christians in Rome. Close by, you'll find Piazza Navona, one of the most beautiful squares in the city, also known as the Stadium of Domitianus. Follow your guide below the modern pavement to explore what is left of this huge stadium. Seize the opportunity to live as a Roman athlete for a day, while discovering the structure of one of the largest stadiums of the Roman Empire.

Discover the beauty and history of Rome's city center on this guided walking tour. Follow your guide to see highlights like the iconic Trevi Fountain and the La Barcaccia fountain in Spagna square. Cool off with a delicious gelato.  Meet your guide amid the great Altar of the Fatherland in Piazza Venezia. Listen to an introduction on city of Rome from your local guide. Your guide will tell you the secrets of the square and the Imperial Forum. You will Head to Spagna square to see the Spanish Steps and Bernini's famous fountain: "La Barcaccia." Capture a picture of the Trevi Fountain. Listen as your guide tells you the secrets behind each corner of the city. Make your way to the ancient Pantheon temple. View the well-preserved dome and learn about how this temple evolved over time.  Stop for a sweet gelato before making your way to the most famous square in the city at Piazza Navona. See the Neoclassical architecture of the Braschi palace and the Fountain of Neptune by Giacomo della Porta, who was an apprentice of Michelangelo. 

Explore the heart of Rome on a guided walking tour. See top attractions like the Piazza Navona square, the Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon. Admire an old aqueduct at the Vicus Caprarius museum and see the Stadium of Domitian. Meet your guide at fountain of Bernini in Piazza Navona and begin your guided tour through the center of Rome. Listen as your guide tells you an introduction and points out highlights in the square. Hear your guide clearly with the provided headsets. Continue to the stadium of the emperor Domitian where you can see this ancient athletic venue which seated 15,000-20,000 viewers. Make your way to the well-preserved Pantheon which was once a Roman temple before being converted to a Catholic church. Travel to the Saint Ignazio church to admire its stunning 3D frescos. Stroll to the Baroque Trevi fountain. Visit the underground excavations of the old aqueduct and the water city of Rome at the Vicus Caprarius museum. Finish your tour at La Rinascente. 

Immerse yourself in the city's history starting from Piazza Navona, one of the most charming and popular squares in Rome. The most beautiful parts of Piazza Navona are its three fountains, designed during the papacy of Gregory XIII. Erected in the center of Piazza Navona, the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi was designed by Bernini in 1651. After a look over Piazza Navona, you'll enter into the subterranean world beneath the streets of this square which is built over the site of the Stadium of Domitian. The stadium was used almost entirely for athletic contests, and for a brief period following fire-damage to the Colosseum in 217 A.D., it was used for gladiator shows. From the Stadium of Domitian you will go back on the street to move onward to the Pantheon. According to Roman legend, this is the place where at his death, the founder of Rome, Romulus, was seized by an eagle and taken off into the skies with the gods. From the Pantheon to the Secret Bath of Neptune you will have just the time to take a breath before entering into the Basilica of Neptune, built in Rome by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa in honor of Neptune. Next, travel to the Trevi Fountain and throw a coin in the water, adhering to tradition. Following the fountain, you'll enter into the subterranean world of Vicus Caprarius, also known as the City of Water. In this underground archaeological area of Vicus Caprarius you will find an intricate labyrinth of ancient remains: the remains of a domus of the imperial era; the castellum aquae of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct.

Enjoy an evening stroll through Rome's imposing palaces and grand piazzas, where water dances in beautiful fountains, and time stands still in enchanting streets. Explore history and art on an impassioned journey to encounter popes and emperors, artists and ordinary people in the places where their lives took shape, where the ancient and the modern join to create the political and religious institutions on which Italian society rests today. Your tour begins in the city's most famous public space, Piazza Navona. The square began life as the Stadium of Domitian in the first century A.D: its distinctive form has been preserved for nearly 2000 years and is still obvious today. Here you will find yourself at the heart of Roman Baroque: spectacular optical illusions and theatrical buildings reveal signs of a revolutionary new approach to architectural space. Discover the twin genius of Bernini and Borromini, the two greatest rivals of their age and opposites in every respect. See Bernini's marvelous Fountain of the Four Rivers, a pyramidal masterpiece that culminates in the flight of a dove. Dominating the skyline above is Borromini's curving facade and bell tower of the church of Santa Agnese, where stone takes on the malleability of the softest clay. In your next stop, Piazza di Spagna, find yourself at the foot of the iconic Spanish Steps. Learn about the history of the church of the Trinita' Dei Monti that towers above the square, as well as why the young Gian Lorenzo Bernini and his sculptor father adopted the unusual subject of a boat for the fountain of the Barcaccia. Uncover the social significance of the majestic stairway that came to unite these two areas separated for centuries by a high cliff. After short stops at the Colonna dell Immacolata (Column of the Immaculate Conception) and the house of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, reach another of the city's most indelible landmarks, the Trevi Fountain. Here, be lulled by the magical song of the waters, immersing yourself in this wonderful piece of theatrical architecture that both recalls the great buildings of the past and allows you to imagine the impossible architecture of the mind. With the help of your guide, read the many legends written in the relief sculpture of the triumphal arch, where the god Ocean advances with his Tritons and winged horses to celebrate an ancient festival of water.