At the Heart of the Roman Empire – Rome was not the capital of a country.  It was the capital of all the civil world..

Founded, according to tradition, in 753 B.C. at the confluence of many important commercial routes connecting Etruria, Latium and Campania, after the legendary period of the ‘seven Kings’ it became a Republic  in 509 B. C.

After the sack perpetuated by Brennus in 390 B.C. the Romans began a vigorous policy of expansion in central and southern Italy, and then continued further on to Spain, Macedonia and Africa.

Carthage fell in 146 B.C: With the fall of Corinth,  Rome became a Mediterranean superpower and  was more and more attracted in the orbit of Hellenistic culture.  The republican institutions began to falter.

By the 1^st c. B:C:, but notwithstanding this the expansion continued with the conquest of Numidia, Pontus, Crete, Syria and Gallia.  The murder of Julius Caesar (44 B.C.) and the struggle between Marcus Antonius and Octavian brought to the constitution of a new form of government, the Princedom, that will continue until the 2^ndcentury of the Common Era. During these centuries the Roman Empire attains its maximum  splendor.

With the 3^rd century Rome, because of the extreme vastness of its dominions, starts losing its centrality, until when under Diocletian the Empire is divided in two parts, reorganizing profoundly all the institutions. Rome has a century of renovated prosperity.

In 313 Emperor Constantine officially authorizes  Christian religion.

Rome was at then a megalopolis with 4 million citizens and the Roman Empire had about 50 million subjects.

Our private tour  “At the Heart of the Roman Empire” explores the imposing remains of ancient Rome; we’ll follow the extraordinary history of the birth, pinnacle and fall of this mythical Empire and get to know its major protagonists.