Birding and Culture in Rome.
Tour Date:
May 3-7, 2021.
Tour Price (Per Person):
$1699 which includes good hotels or apartment, all entrance fee with fast track, guiding, local cultural guides in Rome and transport. Meals, except breakfasts at the hotels are not included.
Tour Type:
Lots of walking in Rome – the culture days in Rome are jampacked, easy birding – but both birding days are long days.
Description
5 DAYS BIRDING AND CULTURE IN ROME.
A new program to Rome to connect with yet another of the New 7 Wonders while birding.
Three days of culture visiting Vatican, St Paul’s Cathedral, Sistine Chapel, Forum, Coliseum, Pantheon, Borghese gallery, Fontana di Trevi, Spanish stairs, the catacombs and an Angel and Demons tour full of mystery.
Two days of birding and nature with a true European endemic Rock Partridge, possibly Brown Bear and seabirding for Scopoli’s Shearwater (split from Cory’s by some) and Yelkouan Shearwater, as well as Sardinian Warbler – and much much more.
Small group of max 5-6 people.
It is possibly to add a pretour to Tuscany and Comacchio for more culture and birdwatching.
DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1. Arrival.
Arrive in Rome in the evening. Night in our hotel or multiroom appartment in central Rome.
Day 2. Coliseum, Forum, Palatine Hill, Pantheon and in the footsteps on Angels and Demons.
Let’s go back in history to when Rome was the center of the earth, and the heart of a thriving empire. It began with the legendary foundation of Rome in the 7th century BC, when the ruler of the Palatine Hill Romulus made alliance with the rival of Capitoline Hill Titus Tatius and the valley in between was where the Forum was built as the administrative and religious center in Rome that lasted for a 1000 years with ups and downs, as different emperors would build their own fora many of them just next to Forum of Rome. The forum is full of temples, and administrative complexes.
East of the Forum is the Coliseum built between 72-80 AD. The Coliseum was named one of the New Seven Wonders – and the main reason why we have put together this Rome Birding and Culture trip as a 7 Wonders Birding. The Coliseum was the arena for the gladiators games, but also theatric plays, animal hunts and even executions, and could hold between 50000-80000 spectators. We will make a tour lasting about three hours with an expert guide visiting the Forum, Palatine Hill and the Coliseum. It is not unusual to see Blue Rock-Thrush, Black Redstart, Italian Sparrow and Yellow-legged Gull while visiting the site.
Next is the Pantheon. The best kept building of ancient Rome. It is 2000 years old.
In the afternoon we shall do a tour in search of the mystery and intrigue of the Illuminati of Brown’s Angel and Demons. It is not just for fans of Dan Brown; it also takes you to some of the most beautiful piazzas in Rome, as well as lesser-known sites away from the tourist trail, where pagan symbolism and Christianity collide. Discover the Altars of Science, and decode the secret messages hidden in Bernini sculptures and Galileo texts. Enter the Church of Illumination for a glimpse of “Il Passetto,” the secret passage connecting the Vatican to the notorious Castel Sant’Angelo.
Day 3. Villa Borghese birding, and Borghese gallery, Catacombs
We shall do some early morning birding in Villa Boghese park which is a good place to find Sardinian Warbler. Also Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Serin, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and many more should be a great introduction to European birds.
Here is also the Borghese gallery which contains the most famous paintings by Raphael and Caravaggio and Bernini’s famous Baroque sculptures.
Later we’ll do a guided tour of the Catacombs.
We plan to stay within walking distance of the Spanish Steps and Fontana di Trevi so we can easily visit either anytime or even as we go for dinner in the evenings.
Day 4. The Vatican. Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum and St Peter’s Cathedral. Travel to Avezzano
The last day in Rome we spend mostly in the Vatican, which technically is a different country visiting the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Cathedral. Depending on the visiting slots we get, the order of the visits can vary. We shall be using audio guides rather than having a person guiding us, this way each and every tour member can do the Vatican at the own pace.
In the late afternoon we pick up our rental vehicle and leave Rome and drive an hour to Avezzano. Night in hotel
Day 5. Sirente Velino Regional Park and Abruzzo National Park.
Our prime target today is Rock Partridge – a true European endemic birds. April-May is the best time to see them in the subalpine habitat, as they are readily detected by voice.
Other birds in this wild region that we shall try for are Griffon Vulture, Golden Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, White-backed Woodpecker, Wryneck, Red-backed Shrike, Black Redstart, Woodlark, Stonechat, Whinchat, Red-billed and Alpine Choughs, Cirl and Rock Bunting and Golden Oriole.
When the targets are secured we will visit Abruzzo National park at a look-out where the Marsican subspecies of Brown Bear often is seen. We shall stay until dusk scanning the slopes if necessary. We shall still need a fair bit of luck.
Then we have about an hours drive to our hotel for the night.
Day 6. Seabirding, warblers and coastal birding.
We make a predawn start to get Cabo Circeo Lighthouse just after dawn. This is a hotspot for sea birding with Scopoli’s Shearwater (split from Cory’s by some) and Yelkouan Shearwater. Also here are Audouin’s Gull, Gannet and Bee-eater.
On the way to the airport we shall look out for various species of Mediterranean warblers such as Cetti’s, Fan-tailed, Sedge, and Subalpine Warblers, and Common Whitethroat, Blackcap and Nightingale, as well as Hoopoe and Stone Curlew.
We plan to be at the airport around 5 pm.
Extensions
Let us know if you want to do additional birding or culture in Italy. We can recommend things to do. There is a birding festival in Commacchio April 30-May 1 where Gunnar is attending. This may be of interest to you.