Half-Day St Sebastian Catacombs and Appian Way Tour

Sightseeing  :  Italy  :  Latium And Rome  :  Rome  :  Half-day Tours

Discover a secret world beneath the streets of Rome on this 3-hour tour of the Catacombs of St. Sebastian. Travel along the Appian Way, one of the most historic roads of Ancient Rome, and see the stunning aqueducts of the Appian Park. See the Cecilia Metella Tomb and Aqueduct Park, accompanied by a small-group of no more than 13.Meet your guide and group at the predetermined departure point in central Rome. From there, board the awaiting air-conditioned coach and depart for the catacombs. Drive into the Latium countryside, stopping en route to the Basilica of St. Sebastian. According to legend, the basilica’s catacombs once held the bodies of the apostles of St. Peter and St. Paul during the persecutions. The guide will guide will give you an introduction to the church façade, before taking you inside to see the tomb and sculpture of Saint Sebastian. Descend to the catacombs, the 1st burial site of the Appian Way to see where the bodies were buried in the loculi and niches of 5 levels.

Continue along the Via Appia, looking for the marks of chariot wheels from the Roman Republic. Arrive at the Tomb of Cecilia Metella, built in the 1st century BC to honor the daughter of the Roman Consul, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus. Learn how it later became a castle for the Caetani family, a princely family with close ties to the papacy. Next, go to see the largest aqueducts of the Roman Empire at the magnificent Aqueduct Park. See an aqueduct that still supplies water to this day, and gaze at the aqueduct arches as they stretch over miles. At the end of your tour, bid farewell to your guide and spend the afternoon as you wish.