Enjoy a fully guided semi-private tour of the mysteries of underground Rome with maximum of 6 people, and an expert guide. Discover how Rome was built in layers at the fascinating Basilica of St Clement, a medieval basilica with stunning gold Byzantine mosaics that were built on top of a 4th-century church, on top of a 2nd-century pagan temple to Mithras on top of a late 1st-century Roman house! Next adventure to the ancient Christian catacombs, a labyrinth of miles of tunnels for graves and burials, dug by and for the very first illegal Christians – an awe-inspiring experience!
Semi-Private tours and experiences are guaranteed six participants max.
Our prices always include tickets and reservations fees (no waiting in lines!)
Our tour guides and staff are selected experts and speak perfect English
Easy to book and prepay your tours with our secure payment system
Eco-sustainable tourism, designed to respect and support local culture, art and traditions
Rome – the Eternal City, wasn’t built in a day! On this tour you will discover how Rome was actually built in layers, much of it being underground, over several hundred years. Due to the damage caused by wars, fires, floods, and other disasters, Rome was rebuilt upon itself time and again.
Your tour begins at the fascinating Basilica San Clemente, where you’ll uncover the mysteries of subterranean Rome. San Clemente is a medieval basilica with stunning gold mosaics – in itself a true treasure. But hidden below is another church, built on a pagan temple – built on a Roman house! You’ll see frescos that have survived since the 8th century and learn about the early church and the martyrs depicted on the walls. You’ll hear why so many churches in Rome were built on top of Pagan temples. You’ll learn all about the mysterious cult of Mithras in the eerie temple beneath, and see the surviving altarpiece of Mithras and the Bull. Your guide will walk you through the first-century Roman apartment and tell you all about a day in the life of an ancient Roman!
Returning to the surface, you’ll head outside the ancient city walls to one of the largest catacomb complexes – the ancient burial grounds of the illegal, persecuted Christians in Rome. You’ll descend into this dark maze of galleries lined with hundreds of rectangular graves – now empty niches thanks to the Barbarian raids. You’ll learn all about the burial rituals and decode the secret messages in the frescos and carvings on the terracotta and marble gravestones. You’ll see the tiny oil lamps by which the gravediggers worked and see their pick axe marks and scrapes in the soil and tufa rock around you. A truly unique, fascinating, and awe-inspiring experience.
Then you’ll return to the surface and be driven back to the city center to enjoy the hustle and bustle of daily life in modern Rome – with the knowledge that another three cities exist beneath your feet!
There is no photography allowed in St Clement Church or in the Catacombs.
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.
