2.5 hour mysterious Rome tour with San Clemente underground

A 2.5-hour tour for those who want to experience the treasures of Rome off the beaten path. You will be introduced to art and architecture from antiquity through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. With your professional art historian guide, visit San Clemente underground, San Pietro in Vincoli church, and Ludus Magnus. Shared tour includes all entrance fees and is limited to a maximum of 15 - 20 people.

Begin your journey near the Colosseum and take a pleasant walk through the surrounding neighborhood. In a delightful little piazza off Via Cavour, you will find the church of San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains). The church houses an important relic, the two sets of chains that bound St. Peter when he was imprisoned in Jerusalem and Rome. The highlight of this church is undoubtedly Michelangelo’s statue of Moses, an unfinished masterpiece by the Renaissance genius that was originally intended to be part of the tomb of Pope Julius II. The original plans included an enormous funeral monument with 47 statues, but it was never completed due to Michelangelo's other commissions.

Leaving San Pietro in Vincoli, continue to see the ruins of the Ludus Magnus, an ancient gladiator training school located on the northeast side of the Colosseum. The arena was connected with the school by underground tunnels.

Your last stop is the Basilica of San Clemente al Laterano along Via San Giovanni. This 12th-century basilica is a great example of architectural chronology: the structure is a three-level building complex, with each level corresponding to a major era of Roman history. Remains under the present basilica suggest that the foundation was part of a republican-era villa. In the 4th century, this was converted into a Christian church dedicated to Pope St. Clemet, the third Pope after St. Peter. The present Medieval basilica was built in 1100.