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3-4 hours
Walking Tour
Private Tour
Your Hotel
Embark on a private Europe Odyssey tour that will plunge you beneath Rome’s teeming surface, into a world frozen in time. Wander through the winding Catacombs of Priscilla, where echoes of early Christianity are etched into the walls, the oldest known frescoes of Mary your silent guides.
But the journey doesn’t stop there. We’ll journey to the layered history of the Basilica di San Clemente. Above ground, a modern basilica. Beneath, a 4th-century home church and even deeper, a 3rd-century Mithraeum. Every step you take vibrates with Rome’s ancient pulse, underscored by the distant rumble of a 1st-century aqueduct.
You see, this isn’t just a tour, it’s a ticket back in time. It’s a chance to walk within history’s echoes, to breathe in the antiquity, and to touch the remnants of a Rome buried beneath today’s busy streets. So, shall we descend together into Rome’s past?
Children under 7 years of age – Free
The Capuchin Monastery, nestled within the bustle of Rome, offers a starkly unique glimpse into the rituals of mortality.
This friary is famed for its Capuchin Crypt, a series of chapels adorned with the skeletal remains of over 4,000 Capuchin monks, arranged artistically and symbolically. But this is more than macabre art; it serves as a profound reminder of life's ephemeral nature, a memento mori echoed in the inscription: "What you are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be.
St. Clement's Basilica, at the surface, built during the Middle Ages, is adorned with beautiful mosaics and frescoes. Yet, one level below, the remains of a 4th-century church hint at Rome's early Christian roots.
This space was once devoted to the mystery cult of Mithras, a religion popular amongst Rome's military and civil service in the late Roman Empire. A fascinating feature here is the Mithraic altar, a stone relief depicting Mithras slaying a bull, a sacred rite in Mithraism.
Fact: The Mithraic religion, although widespread, left few written records, making sites like the Temple of Mithras in St. Clement's invaluable for understanding this ancient faith.
The Catacombs of Priscilla, resting quietly beneath the bustling streets of Rome, hold a distinct place in early Christian history. This extensive network of burial galleries, named after the noblewoman Priscilla, served as a sacred burial ground for Christians in the 2nd to 4th centuries.
The catacombs are particularly renowned for their precious 3rd-century frescoes, including what is believed to be the oldest known depiction of the Virgin Mary. The "Madonna and Child" and "The Three Wise Men" frescoes are among the most recognized.
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