Rome if you want to: university offers free virtual tour of ancient city

University of Reading launches online course allowing students to explore the Rome of 315AD using an immersive 3D panoramic model

Students from all over the world who sign up to a new free online course on ancient Rome from the University of Reading will be invited to explore its temples, monuments, shops and back streets, through the most detailed digital model of the ancient city ever created.

Matthew Nicholls, a lecturer in the university's classics department who has been working on the model for more than ten years, will lead the five week Rome: A Virtual Tour of the Ancient City programme starting on March 13. The course, Nicholls said, is for anyone interested in the city, from holidaymakers to prospective archaeology or history students. "We are offering an immersive and unique virtual tour of the Eternal City without even leaving your living room, and everyone is invited."