Explore Rome Catacombs, the burial underground Rome sites, sitting in the Appian Way’s tranquil surroundings! Discover the hidden churches and houses and temples that lie deep beneath the streets of modern-day Rome! A private Mercedes with a chauffeur will be at your disposal, starting with hotel pick-up.
This unlikely tour will likely deliver on surprises, so prepare to descend into the great unknown with a knowledgeable private guide!
Included in the tour
- Pick-up directly from your hotel/apartment/B&B with a private luxury car
- Car at disposal for the whole tour
- St. Clemente and its underground site guided visit
- Guided visit of one of the three main Catacombs in Rome
- Intermediate transfers between St. Clemente and the Appian Way
- Professional Certified Guide to all sites
- Skip the line tickets to a Catacomb and St. Clemente underground site
- drop off back to your hotel or wherever in the city center
- COVID 19 safety measures: face mask and hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff (social distancing from other visitors enforced: temperature checks for everybody entering museums and archaeological sites).
Pick up details and other info
Pick-up time is 2:00 pm from your centrally located hotel/apartment/B&B. A central location is within a radius of 7 kilometers from the Pantheon. It is possible to organize the tour at different times and pick you up from other places on request.
Underground temperature is about 15 ° C, and when there is high humidity, it is advisable to cover yourself well. Surfaces are uneven: This activity is not recommended for those who have claustrophobia, nor for those with severe mobility problems.
San Clemente Church
Start your Rome underground tour at St. Clemente church! The site is one of the most excellent examples of how the Romans constructed buildings on top of buildings like churches, temples, or houses. On the inside, discover the sobering sight of the Baroque Basilica. The elegantly decorated Church houses an array of impressive mosaics and frescoes, like the ones conceived by Masaccio and Masolino.
Then descend from the sunlight and arrive 3-floors beneath Ancient Rome’s streets, discovering the fantastic San Clemente Church alongside its gurgling water source. Relish the journey back to the 1st century AD as San Clemente itself sits atop a 4th-century Basilica, which depicts the ‘San Clemente miracles’ – frescoes that seem to show a curious comic-like cartoon dating back to 1100 AD.
The biggest Underground Rome site & The Cult of Mithras
Descending to the Ancient Rome level, you will explore an aged Republican house, destroyed during the great fire of AD 64. From the 3rd century, its courtyard became a temple for the cult of Mithras. The noises of an underground river create an eerie experience!
Subterranean Rome
The Churches of Rome often hide subterranean ancient Rome sites. Beneath the Appian Way, we find numerous tunneled catacombs. They protect mosaics, graffiti, and wall paintings, all dating back to ancient times. Alongside empty sarcophagi and small Christian altars, there is a real sense of religious heritage in these eerie spaces.
Rome Catacombs
Ancient Rome’s underground sites extend everywhere and not only in the city center. Experts continue to turn up all manner of new finds, each incredibly well-preserved. They are a thrilling spectacle and tell us a lot about the ancestral history of the city. Listen to passionate Rome guides and absorb all their wisdom!
Uncover early Christian burial grounds that sit directly beneath the Appian Way. Unique sites that are over one kilometer long. We will bring to St. Clemente, Santa Domitilla, or St. Sebastian, depending on the day and the time of your tour, but they all are genuinely mesmeric spaces.
Beneath the streets, churches, and buildings of Rome, there is a treasure, partially still to discover. But how was ancient Rome buried? Silting from Tiber floods and medieval architects’ practice made Rome slipping gradually during 2500 years. Architects used to tore the roofs of ancient buildings and filled them with earth and other debris to have solid foundations.
Check out the other tours organized in the city too!
