Small-Group Tour Crypts the Bone Chapel and Catacombs
Rome, Italy
Rating: 
Trip Type: Walking Tours
Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes
Rome is a city that has built and rebuilt upon itself for thousands of years. Our Crypts, Bones & Catacombs tour is designed to take you deep down into the layers of Roman history, in order to uncover the spell-binding story of the city through the ages. We do so in the most dramatic way possible; by exploring the underground cemeteries and temples that once housed many of the city’s dead and its most mysterious cult, a guaranteed thrill for adults and children alike.
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Rome is a city that has built and rebuilt upon itself for thousands of years. Our Crypts, Bones & Catacombs tour is designed to take you deep down into the layers of Roman history, in order to uncover the spell-binding story of the city through the ages. We do so in the most dramatic way possible; by exploring the underground cemeteries and temples that once housed many of the city’s dead and its most mysterious cult, a guaranteed thrill for adults and children alike.The tour starts in the city’s most interesting (and paradoxically one of the least-visited) catacomb, the Catacomb of Santa Priscilla. This is where ancient Christians were buried when their religion was still outlawed and they were considered enemies of the state. The catacomb contains extraordinary frescoes, miles of creepy tunnels and the world’s oldest depiction of the Virgin Mary. Your expert, guide, hand-picked for knowledge of the catacombs, will lead your small group of 15 people or fewer through these wonderfully historic and atmospheric tunnels, while telling you the story of early Christianity. Large groups simply can’t fit into these areas, so take advantage of this truly unique access.
Next, you’ll head to one of the most singular and spine-tingling sights in Rome, the Capuchin bone crypt. The cemetery festooned with the bones and remains of some 4,000 Capuchin friars is a jaw-dropping display of life and death. Although it might appear macabre, you’ll learn why the monks actually consider the display life-affirming.
Finally, you’ll visit one of Rome’s hidden (literally) treasures. The 12th-century Basilica San Clemente holds not one but two secrets: a 4th-century Basilica beneath it, and a 1st century Mithraic temple beneath that! Mithraism remains one of the unsolved mysteries of ancient Rome, a religion that many powerful people followed but evidence of it exists in almost no historical records. As you descend through the layers of Roman history your expert guide will tell you what we know and what we don’t know about the Mithraic Mysteries and show you the lost, underground stream that almost drove the man who found it insane.
With comfortable, air-conditioned transport throughout, and a small group of 15 people or fewer, your only responsibility is to immerse yourself in the thrills and wonder of underground Rome. Our expert guides have been hand-picked for this experience based on both their knowledge and love of history. They make the perfect escorts through our eeriest and most mysterious tour.
Sites Visited:
Next, you’ll head to one of the most singular and spine-tingling sights in Rome, the Capuchin bone crypt. The cemetery festooned with the bones and remains of some 4,000 Capuchin friars is a jaw-dropping display of life and death. Although it might appear macabre, you’ll learn why the monks actually consider the display life-affirming.
Finally, you’ll visit one of Rome’s hidden (literally) treasures. The 12th-century Basilica San Clemente holds not one but two secrets: a 4th-century Basilica beneath it, and a 1st century Mithraic temple beneath that! Mithraism remains one of the unsolved mysteries of ancient Rome, a religion that many powerful people followed but evidence of it exists in almost no historical records. As you descend through the layers of Roman history your expert guide will tell you what we know and what we don’t know about the Mithraic Mysteries and show you the lost, underground stream that almost drove the man who found it insane.
With comfortable, air-conditioned transport throughout, and a small group of 15 people or fewer, your only responsibility is to immerse yourself in the thrills and wonder of underground Rome. Our expert guides have been hand-picked for this experience based on both their knowledge and love of history. They make the perfect escorts through our eeriest and most mysterious tour.
Sites Visited:
- Roman Catacombs
- The Capuchin Crypt, A.K.A . ‘The Bone Chapel’
- Basilica San Clemente
- 4th-Century Basilica
- 1st-Century Mithraic temple
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