Diocletian's palace in Split, Croatia
Rome & Empire with Darius Arya Digs
Diocletian is the third century emperor that brought the Empire back from the brink of collapse. After generations of uncertainly, his will, administration, military prowess and ruthless drive established a new period of calm that rippled through the Roman empire! Then, he retired in his bespoke fortified villa that became the core of Split, Croatia. Today it is a UNESCO site and also the location for many a scene in Game of Thrones. Explore above and below the site with Darius on his recent visit!
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Games of Thrones Season 8/ historic Dubrovnik with Ivan Vuković
Rome & Empire with Darius Arya Digs
Season 8 of Game of Thrones is upon us! So Darius travels to King's Landing & the real-life grandeur of Dubrovnik. Darius explores Fort Lovrijenac (Red Keep on GOT), walks along the city's 2km walls, looking for Cersei. Luckily, local guide & GOT expert Ivan Vuković of Dubrovnik-tourist-guides.com reveals the city's history and tons of insider knowledge on GOT8. They also discuss overtourism that threatens the city more than Daenerys' dragons!
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Ides of March: walk in the footsteps of Julius Caesar in Rome on his last day!
Rome & Empire with Darius Arya Digs
The assassination of Julius Caesar is one of history's most famous murders. Darius talks with author/ historian Barry Strauss, who has written the definitive book on Caesar's last days. Join Darius on a real time walk from Julius Caesar's house in the Forum past all of the famed archaeological sites of Ancient Rome to the site of his assassination at Largo Argentina. You've never experienced the Ides of March like this!
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Ten! Ten Emperors with Barry Strauss
Rome & Empire with Darius Arya Digs
Who were the most important emperors in ancient Rome, for better and for worse? There are so many to choose from- and Darius explores Rome's best and worst rulers with author Professor Barry Strauss on the launch of his newest book: 10 Caesars! So let's explore from Augustus to Constantine, and Darius always has an eye on the emperors' impact on Rome itself.
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Green gold- dipping into the world class olive oil of Italy
Rome & Empire with Darius Arya Digs
Who doesn't like olive oil? It's an essential component of the Mediterranean diet. So, it's high time to really learn the ins and outs of what defines "excellent" olive oil. Darius turns to a world class expert, Johnny Madge (johnnymadge.com), who lives in the Sabina region. He is a true olive oil expert and world traveling judge of olive oils worldwide! So sit back and soak up his words of wisdom that will resonate with you, on your next trip to the store in search of the good stuff!
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Let's make some ancient chocolate in Modica, Sicily! Step into the kitchen of Antica Dolceria Bonajuto!
Rome & Empire with Darius Arya Digs
Darius travels to southeast Sicily, to the late Baroque city Modica, to explore the legendary home of Italy's best chocolate. There is no better place than Antica Dolceria Bonajuto to learn about why chocolate found its home here. Darius enters the kitchen with Pierpaolo Bonajuto (his family has been making chocolate here since 1880- 6 generations) and discusses tradition and evolution. You'll fantasize about the food (chocolate, cannoli and more) for the whole week!
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Pssst. Want to buy a historic house for 1 euro? Exploring Sambuca di Sicilia!
Rome & Empire with Darius Arya Digs
On January 17, 2019, millions of people around the world learned about the small historic town of Sambuca di Sicilia through viral news coverage of its offer to sell historic homes for one euro. The city received 100,000 email requests. Darius had to see it for himself. He flew down and met with mayor Leonard Ciaccio, It's an unforgettable flashpoint to talk about heritage preservation, Sicilian history, archaeology (nearby Punic-Greek Monte Adranone), and of course, Sicilian wine and food!
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I'll drink to that! Lazio wines with sommelier Sarah May Grunwald.
Rome & Empire with Darius Arya Digs
Italian wines are famous, but how much do you really know about them? Darius sits down with sommelier Sarah May Grunwald (www.antiquatours.com) to talk about the wines of Lazio at Massimo's L'ANGOLO DIVINO enoteca in Rome. It's a talk on the history of winemaking in Lazio and what's new. So listen to Sarah May's (and Massimo's) words of wisdom as she and Darius drink their way through Lazio. Darius looks forward to drinking more of Italy with Sarah May, and we're sure you'll agree!
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Museum of the Ara Pacis
Rome & Empire with Darius Arya Digs
The Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace) that celebrates the emperor Augustus and his family is one of the best preserved monuments from antiquity, a dynastic construction, rich with political and religious imagery. As of 2006 it is housed in Richard Meier's travertine and glass museum, with an array of didactic material that make it one of Rome's great must- see museums, wedged in between the Tiber River and Mausoleum of Augustus. Touring here with Darius is a must for history lovers and armchair archaeologists!
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Is Rome ruined? A talk with journalist and travel writer Erica Firpo
Rome & Empire with Darius Arya Digs
If you study history, you'll know that Rome has suffered setbacks over the ages, like Nero's fire. More recently, the major cash flow for the Jubileo celebration in 2000 is long gone. Now it's a long, hard road ahead for Rome. But is Rome actually in ruins? Darius talks with journalist & travel writer Erica Firpo, who writes about lifestyle and contemporary culture in Italy. Together they look at the recent NYTIMES article "Rome in Ruins" and give their two cents' worth on the state of Rome today.
info_outlineJoin Darius with his friend, tour guide and all-around Rome expert Ettore Bellardini in the Roman Forum for a walk around the Temple of Saturn, on the occasion of the end of year celebration from December 17-23. For an intimate look at Roman religion, archaeology, art, and history. At the end of December, walk with them as they recall the events surrounding the very popular cult and year-end festivities that eventually gave way to the Christmas holidays (that freely borrowed the merrymaking- eating, drinking wine, and gift exchange from the Saturnalia). There are so many ways we now reflect and recall the events of the past year and celebrate the good and bad. Join Darius and Ettore as they help usher out the pre vious year and look forward to an amazing 2019! The new year has just begun and we're already in situ throughout Rome, ancient and contemporary.