Oldest Catacombs in the World and Best of the Appian Way

WHY THIS EXPERIENCE

• Discover the underground galleries where more than 16000 bodies were buried!
• Learn the secrets of the catacombs
• Stroll through the first road the Ancient Roman built in 312BC: the Appian Way

WHAT WE’LL DO

About 20 kilometers (10 miles) of galleries. Hundreds of thousands of bodies buried. Over 2000 years of history. These are the numbers of some of the most fascinating and mysterious locations in the world.

You might have already seen catacombs elsewhere in the world. But this is where the first ones were built. This is where the word “catacomb” actually comes from. And with over 60 catacombs in the whole city, there’s no better place than Rome to visit them.

Stay tight, don’t wander off. You don’t want to end up being a permanent resident down there! We’ll discover the history of the first Christians of Rome. They dug these galleries to bury their dead people. This is where they celebrated their funerary ceremonies and banquets. And where they left us so many hidden symbols they used to recognize each other in time of fierce persecutions.

Look around carefully, you might still find some of the bones of the profaned tombs, while some others are still closed and untouched. The more you walk down, the more the temperature drops. But you already got goosebumps because of the stories you’re listening to.

After this journey to the underworld we’ll go back up overground and we’ll discover one of the most underrated treasures of Rome: the Appian Way!

The soon-to-be Unesco World Heritage Site, is also defined as the Regina Viarum, which means: the Queen of the Roads. Why? 

Because this was the very first road that the Ancient Romans made, to connect Rome to Brindisi, in the Puglia region in south of Italy. Go on the map and see how long it is!

But how did the Romans come up with the idea of “street”? How did they invent the concept of street? And how is it possible that the ancient Roman streets still last today after 2000 years, and our modern streets have potholes after a few months?

Discover this and so much more in this mind blowing experience, which combines an adventurous exploration underground, with the most picturesque Roman countryside strolls. The perfect Sunday stroll for any Roman today.

SIGHTS INCLUDED

• Catacombs on the Appian Way (either San Sebastiano, Santa Domitilla or San Callisto)
• Appian way and its major landmarks