CCR Walks: EUR - October 24, 2026

Exactly a century ago, in 1926, Italy introduced the Leggi Fascistissime, outlawing opposition to the Fascist Government. As one of its many promotional initiatives, the regime planned a 1942 world's fair, with buildings designed by a range of young pioneering architects. The fair never took place, but  today the core buildings in the resulting EUR neighbourhood are indisputably the most eye catching of Italy’s landmarks from the Fascist era.

We will take a fresh look at its enigmatic buildings, which have provided the backdrop to film classics, ads and music videos, and will consider what to make of it all today. We are planning for a group of no more than 15.

When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026

Time: 10 a.m. 

Meeting Place: registered participants will be informed of the exact spot by email. 

Cost: Guided visit for CCR members €10, non-members €15. 

RSVP: ATTN Peter at canadarome@gmail.com

CCR Walks: Farnesina in Trastevere - A Renaissance Villa - May 20, 2026

A foray into the charmed life of Agostino Chigi, the Sienese moneylender who became the Pope’s banker and was known as “richest man in Christendom.” His suburban villa, now called “Farnesina in Trastevere,” was inspired by ancient Roman villas. It was frescoed by Raphael and other leading artists with works celebrating Agostino’s good fortune and his meteoric career in Renaissance Rome. The Farnesina became the setting for luxurious banquets, tragic love stories, and artistic debate. Miraculously surviving the dramatic events which marked the end of Renaissance in Rome, the Villa and the gardens have recently been restored and help bring that lost world back to life.

Art historian and author Olivia Ercoli will guide us through this beautiful ancient villa.

When: Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Time: 10:30 (please arrive by 10:15)

Meeting Place: registered participants will be informed of the exact spot by email. 

Cost: CCR members €15, non-members €22 includes guided tour and entrance fee to Villa Farnesina. Advance payment required by Friday, May 16.  

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com  ATTN Linda.

CCR Walks with Olivia: Underground at Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill - March 29, 2015

 NB: Change of  date & time.

The Basilica of Santa Sabina, a beautiful early Christian church on the Aventine, nestles quietly among the orange groves today but was once the scene of Medieval aristocratic struggles for power and first saw the arrival of the Dominican order and the changes this order helped make to urban living in Europe. We will delve under the church to see lesser-known areas not normally open to the public as we chart the area's amazing history.

Special permit. Limited number of participants.

When: Sunday, March 29, 2015
Time: 11 a.m., meeting point at 10:45 a.m.
Meeting point: to be sent to confirmed participants by email
Cost: €15 for CCR members, €20 (maximum 20 participants). Please bring exact change, as this will greatly facilitate the process for everyone. 
RVSP required by Thursday, March 26th:  ATTN Peter at canadarome@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation. 
NOTE: Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly.

CCR Walks with Olivia: Constantine and the Arco di Malborghetto - February 8, 2015

All Italian school children are taught that Constantine beat his rival Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge in the year 312 AD, ushering in a new era in Western Europe. Very few people have actually visited one of the few extant sites linked to the momentous battle -- the Malborghetto Arch, at km 19 along the Via Flaminia, which was erected by a thankful Constantine as a four-sided triumphal monument to mark the place where he pitched his camp before the fateful battle. The arch was walled up and turned into a medieval “casale” or fortified farm house, which was bought by a “pomatarius” or herbalist, to whom it owes its present castle-like appearance, and was only identified in the early 1900s. We will visit the small museum inside, and chart the story of the arch and its history.

When: Sunday, February 8, 2015
Time & Meeting Place: 10:15 a.m. at Sacrofano railway station parking lot. The 9:30 commuter train from Piazzale Flaminio arrives at Sacrofano at 9:57. 
Cost: €10 for CCR members, €15 for non-members for the guided tour. Please bring exact change, as this will greatly facilitate the process for everyone.
RVSP required by Wednesday, February 4th:  ATTN Joe at canadarome@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation.
NOTE: Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly.

CCR Special Permit with Olivia: Livia's Villa at Prima Porta - January 18, 2015

After the death of her husband, Emperor Augustus, on 19 August of the year 14 A.D., Empress Livia retired to a large and beautiful villa north of the city of Rome at the 9^th mile of the Via Flaminia. The villa was discovered again in the18^th century, and soon yielded wonderful works of art, some of them still recognized today as fundamental to understanding the Augustan period. It was here that, after Augustus's death, the Imperial Cult was codified and turned into a powerful political weapon. Our visit takes place after important restorations marking the 2000th anniversary of Augustus's death.

When: Sunday, January 18, 2015

Time: 9:45 a.m.

Cost: €14 for CCR members, €19 for non-members. N.B. Please bring exact change, as this will greatly facilitate the process for everyone. 

RVSP required by Wednesday, January 14th, ATTN Joe or Peter at canadarome@gmail.com or Olivia Ercoli at oliviaercoli1@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

NOTES: Max 20 people allowed. Car pooling will be organized as the location close to Prima Porta cemetery is not easy to reach with public transport.

Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly.

CCR Walks with Olivia: The Via Ostiensis and Giovannipolis - September 14, 2014

Archaeological excavations continue to reveal more detail about the complex historical period of the Early years of Christianity – and to raise more questions! On this walk we explore Saint Paul's Basilica, and the via Ostiensis. A special permit allows us to enter the Necropoli Ostiense, a large pagan necropolis dating from Republican times destined to house Christian burials after St Paul was buried nearby, supposedly in year 68 or 69 AD. We also visit an Early Medieval archaeological site which has come to light under the basilica complex opened in 2013, which includes a convent, an oratory and many clues of the hard life of Early Medieval inhabitants of the fortified Giovannipolis, as this settlement came to be known.

When: Sunday, September 14, 2014

Time: 9:45 a.m. Please be punctual as the permit is for 10:00 a.m. sharp and we cannot wait for latecomers. Those who would like to meet for coffee beforehand, please join us at 9:30 a.m. (address sent to confirmed participants). 
Cost: €10 for CCR members, €15 for non-members for the guided tour. Entrance fee for the necropolis: €4. Entrance fee for St Paul's Basilica excavations: €2. Please bring exact change for each fee, as this will greatly facilitate the process for everyone. 
RVSP required by Wednesday September 10th:  ATTN Joe at canadarome@gmail.com or Olivia Ercoli at oliviaercoli1@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation. 
NOTE: Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly.

CCR Walks with Olivia: Insula Ara Coeli - March 16, 2014

Special permission secured for access to Insula Ara Coeli. 

During this walk we'll be inspecting one of those monuments we all walk past, but never really “see”: the ruins of a three-floor “insula” -- or ancient Roman apartment block -- nestled between the Monument to Victor Emmanuel in Piazza Venezia and the Medieval stairway leading to Santa Maria Ara Coeli. We then take a walk in the area looking at other landmarks charting the area’s long history.

When: SUNDAY, March 16, 2014

Time: 10:00 a.m. Please be punctual as the permit is for 10:00 a.m. sharp. Those who would like to meet for coffee beforehand, please join us at 9:30 a.m. The walk lasts about two and a half hours.

Meeting Point: a bar in the area of Piazza Ara Coeli (exact address will be sent to confirmed participants)

Cost: €10 for CCR members, €15 for non-members. Entrance fee: €4

RVSP required by Wednesday March:  ATTN Linda at canadarome@gmail.com or Olivia Ercoli at oliviaercoli1@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

NOTE: Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly.

CCR Walks with Olivia: Auditorium di Mecenate - February 22, 2014

(If the Saturday walk is full this visit will be repeated at the same time on Sunday February 23, numbers permitting.)

Special permission secured for access to the Auditorium di Mecenate.
 

Much of the Esquiline Hill originally lay outside the Servian Walls and was occupied by cemeteries. These disappeared during Augustus's times, as his long-time friend and political ally Maecenas, reclaimed the area for a large villa and extensive gardens lavishly decorated with statuary, fountains and pavilions. In Largo Leopardi one of these pavilions was rediscovered in the 19th century during excavations in the area of Piazza Vittorio.

When: Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014 

Time: 9:30 a.m. Please be punctual as the permit is for 9:30 sharp. Those who would like to meet for coffee beforehand, please join us at 9:00 a.m. The walk lasts about two and a half hours. 

Meeting Point: a bar in the area of Largo Leopardi

Cost: €10 for CCR members, €15 for non-members. Entrance fee: €4
RSVP required by Wednesday, February 19. ATTN: Linda at canadarome@gmail.com or Olivia at oliviaercoli1@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation. 

NOTE: Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly.

CCR Walks with Olivia: Medieval Rome - The Hidden City Above Our Heads - February 1, 2014

This tour includes a special permit visit to the Nymphaeum of Via Annibaldi. 

We explore the Monti neighbourhood looking for the unsung greatness of Medieval Rome. Sandwiched between the impressive monuments of antiquity and the stately Renaissance buildings, Medieval Rome, inhabited by pilgrims, anti-Popes, visionaries, and gangster-like clans of self-styled aristocrats is still visible on the slopes of the Esquiline Hill. We start off looking at the colourful mosaics of a nymphaeum, followed by the remains of a Roman domus buried beneath one of the most impressive towers, the Annibaldi tower. Then we head off to explore the rest of the neighbourhood.

When: Saturday, February 1, 2014 
Time: 9:30 a.m. Please be punctual as the permit is for 9:30 sharp. Those who would like to meet for coffee beforehand please join us at 9:00 a.m. The walk lasts about two and a half hours. 
Meeting Point: a bar near the Colosseum. The exact meeting point will be sent out to registered participants. 
Cost: €10 for CCR members, €15 for non-members. Entrance fee: 4 euro 
RSVP required by Wednesday, January 29. ATTN: Linda at canadarome@gmail.com or Olivia at oliviaercoli1@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation. 
NOTE: Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly.

CCR Walks with Olivia: Family tombs of the Scipios - January 19, 2014

There is currently a WAIT LIST for this walk.

Special permission secured for access to ‘Sepolcro degli Scipioni’ -- the family tombs of the ancient Roman patrician Scipio family.

Elevation view of the tomb façade of the 2nd half of the 2nd century BC, as reconstructed by Filippo Coarelli. (WikipediaCommons)

The Scipio branch of the Cornelii family produced brilliant generals, politicians, and builders of some of Rome's most celebrated monuments, thus shaping the history and, especially, the culture of Republican Rome. They helped vanquish Carthage and spearheaded Rome's acceptance of Greek cultural influence in the 3rd century BC. The Scipio family tombs were discovered in the 17th century, but it was during the extensive excavations in 1780 that cartloads of sculpture were carried off to the Vatican Museums. The tombs were restored during the Fascist period and then closed in the 1980s. As of December the ‘Sepolcro degli Scipioni’ is temporarily open for visits. We will be inspecting the various buildings which superseded the tomb as well as the small Museo delle Mura di San Sebastiano.

When: SUNDAY, January 19, 2014
Time: 9:30 a.m. The walk lasts about two and a half hours, starting promptly at 9:30.
Meeting Point: near Porta San Sebastiano on the Appian way. The exact meeting point will be sent out to registered participants.
Cost: €10 for CCR members, €15 for non-members. Please note: Entrance fee: 4 euro (Sepolcro/Tombs), 4 euro (Museo delle Mura). Carta d'Identità holders get a discount on this second ticket (3 euro).
RSVP required by Thursday, January 16. ATTN: Linda at canadarome@gmail.com or Olivia at oliviaercoli1@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation.
NOTE: Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly.

CCR Walks with Olivia: Mithraeum of Circus Maximus and Case Romane del Celio - December 14, 2013

Special permission secured for access to the Mithraeum of the Circus Maximus. 

To ancient peoples, winter solstice meant feasting and celebrating the end of the old cycle, and the beginning of the new one. That is probably why a subterranean temple to the god Mithras, who was supposed to guarantee the seasonal cycle, was built close to Rome's largest circus, the Circus Maximus. The Mithraeum, one of the largest of its kind found so far in Rome, was discovered lying 14 metres beneath a pasta factory which had been converted into a warehouse for Rome's Opera house. It still holds some of the original sculptures which helped define the beliefs and ceremonies which took place there in the 3rd century AD.

Following out visit of the Mithreum, we will walk over to the Celian Hill to inspect the Case Romane del Celio located under the Medieval church of San Pietro e Paolo. It is a wonderfully preserved corner of ancient Rome.

When: Saturday, December 14, 2013 
Time: 10 a.m. The walk lasts about two and a half hours, starting promptly at 10. Those who would like to have a coffee beforehand may start gathering at 9:30 at a coffee bar that will be specified in the confirmation email. 
Meeting Point: Circo Massimo area. The exact meeting point will be sent out to registered participants. 
Cost: €10 for CCR members, €15 for non-members. Please note: 4 euro entrance to the Mitreum, and a 6 euro entrance to the Case Romane. 
RSVP required by Wednesday, December 12, 2013 ATTN Linda at canadarome@gmail.com or Olivia at oliviaercoli1@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation. 
NOTE: Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly.

CCR Walks with Olivia: Augustus and the birth of the Empire - November 16, 2013

This walk provides a framework for the exhibition on Augustus which opened on 18 October, 2013, and will closing on 9 February, 2014. From the Obelisk of Montecitorio, to the Pantheon and the Ara Pacis to the Mausoleum of Augustus, this walk strings together a number of sites in Rome which show how Augustan policy attempted to redefine the Urbs and its landmarks, which can be fun whether or not you plan to visit the exhibition underway at the Scuderie del Quirinale. We start off from Piazza del Popolo and thread our way through the city as we re-create the context within which his ideas were given visual form, and examine the ramifications and far-reaching consequences of these choices, as well as their modern legacy.

Please note: the Ara Pacis Museum is hosting an exhibition on Impressionist paintings. We will therefore speak in detail of the Ara Pacis monument at the end of the tour, but you will be free to visit the museum on your own after the end of the walking tour. 

When: Saturday, November 16, 2013 
Time: 10 a.m. The walk lasts about two and a half hours, starting promptly at 10. Those who would like to have a coffee beforehand may start gathering at 9:30 at a coffee bar that will be specified in the confirmation email.
Meeting Point: Piazza del Popolo area. The exact meeting point will be sent out to registered participants.
Cost: €10 for CCR members, €15 for non-members.
RSVP required by Wednesday, November 13, 2013 ATTN Linda at canadarome@gmail.com or Olivia Ercoli at oliviaercoli1@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation. 
NOTE: Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly.

CCR Walks with Olivia: Testaccio, from dump to hip neighbourhood - October 12, 2013

NB: This walk is now full. A wait list has been started.

Special permission secured for access to Testaccio Hill (Monte dei Cocci) archaeological site.

Continuing our series on ‘’Food, Politics and Empires,’’ we start off at Porta San Paolo, where a small museum illustrates the story of the Via Ostiensis, the Roman port-cities, and the impact of the walls on food supply after the 3rd century. We then stop off at Testaccio's “Mattatoio,” Rome's first modern abattoir, built at the end of the 19th century in what was to become a purpose-built working-class district. Its buildings are now home to “Città dell'Altra Economia,” a project focusing on taking a new look at food and its supply in the modern city. It includes an organic market, a café, a restaurant, and an exhibition and conference centre. We then set off to inspect the Testaccio hill, literally a huge dumping ground for ancient Rome's discarded amphorae. From 1st century onwards the terracotta jars were smashed once they reached Rome, after being emptied of their contents: olive oil! Special permission for access to the site.

When: Saturday, October 12, 2013 
Time: 10:30 a.m (please note we're starting later than usual; this is to accommodate our reservation for the Testaccio hill archaeological site). The walk lasts about two and a half hours, starting promptly at 10:30 and concluding around 1:00 p.m. 

Cost: €10 for CCR members, €15 for non-members. San Paolo Museum: free. Entrance ticket for Testaccio Archaeological Excavation area: 4 euro per person.
RSVP required by Wednesday October 9, ATTN Linda at canadarome@gmail.com or Olivia Ercoli at oliviaercoli1@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation. 
NOTE: Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly.

CCR Walks with Olivia: The Politics of Food (Part 1) - April 6, 2013

Medieval marketplaces and their descendants are still an important feature of today's city landscape -- but for how much longer? Take a tour of open air marketplaces from Roman to Medieval times. Find out about the different choices made by Emperors and Popes to ensure food security through the centuries. The development of marketplaces helped shape the city throughout the Roman, Renaissance and Baroque periods. This tour is one of a two-part series on the role of food security in the ancient and post-ancient world and the lessons we can learn from history; part two will take us to Portus to inspect exciting new digs (special permission).

When: Saturday, April 6, 2013 
Where: Bar dei Cerchi on via dei Cerchi, 47 
Time: 10 a.m. The walk will last two and a half hours, starting promptly at 10 a.m. (concluding around 12:30); those who would like to meet for coffee beforehand please joins us at 9:30 a.m. 

Cost: €10 for CCR members, €15 for non-members 
RVSP required by Wednesday April 3, ATTN Linda at canadarome@gmail.com or Olivia Ercoli at oliviaercoli1@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation. 
NOTE: Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly.

CCR Walks with Olivia: The Hidden Frescoes in San Giovanni a Porta Latina - March 9, 2013

San Giovanni a Porta Latina

 Our March walk takes us to San Giovanni a Porta Latina one of Rome's most picturesque churches nestled close to the Aurelian walls. This church is dedicated to St John the Evangelist who, it is believed, miraculously remained unscathed after being plunged into boiling oil. The spot marking this miraculous event is now occupied by a small octagonal building designed by Borromini. Our visit will focus on recently discovered and restored frescoes found under layers of old plaster in the Medieval church. These fascinating frescoes show Bible stories dating from 1191-98 and help shed light upon a little-known period of Rome's artistic and cultural history.

When: Saturday, March 9, 2013 

Where: Meet at Caffé NINI, via Latina 23 (just outside the walls), famous for its chocolate diamond truffle. 
Time: 10 a.m. The walk lasts two and a half hours, starting promptly at 10 a.m. (and concluding around 12:30); those who would like to meet for coffee beforehand, please join us at Caffé Ninì at 9:30 a.m. 
Cost of the guided walk: €10 for CCR members, €15 for non-members 
RVSP required by Thu. March 7th, ATTN Linda at canadarome@gmail.com or Olivia Ercoli at oliviaercoli1@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation. 
NOTE: Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly. We suggest that you not bring your dogs since they are not allowed in churches.