Tonight in The Great Cities of the World by Joanna Lumley we visit Rome, as Joanna weaves through the city on the back of a Vespa.

The Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain are the first sites checked off the list. Joanna says: “It’s very charming and because of the movie ‘Three Coins in a Fountain’ people always throw coins into the fountain and that meant if you throw a coin you’ll come back to Rome. I would empty my coin bank and come live in Rome!

Joanna considers the history of Rome and how it became a playground for glitzy movie stars. She meets one of the city’s most famous paparazzi to hear stories of fighting with Mick Jagger, the appeal of Katharine Hepburn and how one of the photos he took could have paid for a new home all on its own !

Before dawn, Joanna goes to the Vatican Museum for a 5:15 a.m. appointment with the custodian responsible for a total of 2,791 keys. He reveals the secret hiding place of the only key to the Sistine Chapel itself and together they unlock miles of corridors filled with exquisite treasures, leading to the Sistine Chapel.

Joanna then gets a quick lesson from a master pizza-maker and after perfecting her dough, she enjoys their creation for lunch. a square pizza made with chickpea paste, radishes and Italian honey.

After being unable to resist a visit to the Colosseum, which is over 2,000 years old and still towers over the city, Joanna recalls some of the city’s darkest history. Finally, she goes to the Opera to meet the cast of a new opera production by Julius Caesar, a few days before its world premiere.

7:40 p.m. tonight on ABC.