Pay attention to the walls as you walk through the labyrinth of tombs and see some of the world’s earliest Christian art – a striking contrast to the rich decoration of the Vatican.
Discover the underground world of ancient Rome on this exciting, fascinating, and adventurous tour of the Catacombs and the excavated site of Basilica San Clemente.
On your private half-day tour you will:
Drive just beyond the ancient city walls to visit the labyrinth of underground ancient Christian burial chambers called the Catacombs, then discover the layers and layers of Rome, excavated below the Basilica San Clemente (near the Colosseum): walk through a pagan temple, an ancient roman house, and an early Christian church - all underground!
You will often hear historians and locals alike refer to Rome as a lasagna! On this tour, you will literally walk your way through these layers of history, as you discover the different excavated street levels of Rome and the miles and miles of underground graves, dug for and by the ancient Christians two thousand years ago known as the Catacombs.
Driving just beyond the Aurelian Wall, you’ll descend into an extensive and complex web of graves; the Christian catacombs. You’ll walk down galleries lined with rectangular empty niches – each one contained a body once.
Your guide will explain the different styles of graves, the burial rituals, and funeral rites, decode the extraordinarily well-preserved frescos and symbolic carvings and talk you through the dramatic sacking of the tombs by Barbarians after the fall of Rome.
One of the most evocative things about the catacombs is seeing the pick axe marks and scrapes of the fossari (the gravediggers) in the soft tufa rock and the tiny terracotta oil lamps that lit their way as they dug these dark tunnels. It is a truly fascinating, exciting, and humbling experience entering these unique places with your private guide.
In the Basilica San Clemente, you’ll learn why Rome was built layer on layer, not in a day but over several hundred years. You’ll learn why so many Christian churches were built on top of pagan temples and hear the stories of the martyrs depicted in frescos in the Middle Ages.
Your guide will talk you through a day in the life of an ancient Roman as you walk through a first-century apartment, and explain the initiation rites of the warrior-like cult of Mithras as you gaze into the inner sanctum and see the original altar of Mithras and the bull.
This tour ends at the Basilica of San Clemente, located right next to the Roman Colosseum.
Please note: the dress code for this tour must be observed (covered knees and shoulders). The catacombs and excavations are chilly and humid at 13 celsius, so please bring something warm to wear!
Also, due to local regulations, during the visit to the Catacombs you will be part of a larger group. For the rest of the tour, you will be alone with your dedicated private guide.
This tour will whisk you away to the cobbled lanes and idyllic fields of the Italian countryside to visit the Catacombs and drive along the famed and historic Appian Way.
On your private tour, you will:
Your experience starts with a pick-up in central Rome and a panoramic drive past the iconic Colosseum, Roman Forum, Arch of Constantine, Circus Maximus and Imperial Palaces on Palatine Hill, before you embark on an adventure across the less travelled side of beautiful Rome - the majestic Appian Way.
The Via Appia Antica (Appian way) was at one time, the most important road in the Roman Empire rolling from Central Rome to the beautiful hills and fields of the neighbouring countryside and eventually all the way to the City of Brindisi. Sided by sleepy churches, farmhouses and crumbling Roman ruins, it is a truly magical picturesque route.
You will stop at one of Rome's ancient catacombs to explore the network of underground burial grounds that date from the second to the fifth century, and then drive out to the city’s remaining visible network of aqueducts.
Please note: Private guides are not allowed to guide inside the Catacombs so you will join a small group with an official Catacombs tour guide.
Once the pride of Roman engineering, these wonderful aqueducts transported water over long distances to towns and cities, providing the means to construct complex sewage irrigation systems, and supply fresh, clean water for baths, fountains, and drinking water for its citizens.
Your four-hour tour will end with a drop-off back in your hotel or any central Rome location.
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