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Private Catacombs and Basilica San Clemente Underground Tour

  • (99)
  • 3 hrs
  • 10
  • Flexible Travel We will provide a full refund if you cancel or amend your booking at least 24 hours before the date of your tour. You can also modify the time and date of your tour up to 24 hours before without incurring any charge.
  • Flexible Travel We will provide a full refund if you cancel or amend your booking at least 24 hours before the date of your tour. You can also modify the time and date of your tour up to 24 hours before without incurring any charge.
  • 10
  • 3 hrs
  • (99)

Venture beneath the Eternal City and Explore the Depths of Hidden Rome

Inclusions

  • Includes skip-the-line tickets
  • Exclusive access to two of Rome’s underground hotspots
  • Inlcudes a transfer in an airconditioned vehicle between the tour sites

Tour Description

*Due to seasonal demand we are only running this tour on a private basis. Please contact us to arrange your visit*

This exclusive experience unearths over two millennia of history in a small group with an expert guide. Head underground and explore ancient temples and churches at the breathtaking basilica di San Clemente, before visiting Rome’s largest network of catacombs which still contain the bodies of over 150,000 ancient Romans. 

Our tour starts on the ground level of the Basilica San Clemente, beautiful medieval church and architectural masterpiece. Spread over multiple layers, the ‘lasagna church’ is one of the few sites that allows you travel through time to discover ruins from centuries apart.

After marvelling at the stunning marble floors and intricate décor, we’ll start our descent. The lower floors lead to an older, larger church that was built in the 4th Century, before descending deeper into a cult temple, dedicated to ancient Eastern god Mithras.

Journeying even further underground, your guide will bring to life an ancient Roman apartment complex as you walk through an ancient doorway and even cross an age-old street. Understand what life was really like for ancient Romans in one of the best-preserved Roman homes in the city.

The adventure continues along Via Appia Antica, the first ancient Roman highway, to the Catacombs of Domitilla. Catacombs have been a secret part of Roman history for almost two thousand years. Your expert historian guide will tell you about how ancient Christian burial rites and rituals were performed so many centuries ago, and how the handmade tunnels are filled with the bodies of ancient Romans.

Our visit will include the tomb of Diogenes, several crypts decorated with Pagan and Christian symbols and motifs as well as the oldest known fresco of the last supper. Your expert guide will lead you through the dark underbelly of ancient Rome at a leisurely, comfortable pace. 

Please note that the cost of this tour includes the entrance tickets to the Catacomb di Santa Domitilla and the Basilica San Clemente. 

If you’re ready to take a step off the beaten track and delve deeper into ancient Rome’s secrets, book your spot now!

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Tour Highlights

  • Discover two must-see sites of hidden underground Rome
  • Enjoy the expertise of your fluent guide

Basilica San Clemente

Explore the incredible church and venture undeground to the temple of mithras and an ancient roman street.

The Ancient Layer & Pagan Temple

First built as an imperial mansion and apartments in the late 1st century AD, this inner courtyard was transformed into a Temple of Mithras or ‘Mithraeum around 200 years later.

The Early Christian Layer & 4th-Century Church

A hall and later a church were built on top of the Temple of Mithras in the early 4th century, when Christianity became the main religion of the Roman Empire.

The Medieval Layer & Current Basilica

The mid-level church was severely damaged during the Norman sack of Rome in 1084 AD. Above it we have the top tier of Basilica San Clemente, completed in the 12th century.

Catacombs of Domitilla

Situated on the property of the second-century aristocrat Flavia Domitilla, these catacombs are among the largest underground cemetery in Rome and preserve incredible evidence about the faith of Rome’s earliest Christians.

Our tour finishes in the Gardens of Domitilla

After your ascent to the modern street-level, you’re free to explore the nearby Appian Way or enjoy the short but scenic trip back into the city centre.

Meeting Location

€65 as low as €65

Book Tour

Know Before You Go

  • It can get pretty chilly beneath the streets of Rome so bring something warm to wrap around you.
  • Feel free to contact us with any questions related to your trip
  • Please be at the meeting point 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time
  • Look out for a member of our team holding a Carpe Diem Rome sign
  • Prohibited items include scissors, pocket knives, aerosols and liquids, even if less than 100ml (except for water)
  • Please bring/wear: Comfortable walking shoes, a jacket or umbrella if rain is forecast and a water bottle
  • Rome Catacombs tickets & Basilica San Clements tickets included

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