Catacombs & Underground Rome Tour, Rome

Overview

Discover Rome’s mysterious underground and catacombs on a tour, an ideal excursion for archaeology lovers and adventure seekers! You can choose between a morning and evening tour, which explore different sites around the city.

If you opt for the morning tour, you’ll start at the beautifully preserved Basilica of San Clemente, where you’ll descend over five stories underground. Learn about medieval popes and secret pagan rituals while admiring artistic masterpieces ranging from the 2nd to the 15th century. Explore mysterious religions and discover freshwater sources that lie deep under the Eternal City!

Next, you’ll hop in a taxi and visit one of the most well-known graveyards in Italy. Descend this ancient Christian burial ground and explore the narrow tunnels filled with empty graves. Still today, these hollow tombs fascinate historians. Your expert guide will share stories and interesting facts about these obscure hallways, putting the many long-believed rumors to rest.

If you prefer the evening tour, your first stop will be the Capuchin Crypt and Museums. You’ll first enter the crypt, which holds the bones of over 4,000 deceased Capuchin monks. As night begins to fall, a car will take you to the Catacombs of Saint Agnes. Saint Agnes was a young noble girl who refused a prefect’s son, believing that “Jesus is my only spouse.” You’ll learn why so many artists dedicated their works to this Christian martyr and her place in Christianity.

Next, descend the three tiers of the catacombs and get a closer look at the ancient burial grounds of the past. Learn about its use and why it remained abandoned for centuries, only to be rediscovered in the 16th century. For the last part of the tour, you’ll explore the beautiful Saint Agnes Outside the Walls Basilica. Dedicated to the young martyr, this basilica sits atop her remains and has long been a pilgrimage site for Christians.

This tour is a great option for many interests, including Roman history, religion, and mystery. As a family-friendly excursion, kids will love it, too! Each site is sure to leave an impression on everyone in your group. At the end of the tour, a car will return you to the center of Rome.

Read more about unique activities in Rome and interesting historical experiences in Italy.

Traveler reviews

Shane B.

Broomfield, CO | Reviewed on Nov 07, 2022

This was really an interesting tour. The Capuchin Crypt was very unexpected, a bit bizarre and beyond interesting - the bones of monks made into art. In one of the crypts shoulder blades were arranged as butterflies. Even though we were only there for about 30 minutes it was absolutely a must see! For the Catacombs portion of the tour our guide was a geologist who had helped map these Catacombs, admitting to having been lost in the Catacombs as a student more than once. We did not get lost!

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