Explore LivTours’ Catacombs Night Tour in Rome, discovering St. Agnes, an exclusive ancient burial ground, and accessing special off-limits areas of the papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore after-hours. Traverse the underground hidden passageways of Rome and be the only ones in the catacombs with just your guide and a few flashlights.
From the 2nd century onward, Romans started making catacombs burial spaces due to increased population density and shortage of land. Up until that time, they had believed in cremation, but this changed towards the end of the Roman Empire with the influence of Christianity. The catacombs from this period are unique as they contain examples of early Christian frescos and sculptures, some of which you will see on this tour.
In Santa Maria Maggiore, access the off-limits loggia and descend a magnificent spiral staircase designed by Bernini, before going underground to see an ancient Roman domus, or “home”.
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Eco-sustainable tourism, designed to respect and support local culture, art and traditions
Your Catacombs Night Tour in Rome starts with a guided tour of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, including exclusive access to the church’s loggia and a spiral stone staircase designed by Bernini. Then, you will descend underground, and visit an ancient Roman home (or domus) that was found and excavated under the church.
Once you have finished exploring the Santa Maria Maggiore, your expert guide will escort you to your private chauffeured car that takes you to the ancient catacombs for the next part of your tour.
Arriving at the Catacombs of Saint Agnes, your guide will explain its story of why so many works of art have been dedicated to this Christian martyr. Saint Agnes was a young noble girl who refused the son of a prefect, believing that “Jesus is my only spouse”. It was her Christian beliefs that created problems for her in a pagan Roman Empire and they were sadly the reason for her death. The bones of her body are preserved in these Catacombs, while her skull is in the Saint Agnes Basilica in Piazza Navona. You will be led down three tiers of catacombs to explore these ancient burial grounds.
Once you are back to ground level, you will enter the beautiful Saint Agnes Outside the Walls Basilica that was built in her honor over the very spot where she lays. The basilica is part of a larger, prominent funerary complex that is home to a mausoleum in honor of Costanza, the daughter of the famed Roman Emperor Constantine. Both his daughters’ remains are buried here, venerated with priceless 4th-century mosaics. You will visit the mausoleum in complete exclusivity and will be entirely on your own in the basilica. Your semi-private tour ends with a luxury chauffeured ride back to where your tour began.
LivTours’ group size of max 6 participants is and always has been based on sustainable travel, and we are proud to be at the forefront of change and innovation in the industry. LivTours is committed to providing travelers with truly sustainable tours with the lowest possible environmental impact, all while supporting the local industries and people of each unique destination. To learn more about how you can actively support sustainable tourism and how LivTours is contributing, click here.
All LivTours Semi-Private Group Tours are limited to 6 guests per tour guide. Our commitment to maintaining our uniquely tiny group sizes can sometimes be a little tricky, mathematically speaking. For example, we want to ensure that traveling families and friends can tour together so on rare occasions we may add one or two guests in order to not split groups. On that same note, you may also find yourself on tour with less than six people! We thank you for your understanding and flexibility.
By selecting Choose Dates Later / Buy as Gift at booking, any tour can be purchased without fixed dates. This is the perfect option if you want to purchase your tour as a gift for a loved one, or if you are in the pre-planning phase of your vacation. After booking, you will receive a Travel Voucher Code and full instructions on how to schedule your tours when ready. Once your travel plans are confirmed, you can easily use the Travel Voucher Code on the LivTours website to formally schedule your tours. You can find out more here.
