TOUR OF THE BASILICAS AND SECRET UNDERGROUND CATACOMBS

Ancient basilicas and underground catacombs
The churches of Rome are among the most beautiful and ancient in the Western world: spend an afternoon discovering some of them with this guided tour.
Wait for us at your central hotel or save some money and meet us at our meeting point, where you will meet your professional guide who will provide you with a comfortable audio receiver and earphones, to make sure you don't miss a word.
We will visit Santa Maria Maggiore, an ancient and splendid basilica. It was built on the top of the Esquiline hill: its original architecture was classical, perhaps to give the idea that the place represented ancient imperial and Christian Rome. Despite numerous construction projects and the damage suffered, the Basilica retains the core of the original structure from 442 AD.
Even older, the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano: the oldest public church in Rome and the major papal basilica. It stands on the remains of an imperial Roman military fortress founded in 193 AD, subsequently converted into a place of worship and which suffered several damages due to earthquakes and fires: the splendid façade as it appears today was completed in 1735.
Nearby, the Scala Sancta: white marble steps set into wooden ones.
According to Catholic tradition, they constituted the staircase that led to Pontius Pilate's praetorium in Jerusalem and which Jesus climbed during his Passion.
And speaking of antiquity, the Catacombs of San Callisto are worth a visit: these underground burial places, outside the city walls, were dug into tuff, a soft volcanic rock. More than fifty martyrs and first popes were buried in this enormous cemetery.

Highlights;
- Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano (visit inside)
- Holy Staircase
- Catacombs of S. Callisto (visit inside, when it is closed it will be replaced by the Catacombs of Santa Domitilla)
- Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (visit inside)