Lying at times up to 12 meters (36 feet) below the modern city, much of ancient Rome is still being excavated, however, various sites have been exposed to us and offer an extraordinary indication to the city’s multifarious layers. ItalyWithUs offers you the opportunity to take a look at a side of Rome that was almost consigned to history with their guided tour of the Catacombs & Underground Rome, which will take you on a journey to the eternal city's most celebrated subterranean sites on your Guided Tours of Rome.

It is sometimes all the more enjoyable to weave through these underground alleyways in a small group.  It is both romantic and intriguing to see very much in real terms how everyday and wealthy Romans lived there lives, and much of the information to be found underground has radically changed the historiography of this great city. 

The underground Rome tour begins with a visit to the subterranean levels of San Clemente Basilica, an early medieval church built on the remains of a 1st century Mithraic temple and Roman domus. After exploring the two churches that sit on top of these ruins, one of which contains the earliest example of written Italian volgare, we wind through the streets of the Celian neighborhood past the impressive Basilica of Ss. Quattro Coronati, regarded by many as the most beautiful Medieval structure in Rome, making our way up the hill to the church of Ss. Giovanni e Paolo. Here we will visit a series of middle-class 3rd century urban dwellings. The ancient wall coverings here are extremely well-preserved. We will also discover how these ancient sites were transformed during the Middle Ages into early Christian churches.

After this we shall take an excursion to the catacombs of Sant’Agnese, on the Via Nomentana. This underground Roman cemetery offers an unrivalled glimpse into this beguiling and hidden world. Discovered in 1865, these are some of the best-preserved catacombs in Rome and offer a quiet atmosphere that remains unhampered by tourism, making it one of the most enjoyable Catacomb Tours available! We will also experience the numinous atmosphere of one of the earliest Christian spaces in Rome, the Basilica of Sant’Agnese itself, and also the 4th century cylindrical church of Santa Costanza - originally built as a mausoleum for the Emperor Constantine’s daughter. This building, once entirely covered with marble and ornamented with mosaics, is among the finest examples of the architecture of late Roman antiquity...

Notes: We may also visit the church of Ss. Quattro Coronati depending on the interests of the clients and time availability. Appointments to the special sites on this tour are included in the price. An extended 4 hour version of this itinerary includes a visit to neighboring House Churches such as San Martino ai Monti, Santa Prassede, Santa Pudenzia and San Vitale all with nave excavations (scavi) and crypts.

Once you have completed this extensive and entertaining tour you will have a much firmer grasp of the history you see above ground.  Remember that even the magnificent Colosseum was built on the foundations of earlier Rome, both physically and philosophically, so you can never really understand the former without taking a peak into the history of the latter.