Italy, an extraordinary history

Augustus wants to leave his mark on Roman society, But he will succeed only in part.

Thanks to the availability of great riches, Augustus and his family and collaborators financed the construction of a significant number of public works of various kinds. Thanks to Augustus and local benefactors in search of fame, monuments and public buildings rose everywhere in Italy and the provinces: arches, monumental access gates, aqueducts, arcaded streets, city walls, baths, theatres, amphitheatres.

Over the years, Octavian's institutional position was further and gradually elaborated; it was a slow but geometric process, very skilled. Apparently, nothing had changed: the old Republic was always there but, in essence, Rome was ruled now by a monarch. This truly sublime ambiguity was Augustus' masterpiece, making him one of the greatest politicians of all times, if not the greatest, and allowing him to hold power firmly throughout his life.

At 31, Octavian becomes the owner of the Roman State! Finally, the civil wars were over; with them, not formally but certainly in fact, also the history of the Roman Republic had come to an end!

Did Caesar want to be king? We will never know. Maybe he did not know it himself. But his adversaries were sure of it. It was time to take action. But, instead, their action led to the end of the Republic.More about VITOR at www.vitoritalytours.com

Caesar's path to absolute power in Rome: the fight to the death with Pompey, Cleopatra and Egypt, "Veni, Vidi, Vici".The Republic still exists, but now Caesar rules as an absolute monarch.More about VITOR at www.vitoritalytours.com

From the Triumvirate to the Rubicon, the rise of Julius Caesar is unstoppable.More about VITOR at www.vitoritalytours.com

Silla rises to absolute power, and no one can stop him. Now the Republic is headed towards monarchy, and Silla anticipates what will happen with Caesar.More about VITOR at www.vitoritalytours.com

The Republic had triumphed over all its enemies. But this multinational empire is changing Rome's society and institutions. A "new man" will rise to become the master of the Republic: Gaius Marius.More about VITOR at www.vitoritalytours.com

Rome is now a protagonist of world politics and cannot avoid being involved in the often tormented and confusing events of the East. Now it turns to Greece and beyond, to Syria. In the end, it will be the dominant power in the western world.More about VITOR at www.vitoritalytours.com

Scipio fulfils his destiny: to defeat Hannibal on the battlefield and become the most acclaimed general of Rome. Rome now dominates the Western Mediterranean.More about VITOR at www.vitoritalytours.com

Rome dominates the Italian peninsula; only Carthage can rival it in Western Mediterranean. The duel between the maritime empire of Carthage and the new power of Rome will drag on for over a century.More about VITOR at www.vitoritalytours.com

From the banks of the river Tevere to the shores of Puglia, in 500 years Rome defeats its adversaries one by one, Etruscans, Gauls, Samnites, Greeks, and conquers Italy.More about VITOR at www.vitoritalytours.com

How did a small village on the banks of a small river, in a small country which always was on the outskirts of the most advanced civilizations of the West, come to dominate the western world?Rome is more than its conquests. Rome is its legions but also its complex civilization, its ability to incorporate the other, making it feel like a part of the whole.More about VITOR at www.vitoritalytours.com