Augustus and Mussolini
Mussolini liked to think of himself as the new Augustus, returning Italy to the power and position held by the Roman Empire. Visit the many Augustan and fascist-era monuments and spaces across the city. Perfect for a joint History/Classics Trip – visit in parallel or on separate mini itineraries!
Arrive Fiumicino, meet courier and depart coach to Rome. Before reaching the hotel stop at Foro Italico, Obelisco Mussolini, Stadio dei Marmi and Stadio Olimpico del Nuoto.
Figure 1: Part of the Foro Italico
This may comprise a mix of interior and exterior views depending on availability and sporting programmes. Built under Mussolini between 1928 and 1938, the Foro Italico was constructed to help Mussolini’s bid for Rome to host the (ultimately cancelled) 1940 Summer Olympics. The Foro Italico is seen as the preeminent example of Fascist era architecture.
After Hotel check in, a walk to see local archaeology – Porta Maggiore, Republican Tombs on Via Statilia, Tomb of the Baker, Temple of Minerva Medica, Aurelian Walls, and Neronian Aqueduct.
Depending upon time available, possibly also Porta Tiburtina, Nymphaeum of Alexander Severus, Arch of Gallienus & Castrense Amphitheatre.
Evening Meal at a local trattoria.
Day 2Breakfast at hotel and depart on foot or on public transport (tickets not included) with pre-delivered Whispering Guide Headsets at €4pp, mandatory for the Colosseum.
Start at the Roman Forum, the beating heart of the Roman Republic and the early Empire; an unmissable site, where the tides of history take hold and you feel the liminality of the space. Climb the Palatine Hill to walk around the home of the emperors, the Domus Augusta and Flavia, the immense hill— sized structure gives us the word ‘Palace’.
Figure 2: The Roman Forum from Palatine Hill
Stroll through the remains of the halls of power before exiting for lunch. We suggest finding somewhere nearby, either towards the Ludus Magnus, or head into Monti (about a 5 min walk from the Via dei Fori Imperiali) for a variety of different food options to cover dietary requirements of pupils and staff. Head back after lunch to visit the Colosseum, symbol of Rome and the power of the empire. Standard entry grants you access to the first and second floor levels, with the mini- museum on the second floor.
Once you’ve finished in the Colosseum head out to Centro Storico to appreciate the unavoidable impact of Mussolini on Rome’s roads network and archaeology. Starting in the Circus Maximus, head towards the Forum Boarium and Forum Holitorium, for the Via Luigi Petroselli and the remains of the existing buildings (Republican Portico, start of the Vicus Jugarius, Piso Cippus and Sant’Omobono site) before Mussolini ordered the road to be forced through it. Walk up to the Theatre of Marcellus, Portico of Octavia and the Jewish Quarter.
The first two buildings constructed under Augustus and dedicated to members of his family, the latter the home of Rome’s Jewish population before the mass deportation of the October 16th 1943. In the Ghetto, do notice the bronze cobblestones which commemorate the Jewish citizens taken in that deportation, with details of names, birth date, date of deportation and date of death. (If you opt for Monti for lunch, you’ll notice many there too.)
Head back round to Piazza Venezia to see Mussolini’s balcony at Palazzo Venezia and the Via dei Fori Imperiali (another road forced through the archaeology by Mussolini) where you’ll be able to see Trajan’s Column and the remains of the Imperial Fora, with the imperial (and some medieval) archaeology displayed on either side.
Evening Meal at a local trattoria.
Day 3Breakfast at hotel and depart on foot for Ara Pacis with a brief stop en route for exterior Mausoleum of Augustus and the modern Res Gestae on the outside of Ara Pacis Museum.
Figure 3: The Mausoleum of Augustus
The altar dedicated to Augustan Peace was fully pieced back together (then moved) under Mussolini’s orders to sit next to the Mausoleum of the first emperor. The Piazza Augusto Imperatore set around the Mausoleum is a fascist era construction with many sculpted reliefs.
The building on the north side has become a Bulgari hotel featuring a statue (presumably a cast) of Augustus in the reception. Full of Augustan propaganda imagery, the Ara Pacis was dedicated by the Senate after Augustus returned from campaigns abroad, before being opened on Livia’s birthday. What a present! Having finished at the Museum and in the Piazza, walk to the Pantheon to see the Hadrianic era rebuild of the Temple to All the Gods built under Augustus.
Arguably the greatest example of architecture in a city full of good examples, the Pantheon can’t be fully appreciated until you walk inside and look up. Stop for lunch nearby, as there are plenty of restaurant options in the area, before walking around the local Campus Martius area – Piazza Navona (with Palazzo Braschi Fascist HQ and Interrogation Centre) at the southern end, Temple of Hadrian, Column of Marcus Aurelius, Augustan Obelisks at Piazza del Popolo and outside Palazzo Montecitorio. Head to Villa Torlonia for a guided tour of the recently reopened Mussolini’s bunker.
The tour has a max group size of 15 pax at a time, so you may have to rotate with a visit to the Villa. Head back towards the hotel for a visit to the Museum of the Liberation of Rome, Museo Storico della Liberazione, a road away from Manzoni’s metro station. The museum hosts several rooms dedicated to a variety of topics focused around the Occupation and Resistance.
Evening Meal at a local trattoria with an optional trek to the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps.
Day 4
Breakfast at hotel and check out for coach departure. First stop at Pyramid of Cestius and Ostiense Railway Station to view the Memorial Plaque to the 597 people who gave up their lives here defending Rome on September 10, 1943.
Figure 4: Pyramid of Cestius and the Memorial Plaques
Continue by coach for the Fosse Ardeatine Memorial, where 335 Italians were executed as reprisal for an Italian partisan attack on German troops – 10 men for each German soldier killed.
Re-board coach and head for EUR district, its construction ordered by Mussolini to celebrate 20 years of fascism and host the 1942 World’s Fair, which like the Olympics, was cancelled due to the 2nd World War. Intended as a new entrance to Rome, the whole was not completed until the Rome Olympic Games. Depending on flight departure time, time to explore the ‘new city’, Marconi Obelisk, Square Colosseum, Sports Palace, S.S. Peter and Paul’s Basilica, Museums, gardens and fountains. Take Lunch in one of the many outlets – there’s even a shopping centre and fun fair!
Head to the airport to check in for homeward flight.
Feel free to contact us to tailor your own tour. 01342 324727Optional Extras
i – Afternoon excursion to Anzio to see the The Anzio Beachhead Museum (opening hours a little restrictive – 10:30-13:00 and 17:00-19:00).
ii – A Full or Half Day excursion to Nemi to the Museum of the Ships and Caligula’s pleasure barges. The ships were discovered in the 16th Century at the bottom of Lake Nemi but it wasn’t until Mussolini ordered the lake to be drained using its emissary canal that the ships were fully recovered and stored in a purpose-built museum. Unfortunately, in 1944 the ships and museum were burned in a blaze, either caused by allied bombing or retreating German forces. The new museum houses various remains from the ships that survived (or were saved from) the fire and votive offerings and grave goods from the wider area. If Nemi is an option you’d like to take up, we can also include Palazzo Massimo alle Terme museum in Rome where several bronze fixtures from the ships are on display as well as the famous Augustus as a Priest statue from the Via Labicana.
Figure 5: One of Caligula’s Boats in a 1929 photo – {{PD-US}}
Figure 6: Bronzes from Caligula’s Ship
Figure 7: The Reconstructed Ara Pacis Augustae
Figure 8: The Memorial Cobblestones
Figure 9: The fascist era architecture in the Piazza Augusto Imperatore
Figure 10: Mussolini speaking from balcony at Palazzo Venezia 10th June, 1940 {{PD-1996}}