Hundred domes and imposing remains of imperial buildings shape the Roman skyline.
They make you shivering at the thought of the millennia passing by, while the bustling flow of contemporary life consistently swallow them and remodel their aspect and their meaning.
The architectures of ancient Rome are still monumental and impressive, but how hard it is to imagine the city in the past, in its most glorious days!
A local expert guide can help you greatly to enjoy what is still in place and at the same time to mentally rebuild what went lost and the history relating to it. However, there is something which could remain elusive and unclear in your mind. What better, then, than attending the wonderful “Viaggio nei Fori” (Journeys through Ancient Rome) show of lights?
Inaugurated in 2014 as the brilliant idea of two Italian scientific journalists, Paco Lanciano and Piero Angela,
in partnership with the Roman Superintendency, the show has already seduced thousand and thousand spectators through the years and won the Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence.
How does it work? Just book the ticket (you may check for availability and book here: www.viaggioneifori.it), reach the meeting point at the indicated time, and be ready to start an extraordinary journey!Equipped with special audio systems with headphones and escorted by the narrating voice of Piero Angela, you will step again into ancient Rome and immerse yourself for 40/50 minutes into the extraordinary beauty of massive imperial monuments, brought to life again thanks to artificial lights and images.
From Easter period until November 3 rd, the show takes place almost every evening as the dark comes, in the extraordinary setting of the Imperial Fora, the several squares built by the early emperors of Rome next to the Colosseum and the former Roman Forum.
It focuses on the two earliest Fora which were realized, by will of two leaders destined to an immortal fame:
Julius Caesar and his adoptive son, Octavian, who later became emperor with the name of Augustus. The squares were named after them and are still known nowadays as the Forum of Caesar and the Forum of Augustus.
You may choose to live your immersive experience in one of them only or to include both the squares in your journey through ancient Rome: in any case, it will be informative and unforgettable!
The show through Augustus’ Forum presents a faithful reconstruction of the area, dominated by the marble Temple of Mars the Avenger, as well as an overview of the emperor, the official founder of the Roman Empire, whose colossal statue stood in a squared hall next to the sacred building.
Every architectural and sculptural detail there was accurately designed and planned to glorify the leader, the men who preceded him and made Rome great and their mutual divine ancestors.
The visit to the Forum of Caesar has been added as a new step of the project in 2015. Do not miss it! It is conceived as a travelling show across the Forum of the emperor Trajan, early 2 nd century AD, through an underground tunnel which runs under the modern avenue Viale dei Fori Imperiali and then to the Forum of Caesar, with the majestic Temple of Venus Genitrix, mythical ancestress of Caesar’s family, and to the Curia, seat of the Senate. The journey explores both Caesar’s figure and his political project, perfectly visualized by the architecture of his forum, and the role of the forum in the daily life of ancient Romans.
The whole show is an incredible blend of archaeology, history, and technology, it is true magic for the mix of sensations it raises, the amazement for the magnificent play of lights and a nostalgic mood for the glorious past of Rome.
You will be enchanted by it, as well as by its extraordinary setting, the archaeological area of the “Fori
Imperiali”, caressed by the romantic, teasing Roman breeze and the enchanting atmosphere of a warm Italian evening.