An Unforgettable Experience Awaits
Rome is teeming with art, from Renaissance frescoes to contemporary galleries, classical statues to Baroque décor. A really unique experience for your art students. Learn more about this trip.
Trip Highlights
Michelangelo’s ceiling fresco at the Sistine Chapel
Classical works at the Forum and the Capitoline Museums
Arte Povera and pop art at the Museum of contemporary art
Contemporary art and architecture at MAXXI
Recommended excursions
Colosseum, Rome
The Colosseum is the most spectacular surviving edifice of ancient Rome and the largest amphitheater in the world. See the arena where senators, Vestal Virgins and the masses watched gory gladiatorial conquests, battle reenactments, executions and mythological dramas. A visit here helps students to understand the importance of the spectacle in Roman society.
Palatine Hill
Overlooking the Forum, this was once the smartest address in the Roman Empire. Students can investigate the remains of extravagant palaces built here for emperors including Tiberius and Domitian. The hill is said to be where Romulus killed Remus in 735BC, and in 2007, a sacred sanctuary dedicated to the brothers was unearthed here beneath the house of Augustus.
The Roman Forum
Visit the centre of classical Rome with your students, and stand on the spot where the great orators made their names. Now a sprawling ruin of architectural fragments in the city centre, the Forum was the site of processions, elections, public speeches and criminal trials. Tip: A visit here is a good starting point for discussions on the life and times of Cicero.
The Vatican
The centre of the Roman Catholic Church is home to the awe-inspiring Renaissance masterpiece Basilica di San Pietro and the Vatican Museums, with rich collections from classical sculpture to Egyptian pieces, Renaissance paintings and the legendary Sistine Chapel. Students learn how the Vatican gained its position and explore its contemporary meaning.
Sistine Chapel
Michaelangelo’s 16th-century ceiling fresco here is considered his best work and perhaps the greatest artwork of the Renaissance. Student can inspect his masterpiece, The Last Judgement, and other frescoes in the chapel by Botticelli, Perugino, Pinturicchio and Ghirlandaio.
Trevi Fountain
This fountain at the junction of three roads – tre vie – marks the end point of one of the aqueducts that supplied water to ancient Rome. Completed in 1762, it’s a baroque extravaganza of carved seashells, sea beasts and mermaids incorporated in a stately triumphal arch. It famously featured in the films Three Coins in the Fountain and La Dolce Vita.
Spanish Steps
Students on their own ‘Grand Tour’ can join the likes of writers Byron and Honoré de Balzac in being inspired by the view from the longest and widest staircase in Europe. The hillside was transformed in 1723 – 1725 in honour of a diplomatic visit by the king of Spain, with the staircase linking the Piazza di Spagna to the Trinita dei Monti church.
Gallery of Modern Art of Roma Capitale
Set in an eighteenth-century convent, this gallery has many fine examples of neoclassical and Romantic paintings and sculptures. Students can follow the dramatic change from the glories of the Renaissance and ancient Rome to more recent pieces of work by artists including Balla, Boccioni, Giorgio de Chirico, Fattori, Modigliani and Morandi.
Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome MACRO
Set in a redesigned Peroni beer factory, this museum is a refreshingly contemporary offering from Rome’s gallery scene. Its permanent collection includes a selection of some of the most significant expressions of the Italian art scene since the 1960s, such as the group Forma 1, with works by Carla Accardi and Antonio Sanfilippo, arte povera and pop art.
The Galleria Borghese
The Galleria Borghese is set within the Villa Borghese Pinciana, renowned for its gardens. A substantial part of the Borghese collection of paintings, sculptures and antiquities come from the 1st-3rd centuries AD including classical and neo-classical sculptures such as the Venus Victrix and a beautiful ceiling fresco by the Sicilian artist Mariano Rossi.
MAXXI – National Museum of the 21st Century Arts
This centre for contemporary creativity is housed in daring structure – composed of overlapping tubes – designed by Zaha Hadid. Committed to experimentation and innovation, it consists of two museums – MAXXI art and MAXXI architecture. It also features an auditorium, a library and spaces for temporary exhibitions, performances and educational activities.
Museo Carlo Bilotti
This little modern-art museum, named after the entrepreneur whose collection it houses, is set in the Orangery of Villa Borghese. The permanent collection features modern and pop art favorites including Giorgio di Chirico and Roy Lichtenstein, while its temporary shows focus on international names such as Willem de Kooning, Damien Hirst and Philip Guston.
Chiesa del Gesu
This is the mother church of the Jesuits in Rome built in 1568. It is lavishly decorated in Baroque style. The frescoes by Baciccia on the dome depict The Triumph of the Name of Jesus. A beautifully decorated chapel is the resting place of St Ignatius of Loyola.
Capitoline Museums
These museums are situated on Capitoline Hill and contain Roman works of art and archaeological discoveries that have been collected since 1471. Exhibits include the bronze Etruscan she-wolf suckling Remus and Romulus which is the emblem of Rome. There are classical statues and the gallery includes works by Caravaggio, Tintoretto and Titian.
National Gallery of Ancient Art
This is one of Italy’s most important art collections housed in the 17th century Barberini Palace, an architectural gem in itself with beautiful frescoes. The collection includes the renowned Fornarina by Raffaello and paintings by Tiziano and Caravaggio and a Holbein painting of Henry VIII.
Typical accommodation
Hotel Luciani ★★
Why groups like it:
- Located perfectly for public transport, it’s 50m from bus and Metro stops
- 100m from the Stazione Termini
- 24-hour reception desk and multilingual staff make this great for groups
Facilities:
- Snack bar and Wi-Fi access
- TV room
- Continental breakfas
Hotel Pacific, Rome ★★★
Why groups like it:
- Located close to St Peter’s Square and the Vatican in a respectable neighborhood
- 1.5km from Stadio Olimpico stadium for football fans
- Close to the main train station where your group can catch a Metro line to all the famous sights
Facilities:
- Soundproofed rooms
- All rooms with private bathrooms
- Satellite TV lounge & buffet breakfast
Itinerary suggestion
1 Flight to Rome. Flight time approximately 2 ½ hours
2 Coach transfer to your accommodation
3 Evening meal. The Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps
1 Breakfast then The Colosseum and the Roman Forum
2 Visit the Museum of Modern Art
3 Evening meal
1 Breakfast
2 St Peter’s and the Vatican Museums
3 The Villa Borgehese Gallery
4 Evening meal. Piazza Navona for an ice cream
1 Breakfast
2 Flight time permitting visit MAXXI Gallery
3 Coach transfer to the airport to connect with your return flight to the UK
Learning outcomes
Subject focus
Students can:
- See a wide range of world-class religious and secular art
- Understand classical art, sculpture and architecture
- Consider the development of art through millennia
- Learn about the city that has provided the source for so much inspirational artwork throughout the Roman Empire
- Find inspiration for their own work
Student outcomes
Students will have had an opportunity to:
- View a wide range of inspiring works presentations and media
- Develop an understanding of the inspirations and techniques behind the works
- Encounter a range of influences to inform their own work
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Wonderful support throughout the trip and excellent knowledge of the area visiting
Hardenhuish School
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