Secret Rome: Private Tour of the Hidden Underground

Highlights

• Underground ruins
• Ancient bridge and Tiber Island
• Private guide

What's included

Itinerary

1. 1

   Stop 1

   15min

   Meeting point tour

2. 2

   Teatro di Marcello

   15min

   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.

3. 3

   Isola Tiberina

   30min

   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.

4. 4

   The Portico of Octavia

   20min

   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.

5. 5

   Stop 5

   30min

   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.

6. 6

   Chiesa di San Francesco a Ripa Grande

   30min

   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.

7. 7

   Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere

   15min

   The Basilica was probably the first official place of Christian worship in Rome. According to the legend, it was built by Pope Callistus I in the 3rd century and was finished by Saint Julius I in 340. Rebuilt during the pontificate of Pope Innocent II, it later had decorations and restorations including those promoted by Pope Clement XI (1702) and by Pope Pius IX (1870), without the church suffering substantial alterations. Many parts of the church date back to the 12th century; the mosaics, especially those of the façade and those of the apse made by Pietro Cavallini and depicting the "Life of the Virgin", are important. On the outside, built in the 12th century, stands the bell tower with its square base.

Before you go

Location