It is said that all roads lead to Rome, but if you only have a short amount of time in the Eternal City then you need to plan your journey carefully. Take this private full-day shore excursion from Civitavecchia cruise ship terminal and travel by comfortable Mercedes or Volkswagen minibuses to the center of Rome with a private driver/guide. Once in Rome, your first stop will be the Colosseum, where after a commentary by your driver, you will have the chance to visit inside avoiding the long lines to enter. Drive to Aventine Hill and stop for panoramic views across to Palatine Hill, with the Circus Maximus below. Continue to another of the 7 hills of Rome, called Capitoline, for breathtaking views of the Roman Forum and the old city center. Then, drive to Piazza Venezia, passing the Victor Emanuel Monument – known locally as the "wedding cake" - and the Pantheon. Enjoy some free time exploring the amazing 1st-century BC temple, now a church, where Victor Emanuel II and Raphael are buried. Continue to the Baroque Trevi Fountain and throw in a coin to guarantee you will one day return to Rome. Next, drive by the Spanish Steps and stop for lunch in a typical restaurant, suggested by your driver, or enjoy some free time on your own. Continue to the Vatican Museums, where you can skip the long lines to see the Sistine Chapel, either on your own or by hiring a licensed English-speaking guide. They will take you on a private 2-hour tour that includes St. Peter's Basilica. End your visit to the Vatican at approximately 16:00 for the 1-hour drive back to Civitavecchia, and a drop off directly by your cruise ship.

The tour start from Civitavecchia port/area. You will drive south with your English-speaking driver, through the beautiful landscape of Lazio. After about an hour’s drive, you will enter the eternal city of Rome and after 20 minutes or a little bit more depends on the traffic conditions, the driver will drop you off at the Vatican museum entrance, where you will meet your licensed tour guide. Take advantage of your exclusive skip-the-line access tickets, entering the museums through a panoramic terrace where you can admire the stunning view of Saint Peter's dome overlooking the Vatican gardens.  Begin your tour of the collections which include a seemingly infinite number of masterpieces by Bernini, Raphael, Botticelli, Perugino, and other treasures - all incredibly united under one roof of the world-renowned Vatican museums. Learn about how the numerous popes that have lived in the Vatican continuously enriched it with different artworks. Admire the most beautiful ancient Roman statues and gaze in awe at the length of the enormous Tapestry Hall, before continuing on through the Hall of the Painted Maps you will enter the Sistine Chapel whose impact in history, religion and visual arts has no equal in the world! Like the 'Last Judgment' by Michelangelo. At last, through an exclusive gallery directly linked to the Sistine Chapel, you will reach the largest Catholic Church in the world: St. Peter’s Basilica. The greatness of this structure and care of details will overwhelm you. This is where Michelangelo’s sculpture “Pietà” is kept and the tombs of the popes, including St. John Paul II’s and St. Peter the Apostle. Once finished at St. Peter square where, your driver will take you back to embark your cruise ship.

Discover the city of Tarquinia and visit the Unesco world heritage site of the Etruscan necropolis, containing tombs painted more than 3000 years ago, with the help of your local guide. Learn about the extraordinary artwork in the tombs, which predates the Romans and gives unique insight into the ancient culture and daily lives of the Etruscan people.  Leave the necropolis, and follow your guide to one of the most impressive museums on the Etruscans, located in the spectacular Palazzo Vitelleschi. Continue your discovery of Etruscan life and see items of pottery, arts and crafts which have previously been displayed in New York and Paris.  Finish your time in Tarquinia by relaxing and enjoying an authentic Italian lunch, in a traditional local restaurant. Savor the unique and dazzling flavours of the Lazio region, for the perfect end to your day of discovery. Upgrade the default tour option to also explore the underground city of Etruscopolis and see a massive underground quarry from the 4th-century BC featuring recreations of Etruscan homes and see what life was like in a time before the Romans.

Start the day with pickup from Civitavecchia harbor in an air-conditioned bus and then head to Rome to meet your experienced guide. After a brief explanation of the itinerary, it’s time to visit the world’s largest amphitheater, the Colosseum, and enjoy skip-the-line entry. In your small group, experience the wonders of Ancient Rome as you wander through this iconic landmark. Your guide will bring the Colosseum back to life and explain how the gladiators entertained the crowds with spectacular fights. Learn about the engineering applied by the Romans to build such an imposing structure so ahead of its time. After the Colosseum, proceed into the archaeological site of the Roman Forum which represented the commercial, legal and administrative center of ancient Rome. Take a step back in time to the Imperial age of Rome and discover the ancient ruins, including Julius Caesar’s original mausoleum where his body was cremated, the imposing temple of Antonino and Faustina and the fascinating structure of the ancient Roman senate. Learn about the true meaning of the phrase “bread and circuses” while your guide describes the splendor, glory, and spectacle that made the Colosseum the finest, most technologically advanced entertainment complex of its time. At the end of the visit, enjoy some free time before being taken back to Civitavecchia port.

Fullday Best highlights: • The Pantheon ("temple of all the gods") is a former Roman temple, now a church, in Rome, on the site of an earlier temple commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD). • Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world. The fountain has appeared in several notable films, including "Roman Holiday", Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita", the eponymous "Three Coins in the Fountain", The Lizzie McGuire Movie, and "Sabrina Goes to Rome". • The Spanish Steps are a set of steps dating from 1723, climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna (one of the most famous squares in Rome) and the top dominated by Trinita dei Monti Church. • Piazza Venezia is the central hub of Rome. One side of the Piazza is the monumental site of Italy's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Altare della Patria, part of the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, first King of Italy. • Roman Forum for centuries the Forum was the center of day-to-day life in Ancient Rome (from outside). • Colosseum (Skip-the-line tickets included included in All-Inclusive Option) The Colosseum is the main symbol of Rome. It is an imposing construction that, with almost 2,000 years of history, will bring you back in time to discover the way of life in the Roman Empire. • The Circus Maximus is an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue. • Piazza Campo de Fiori: Lunch Time, Lunch included in a typical Roman Restaurant. • The Vatican Museums (Skip-The-Line Tickets included in All-Inclusive Option) are located within the city boundaries of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by popes throughout the centuries including several of the most renowned Roman sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world. The museums contain roughly 70,000 works, of which 20,000 are on display. • The Sistine Chapel (Skip-The-Line Tickets included included in All-Inclusive Option) takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV. Today, it is the site of the papal conclave, the process by which a new pope is selected. The fame of the Sistine Chapel lies mainly in the frescos that decorate the interior, most particularly the Sistine Chapel ceiling and The Last Judgment by Michelangelo. • St. Peter's Basilica: Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world.

Enjoy a cruise shore excursion from Civitavecchia to Tivoli, take a tour of Hadrian's Villa, and Villa d'Este, and learn the history of each site, from their construction to the modern-day on this shore excursion. Leave your cruise ship and be met by your driver to travel to Tivoli. Relax in a private air conditioned vehicle and admire the scenery on the way to the first stop on the tour, Via Tiburtina. See Via Tiburtina, where the marble that makes up the Colosseum was sourced, and see the quarry, which is still in use today. Hop back in the vehicle to move on to Hadrian's Villa, a spectacular ruin. Arrive at Hadrian's Villa, one of the most magnificent ancient Roman ruins in the world, and see the sprawling estate, which includes a palace, theatres, expansive gardens, pools, and fountains. Explore the buildings and gardens around the villa, spread over an area twice the size of the ruins of Pompeii. Learn about the life, career, and artistic tastes of the former emperor, inspired by his travels through the empire. Visit sites such as the Private Library and the Maritime Theatre, and be enchanted by the unique atmosphere of the villa and its gardens. Admire the famous Canopy, a lake surrounded by arcades and statues. Move on to the beautiful Villa d'Este, a sixteenth-century villa famous for its breathtaking beauty. Walk through the winding streets of the historic town center to reach the villa. Marvel at the luxurious rooms of the Villa, and see the spectacular frescoes that fill the rooms. Listen as the guide goes over the public and private life of d'Este, a patron of the arts and aspiring Pope. Return to Civitavecchia at the end of the tour to re-board your cruise ship and continue on your journey.