Rome VIP Chauffeured Sightseeing Tour with Hotel Pickup

Piazza Venezia is the central hub of Rome, Italy, in which several thoroughfares intersect, including the Via Dei Fori Imperiali and the Via del Corso. It takes its name from the Palazzo Venezia, built by the Venetian Cardinal, Pietro Barbo (later Pope Paul II) alongside the church of Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice. The Palazzo Venezia served as the embassy of the Republic of Venice in Rome. One side of the Piazza is the site of Italy's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Altare Della Patria, part of the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy. The piazza or square is at the foot of Capitoline Hill and next to Trajan's Forum. The main artery, the Via di Fori Imperiali begins there and leads past the Roman Forum to the Colosseum. Capitalizing on this modern and ancient symbolism--and the useful open space--Piazza Venezia was the location of public speeches given by the Italian dictator Mussolini to crowds of his supporters in the 1920s-1940s.

The building was erected in Campo Marzio, in the place that tradition had consecrated to the scenic performances, connected with the temple of Apollo. The project was started by Julius Caesar and taken over by Augustus. Probably completed in 17 BC, Teatro di Marcello was dedicated in 13 or 11 BC to the memory of Marcello, nephew and successor of the emperor, who died in Baia in 27 BC. Teatro di Marcello was still in operation in the 4th century; later it was transformed into a fortress, owned by the Pierleoni and Fabi families. In the 16th century, Baldassarre Peruzzi erected the still existing building, on behalf of the Savelli family and was purchased two centuries later by the Orsini family. It was an impressive theatre with a diameter of 130 metres. 36 bronze vases facilitated the acoustics. The theatre was covered by a "Velario" and had a capacity of 15,000 seats, 20,000 in case of need.

The Tiber Island (Italian: Isola Tiberina, Latin: Insula Tiberina) is the only island in the part of the Tiber which runs through Rome. Tiber Island is located in the southern bend of the Tiber. The island is boat-shaped, approximately 270 metres (890 feet) long and 67 metres (220 feet) wide, and has been connected with bridges to both sides of the river since antiquity. Being a seat of the ancient temple of Asclepius and later a hospital, the island is associated with medicine and healing. The Fatebenefratelli Hospital founded in the 16th century, and the San Bartolomeo all'Isola dating from the 10th century are located on the island.