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A visit to the Roman Catacombs to travel back in time to discover the customs and traditions of ancient Rome
| Published: 10th October 2019 15:46 |
The underground passages of the city carry with them a mysterious charm, to which the tourists do not know how to escape.
Visiting the hidden cavern of the city, the one concealed from common eyes, the one that reveals the secrets of a past never completely dormant, is welcomed by tourists.
If the proposal concerns Rome, waiting will double enthusiasm.
The most hidden places conceal secrets and sometimes an intangible sense of suffering.
This is the case of the Roman Catacombs, underground galleries used for centuries as cramped burial sites, but today a historical element to visit, accompanied by trained guides, who will illustrate the secrets and symbols of the first Roman Christians who lived in Rome.
The tour to discover the Catacombs of Rome
Entering the bowels of the earth in the case of the Roman Catacombs means discovering the life and adventures of the first Roman Christians.
The underground urban itinerary fascinates the tourist, who wants to learn about history and chooses to get involved in the experience of a team of expert guides, able to accompany travelers step by step through this decidedly unusual and unusual tour.
The magnificence of the Catacombs of Priscilla joins the visit to the Basilica of San Clemente, which allows you to travel back in time, going back 2000 years.
The basilica, dating back to the 4th century, proposes a development on three levels, which overlapped over the centuries. Going down from level to level one reaches the Roman dwelling of the first century and the temple of Mithras, which has a catacomb with 16 tombs wedged in the walls that date back to the fifth century.
A visit to the Catacombs to explore the uses, customs and traditions of the ancient Romans
In ancient Rome the law prohibited the burial of the dead within the cities for clear health reasons.
The patricians, for whom cremation was usually practiced at the end of their lives, were buried in valuable sepulchres placed alongside the consular roads.
The Christians, considering the idea of the resurrection, did not wish to be cremated, for this reason the body was buried in underground caves obtained in the tuff, waiting for the passage to a new life in the afterlife. Hence the birth of the Catacombs, of which it is worth considering also the hypothesis that they served as a refuge for Christians, forced to hide due to persecution.
Rome hosts over 60 Catacombs: five open to the public
Rome is home to more than 60 Catacombs and several thousand tombs.
A historical heritage enriched by the presence of six Jewish Catacombs, four of which have disappeared, and two have been closed.
The Roman Catacombs have mostly found a place at the edges of the consular roads, outside the city center.
Concrete examples are those present along the Via Appia, and the Ostiense, the Via Tiburtina and the Nomentana.
Today you can only visit five Roman Catacombs, because they are regularly open to the public.
These are the Catacombs of San Callisto, San Sebastiano and Santa Domitilla, present in the area of the ancient Appian Way. The Catacombs of Priscilla and S. Agnese, in the Nomentana and Salario area, are also open to visits.
The Catacombs have different structures, reachable through a system of stairs, able to lead to the tunnels where the "burial niches" are placed, the most humble sepulchral system, which places people on the same level before death.
In reality the Catacombs also host more articulated tombs such as the "arcosoli", which present the construction of an arch on the tufa crate, and the "cubicoli", authentic valuable burial chambers.
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