Secret Rome: Discover the Hidden Underground, Small Group Tour

4.0
(1 reviews)
Rome, Italy

3 hours (approximately)
Offered in: Portuguese and 3 more

On this tour, you'll walk underground times, among ruins and columns, enter a thousand-year-old market, and cross an island on Rome's oldest bridge: it'll be a fun experience.
Is it true that every church in Rome is built on the ruins of pagan temples? You'll find out by visiting the city's most famous sites and underground passages. A few steps away, between the Portico of Octavia and the ruins of the Teatro Marcello, you'll cross Rome's oldest bridge, dating back 2,000 years and still standing! And there you are on Tiber Island; then the underground house of Saint Cecilia awaits, with its ancient mosaics, mysterious inscriptions, and richly decorated crypt. The tour continues with a visit to the Basilica Church of San Francesco a Ripa, Rome's first Franciscan church, the place, now a sanctuary, where Saint Francis stayed. The tour ends with a visit to the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, the first official place of Christian worship in Rome.

What's Included

Tickets entrance at the museums
3 hours Professional Guide
Pickup and Drop-off hotel
Tips

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

Meeting point

End point
Rome

in the city center

Itinerary

Duration: 3 hours (approximately)
  • 1

    Meeting point tour

    15 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 2
    Teatro di Marcello

    The Theater of Marcellus, largely preserved, is the only ancient theater remaining in Rome. Built in the southern area of the Campus Martius known as the Circus Flaminius, between the Tiber river and the Capitoline Hill, it was commissioned by Caesar and continued by Augustus. The building was erected in Campo Marzio, in the place that tradition had consecrated to stage performances, where the "Theatrum et proscenium ad Apollinis", connected to the temple of Apollo, was already located.

    15 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 3
    Isola Tiberina

    The Tiber Island, the only urban island on the Tiber, approximately 300 meters long and approximately 90 meters wide, is connected to the banks of the Tiber by two bridges: towards Trastevere by the Cestio bridge, dating back to 46 BC. C. and in the direction of the Ghetto with the Fabricio bridge, built in 62 BC. C., also called Quattro Capi bridge, for the Roman herms that decorate its parapets. According to legend, the island was born in 509 BC. when, having ousted Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the last king of Rome, the people, as a sign of hatred towards the tyrant, threw the king's enormous grain deposit into the Tiber, which turned out to be so abundant that it formed a small island. In reality, a compact bank of tuff, similar to that of the nearby Capitoline Hill, constitutes the basic geological element, on which the sands carried by the current have naturally settled.

    20 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 4
    Il Portico Di Ottavia

    The Portico d'Ottavia complex is the only one preserved of the large porticoes that limited, on the northern side, the square of the Circo Flaminio, an area that corresponds to the ancient Ghetto. It was rebuilt by Augustus, in place of the older Portico of Metello, between 27 and 23 BC. and dedicated to her sister Ottavia. It was subsequently restored and partially rebuilt in 203 by Septimius Severus, after a fire in 191, a period to which the majority of the currently visible remains belong. The complex, a quadriportico of 119 x 132 metres, included the most ancient Temple of Juno Regina, which was then joined by the Temple of Jupiter Stator, the first in Rome entirely made of marble, two libraries, Greek and Latin, and the Curia Octaviae , a large environment for public meetings.

    15 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 5
    Santa Cecilia in Trastevere

    The Basilica of S. Cecilia in Trastevere is located in the square of the same name and stands on the house of the Roman martyr Cecilia and her husband Valeriano. The excavations under the church, carried out during the restoration of 1899, highlighted a group of ancient buildings from the Republican age with walls in opus quadratum of tuff and a Doric column. At the bottom of a niche there is a tuff relief representing "Minerva" in front of an altar. The building shows restorations and renovations from a later period, from the 2nd to the 4th century AD, when it was unified with other existing buildings dating back to the Republican age. In addition to various rooms built in brickwork and with remains of floor mosaics, there is also a large room characterized by the presence of seven cylindrical brick basins in the floor.

    45 minutes Admission ticket included
  • 6
    Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere

    The Basilica was likely the first official place of Christian worship in Rome. According to legend, it was built by Pope Callixtus I in the 3rd century and completed by Saint Julius I in 340. Rebuilt during the pontificate of Pope Innocent II, it subsequently underwent decorations and restorations, including notable ones promoted by Pope Clement XI (1702) and Pope Pius IX (1870), without the church undergoing substantial alterations.

    30 minutes Admission ticket included
  • 7
    Chiesa di San Francesco a Ripa Grande

    The Church of San Francesco a Ripa is a place of great spirituality in the heart of Rome, in Trastevere. This beautiful Baroque church preserves, in a simple corner, the cell, now a sanctuary, where Saint Francis was welcomed during the Roman days of papal visits.

    30 minutes Admission ticket included

Additional info

  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
  • This tour is intended as a walk which enters underground areas and places of worship: Should anyone feel uncomfortable in underground spaces, the guide can deal with it; those people will comfortably sit in the top church, while the rest of the group will visit the underground. It is advisable to wear confortable shoes such as sport trainers and to respect the churches dress code: trousers should touch the knee and shoulders should be covered; tourists may consider bringing a scarf to wear at necessity.
  • Provide the Correct address of your accommodation , hotel, B&B
  • Provide the correct phone number with international country code
  • check that you provide all the details to the agency
Supplied by Welcome Italy
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Tags

Half-day Tours
Bus Tours
Private and Luxury
Cultural Tours
Historical Tours
Walking Tours
Archaeology Tours
Small Group
Viator Plus
Short term availability

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

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