Santa Maria Maggiore Rooftop and Scavi: Sunrise Experience

Overview

Explore Santa Maria Maggiore at first light, and witness centuries of art, history, and spirituality converging in breathtaking harmony. Marvel at medieval mosaics and Renaissance frescoes, priceless relics and architectural masterpieces. Then watch the sun rise over Rome from the Loggia of Blessings, unearth hidden treasures and explore hidden ancient ruins that whisper stories of the past. Conclude your journey with a complimentary Italian breakfast as Rome awakes around you.

Description

One of the five papal basilicas of Rome, Santa Maria Maggiore is the most important church in the city dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and boasts a fascinating history stretching back more than a millennium. Be transported back in time all the way to the 4th century AD as you learn how a sacred vision and miraculous summer snowfall led to the construction of the first church here by Pope Liberius. 

Whilst no trace of the Liberian basilica remains, the church we see today is still pretty venerable: dating from the 430s, it was constructed to mark the official church declaration of Mary as Mother of God in the Council of Ephesus.

Admire Masterful Mosaics

Our tour begins in the basilica’s spectacular interior, where an endlessly absorbing mix of styles captures the story of Rome in miniature. On our tour of Santa Maria Maggiore we’ll take a detailed look at the church’s many artistic treasures, including a cycle of ancient mosaics portraying scenes from the Old Testament and the life of Mary that are amongst the oldest Christian images in the city. 

No less impressive are the medieval mosaics that grace the church’s apse, sparkling gems that speak to the spiritual and creative flourishing of Rome in the 13th century.  Gaze on the stunning gilded ceiling, adorned with gold that, according to legend, was transported back from the Americas by Christopher Columbus and gifted to the Borgia Pope Alexander VI.

See the Sun Rise Over Rome From the Roof of Santa Maria Maggiore

The architectural highlight of Santa Maria Maggiore might just be the Loggia of Blessings, a spectacular colonnaded balcony from which the Pope himself gave benedictions to the faithful massed in the square below. Luckily for us you don’t need to be the pontiff to climb up here these days, and we’ll get to admire sensational sunrise views across the city from the loggia’s arches. 

And that’s not all: a series of glittering medieval mosaics decorate the loggia, depicting the life of the Virgin as well as the legendary foundation of the church way back in the 4th century. As we gaze on these mysterious mosaics, the work of master craftsman Filippo Rusuti, you’ll learn all about the extraordinarily intricate techniques required to bring them to fruition.

Uncover Bernini’s Hidden Baroque Masterpiece

From St. Peter’s Basilica to Piazza Navona, few figures have done more to shape the beauty of Rome than Gianlorenzo Bernini. But did you know that Santa Maria Maggiore is home to a hidden architectural gem by the master that few visitors to the Eternal City get to see? 

On this itinerary we’ll have the chance to climb the superb spiral staircase that Bernini created here to link the New Sacristy to the imposing Hall of Popes, which we’ll also get to explore on this tour. The hall is named for its series of papal portraits topped with a magnificent wooden ceiling centred around the Borghese coat of arms.

Shaped like a spiraling seashell, Bernini’s stairwell is a masterpiece of design and powerful evocation of humankind’s journey toward salvation. Fittingly, Bernini himself is buried in Santa Maria Maggiore - we will be sure to pay our respects to the great man on this tour!

Wander Through Ancient Subterranean Ruins

The story of Santa Maria Maggiore extends even further back in time than its Christian period. Hidden beneath the church are extensive ancient remains, only brought to light once again in the 1960s after more than 1,000 years of oblivion. We’ll have the special opportunity to descend into this secret slice of antiquity on our tour, where a warren of rooms and corridors decorated with well-preserved frescoes offer up unique insights into life in ancient Rome. 

Along the way we’ll visit the remains of a thermal bath complex, and get a detailed look at one of the most interesting - and least known - ancient artworks in Rome. Known as a menologium rusticum, this fascinating frescoed calendar charts the course of the year through depicitons of the festivals and rituals that marked the agricultural seasons - a farmer’s almanac for the ancient world.

Gaze on the only Piero della Francesca Frescoes in Rome

Our insider tour of Santa Maria Maggiore is full of hidden gems, but art lovers are sure to be particularly excited by our visit to the Chapel of St. Michael. Normally off-limits to visitors to the church, this chapel is home to the remains of the only paintings attributed to the Renaissance master Piero della Francesca surviving in Rome. 

The frescoes - portraying the evangelists - have reached our day in fragmentary condition, but still give a sense of Piero’s virtuoso command of composition and perspective, skills that made him one of the most influential artists of his age - or any other.

Discover Rome’s “Other” Sistine Chapel

Did you know that there’s more than one Sistine Chapel in Rome? It’s a safe bet that you’re familiar with the Pope’s chapel in the Vatican, where Michelangelo’s jaw-dropping frescoes reign supreme. But far less well known is this glorious namesake chapel commissioned by Pope Sixtus V just over a century later in Santa Maria Maggiore. On this tour you’ll have the opportunity to explore this highlight of early Baroque art and architecture. 

Our art-historian guide will help bring the turbulent world of late 16th century Rome to life as we gaze on the various sculptures, paintings and relics that helped transform this soaring chapel into a premier showpiece of Counter-Reformation ideology. At the center of everything is a majestic tabernacle decorated with precious gems and stones.

Facing the Sistine Chapel on the other side of the church is the equally impressive Pauline Chapel, where Pietro Bernini’s dynamic sculptures frame one of the most revered sacred objects in Rome: the Salus Populi Romani, an intriguing portrait of the Virgin Mary that Christian tradition attributes to Saint Luke himself.

Conclude Your Tour With a Complimentary Italian Breakfast

After our early morning exploration of magnificent Santa Maria Maggiore, you’ll be ready for a hit of caffeine and sugar to help set you up for the day to come. Before our time ends together we’ll head to a nearby cafe for a complimentary Italian breakfast just as the Eternal City starts to come to life around us.