This tour explores this development of Rome, allowing you to grasp the key monuments and artefacts which helped shape the city. You will be able to appreciate the contribution which Greeks made to Rome, as well as understand the impact which Etruscans had on the very fabric of Rome. The tour starts both chronologically and south of Rome, with the magnificent monuments located in Paestum, as well as the many painted tombs from the Greek and Lucanian periods which show how Roman notions of heroism, warfare and religion derived from this area. Not far from Paestum, we explore the astounding Vesuvian towns, Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as suburban villas near them, which allow us to not only to see how Rome shared a common culture with other Italians, but give us an important glimpse into everyday life in Rome. These towns tell us everything from how traffic circulated, how the rich and poor lived cheek by jowl, how literate they were and how industries were crammed into houses. Travelling up the Appian Way, we explore the important city of Capua, whose enormous amphitheatre was fundamental to the development of gladiatorial games. Reaching Rome, we first explore the wonderful National Etruscan Museum Villa Giulia to explore these First Lords of Italy, the Italic people whose influence spanned most of the Italian peninsula. We continue this exploration with a visit to one of the most important Etruscan sites, the extraordinary city of Caere, now called Cerveteri. Here we explore the Banditaccia cemetery, filled with round tombs reminiscent of later Roman tombs, including Augustus’ mausoleum. Our exploration of Rome is exhaustive. We explore the heart of Rome, exploring the narrative of its myths located in the Palatine and Velabrum which recounted the foundation of the city. We also examine imperial messaging, from the grandeur of the emperors’ palaces, including Nero’s Golden House, to the monuments they erected to promote and justify their rule, such as the spectacular Colosseum and exquisite Ara Pacis. Finally, the tour goes behind the scenes to explore the everyday, travelling to Ostia and to Monte Testaccio to consider how Romans lived and to examine the vast trading network which enabled Rome’s huge population to stay alive. From examining monuments which allows us to understand the development of Rome to the in depth exploration of buildings and artefacts which enables us to grasp of how the city worked, this tour permits us not only to better grasp the essence of Roman civilisation but allows us to understand Europe and western history.