Roman Crypts and Catacombs Skip-the-Line tour

Roman Crypts and Catacombs Skip-the-Line tour
From USD $80.00
  • Duration: 4 Hours (approx.)
  • Product code: RO-CC-G-E

Skip the line to Rome’s famous Christian Catacombs

Discover the hidden and eerie history of the Eternal City with a tour of the famous Roman catacombs and more. Gain Skip-the-Line Entrance to the Christian Catacombs, where generations of early Christians tunneled under the city to bury their dead in tombs carved out of the bedrock. Travel by air-conditioned coach to the Capuchin Crypt, where you’ll see the remains of more than 4,000 monks decorating the walls. Then visit the lesser-known Basilica of San Clemente, go underground into the 4th-century church, and finally explore a pagan temple and a Roman house from the 1st century.


DEPARTURE

2:30 pm

DURATION

Approx. 3.5 hours

PERIOD

Year-round


What's Included in this tour:

  • Expert, English-speaking tour guide

  • Small groups of 22 people or less

  • Skip-the-Line access to the Christian Catacombs

  • Entrance ticket to the Capuchin Crypt and Museum

  • Entrance ticket to the church and underground levels of Basilica San Clemente

  • All entrance tickets & reservation fees

  • All transfers in an air-conditioned coach bus


Sites visited on this tour:

  • Catacombs of Domitilla, San Callisto or San Sebastiano

  • The Basilica of San Clemente

  • The Capuchin Crypt and Museum

 

Your Tour Itinerary 

Step 1: Meet in Piazza Barberini

The Original Crypts and Catacombs Rome Tour starts by meeting your expert historian guide in Piazza Barberini, beside the fountain of Triton. Interestingly, this piazza was used as the location for displaying human corpses that needed public identification up until the 1800s.

Step 2: Sacred Christian Catacombs

From here you’ll ride in our private climate-controlled bus to the extensive Christian Catacombs, which were dug out of the ground over 2000 years ago. Your expert historian guide will explain how this network of sacred tunnels is associated with the first Christians in ancient Rome. You’ll descend into the labyrinthian corridors carved into the soft volcanic rock and discover the frescoes, strange iconography and burial places which doubled as places of worship when the Christians were persecuted.

Step 3: Basilica of San Clemente

When you exit the catacombs, your bus will take you back within the city walls to the Basilica of San Clemente in the shadow of the Colosseum. If ever there was an example of Roman reuse of its buildings this is it. This seemingly normal church contains glorious arabesque frescoes and inlaid marble floors but in Rome. As your guide will show you, the church is built on top of a casually forgotten 4th-century basilica containing frescoes that include one of the first examples of vernacular Italian in the world.

Step 4: The Capuchin Crypts

Your coach will then transport you to the Capuchin Museum. Telling the story of the order based on the ascetic ideology of Saint. Francis, the museum contains Caravaggio’s painting of Saint Francis and many Capuchin artifacts. At the rear of the museum are the unique Capuchin Crypts — the final resting place of 4000 Capuchin friars whose bones were used in the European tradition of Memento Mori.

Important information:

Appropriate dress is required for entry into some sites on this tour. Knees, shoulders, and backs must be covered. Due to increased security measures at many attractions, some lines may form on tours with Skip-the-Line access.