Underground Rome

Description

Underground Rome

As many people know, Rome was built on itself many times and for many centuries, raising new buildings on older ones, and thus developing a multi layered city.

But what not many know is that today archeologists have open the way to the lower levels of the city, and thus many sites offer the incredible chance to access the undergrounds of Rome.

This tour was project to take you down below the surface of the modern city.

Starting with San Clemente, we will walk downstairs to the basement of this church built in the 12th century where archeologists already in the ‘800 had discovered the presence of a lower church, perfectly preserved below the floor with its frescoes and pillars held within the walls.

Then, below this lower church, modern science has discovered something unexpected: the presence of an even lower level, that dates back to the roman age, when, before the Christians, the place was used to worship a mysterious god coming from the East called Mytra. The ceremonies offered to him involved animals sacrifices and rituals of blood.

Afterwards, we will reach the Catacombs on the Appian Way. Here, both pagan and Christians have buried their deads for centuries, excavating miles and miles of tunnels under the ground, often on many layers, so to preserve their memory from decaying and vandals.

Nowadays, after all the bones were moved to private areas as a form of respect, we can enter the Catacombs and walk thru the dark labyrinth of their tunnels to appreciate the artwork, the engineering and the atmosphere of those old cemeteries.

Somewhere else, right in the center of modern Rome, awaits another dark cemetery of ancient age: the Skeletons Crypt, built by the Capuchin monks to celebrate the glory of Death, using thousands of bones as material for their decorations.

And eventually, a real new entry in the already rich offer of the city: Palazzo Valentini. This is today’s see of the administration of the local Province, but its undergrounds turn alive in an amazing show of modern technology and archeological science. With the use of colored lights, we can see thru the glass floor what lies beneath the surface: thus ancient mosaics, thermal roman baths and structures of old houses come alive under our eyes.

What's included

All our tours focus on Art History and Archeology. All our tours are in English. Additional languages can be provided on request. For groups larger than 6 people we provide free headsets. All our tours grant 4 hrs guided tour throughout the itinerary.

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Please note:
Transfer from site to site not included.

Schedule