“The catacombs of St. Callixtus are among the greatest and most important of Rome. They originated about the middle of the second century and are part of a cemetery complex which occupies an area of 90 acres, with a network of galleries about 12 miles long, in four levels, more than twenty meters deep. In it were buried tens of martyrs, 16 popes and very many Christians. They are named after the deacon Callixtus who, at the beginning of the third century, was appointed by pope Zephyrinus as the administrator of the cemetery and so the catacombs of St. Callixtus became the official cemetery of the Church of Rome.” From The Christian Catacombs of Rome website.
- Photo from Steve at Rome Underground
Catacombe di San Callisto/Catacombs of St. Callixtus
Via Appia Antica, 126
00179 Rome, Italy
tel. +39/06/51301580
fax +39/06/51301567
Website: www.catacombe.roma.it
Closed on Wednesdays
Hours: 9.00 – 12.00 and 14.00 – 17.00
8 € full price; 5 € reduced fee (effective 01/01/2010)
Often it is easier to drive to the Catacombs, as they are “outside” central Rome, but as most visitors do not drive in Rome (for good reason), here are the public transportation options for the Catacombs of St. Callisto.
Option 1 – From Roma Termini Station, take bus 714 to Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano (St. John Lateran Square). Then take bus 218 and get off at stop FOSSE ARDEATINE. The entrance to the catacombs is just opposite the bus stop.
Pictured above is the Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano stop, just to the northeast of the church. Get off here and wait for the bus 218. You can also ride the bus 81 and bus 665 to this same stop, depending on where you are in town. These two buses also connect with the bus 218 here. Then ride these stops: P.ZA S. GIOVANNI IN LATERANO , IPPONIO , ILLIRIA , LICIA , EPIRO , CAMERIA , PORTA S. SEBASTIANO , APPIA ANTICA/TRAVICELLA , APPIA ANTICA/DOMINE QUO VADIS , ARDEATINA , FOSSE ARDEATINE, As you can see, Fosse Ardeatine is the 10th stop on the bus 218.
Above is the Fosse Ardeatine stop. Clicking on the ATAC link, FOSSE ARDEATINE, you can zoom in and out and get a better sense of the location. Suffice to say, you are out on the Appian Way! Note Via Appia Antica to the north of you in this picture.
To return, just catch the bus 218 back into town from the Appian Way and reverse your tracks!
Option 2 – If you are not near Roma Termini Station or it’s not convenient for you, then ride the metro. Take any train(s) to metro station San Giovanni on Metro Line A. In this picture, it is almost directly in the center, marked by the white M in the red square. Walk north, through the Aurelian Walls, straight up the street until you see the bus stop. This will be the START of the bus 218 run, so you may see a bus just parked there. The driver is probably on his break and the bus will leave in 5-10 minutes. Get on bus 218 and ride the bus ELEVEN stops to stop FOSSE ARDEATINE as outlined above. You can also ride the bus 218 back to here as this is the FINAL stop on the run… then just jump on the metro!
Option 3 – If you are on the Metro B line or close to Piramide Metro Station, then this may work best for you. Go to the Piramide Metro station, which is also connected to the Railway Station Ostiense (perfect for cruisers coming in from Civitavecchia) and go out front and get on the bus 118. This is the starting point for the run so again, like the bus 218 above, you may have to wait until the driver finishes his break. Take the bus 118 about 14 stops until you get to the stop CATACOMBE S.CALLISTO.
These are the stops from the Piramide Metro Station to your stop: PORTA S. PAOLO , AVENTINO/ALBANIA , AVENTINO , CIRCO MASSIMO 
, TERME CARACALLA/PORTA CAPENA , TERME CARACALLA/VALLE CAMENE , PORTA S. SEBASTIANO/NUMA POMPILIO , PORTA S. SEBASTIANO/SEPOLCRO SCIPIONI , PORTA S. SEBASTIANO , APPIA ANTICA/TRAVICELLA , APPIA ANTICA/DOMINE QUO VADIS , APPIA ANTICA/CAFFARELLA , APPIA ANTICA/SCUOLA AGRARIA , CATACOMBE S.CALLISTO.
Once there, you will have to walk south to southwest from the bus stop. Here’s a map of where you will get off the bus 118
The blue marker is the arriving bus 118. This is the CATACOMBE S.CALLISTO stop. The red marker symbolizes the bus 218 arrival point. You can see where the Catacombs are in this map. So walk south to southwest on the narrow “road” and you’ll come directly to the entrance. Its only about 210 meters, from the blue dot to the red dot!
And, on return, depending on where you are headed, walk back to the bus 118 stop to get you back to Piramide (Or Circo Massimo) Metro Line B stations… or hop on the bus 218 and head to the San Giovanni area. Of course, you can always take a taxi. Write down the address, at the top of this article, and hand it to the taxi driver.
Reference material pulled from
To go to a specific Catacomb page on the Ron-in-Rome website, click on any link below
There are more than 900 churches in Rome. Certainly reading in advance with help you separate and enjoy the many churches in the city. Click any book above for more information. For more books or travel accessories, head to our Travel Store, Magellan’s Travel Supplies, or look in amazon.com. Non-USA Guests can search for travel accessories at amazon.co.uk.
There are more than 900 churches in Rome. Certainly reading in advance with help you separate and enjoy the many churches in the city. Click any book above for more information. For more books or travel accessories, head to our Travel Store, Magellan’s Travel Supplies, or look in amazon.com. Non-USA Guests can search for travel accessories at amazon.co.uk.
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Header: Catacombs of San Callisto – Photos by Camera Lady II
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