Group size

Max 16

Language

English

Duration

2.5 hrs

Start time

9:30 am / 3:00 pm

We will bring you back in time to the underground of the San Clemente Church where your guide will bring to life the history of this magnificent place of worship and its underground levels.

Tour Overview

The three levels are from three different centuries and each of them holds the secrets of those times. You will be able to visit three churches, two of them underground and all one on top of the other. By descending the levels you will travel through time from the 12th AD to the 1st-century AD. The great discovery of the lower levels of the church were made thanks especially to Fr Joseph Mullooly O.P., member of Irish Dominicans who were wardens of the Basilica since 1645. They still take care of the Basilicas, lead the excavations and conduct their religious life there.

After visiting the underground of St. Clement’s church, within a short walking distance, we will reach the Roman Houses on the Celio Hill. The secrets of this place were hidden until 2002 when the houses opened to the public. Your guide will unveil the history of approximately four centuries of Ancient Rome including some momentus times of the Roman Empire.

This unique itinerary is crucial for your understanding of the history of the Eternal City.

The sites included in this itinerary are never crowded and will give you the chance to learn so much, and to take home some unforgettable memories.

Tour Itinerary

Meeting point

Via San Giovanni in Laterano 126

St. Clement’s Church

A Roman Catholic minor basilica located in the historical centre of Rome, and dedicated to Pope Clement I.

Roman Houses on the Celio Hill

Twenty rooms which served as homes and shops including a room displaying archaeological finds enabling you to witness the ancient ways of Roman life.

Featured Highlight

The remains of Saint Cyril discovered by Irish Fr Joseph Mullooly O.P. The sepulchre of the Slavic saint has been found but by today only few fragments are preserved in a shrine in St. Clements Basilica.