1 day

Private

Instant confirmation

About this activity

Get picked up at your Rome hotel or accommodation by your driver at 8:30am to begin your day.

Start with an intense introduction to the life of St. Peter and St. Paul from a very exclusive spot when Rome is still sleeping. Then stop at the Mamertine Prison, where the two Saints were kept in chains under Emperor Nero. You can also visit it from the inside.

Move to the Aventine Hill, the place where the early Christians started to profess their religion. Visit what once were the first two Domus Iglesias, today known as the Church of Saint Sabina and Saint Prisca, under which the first Christians met in secret.

Move to the Appian Way and explore the Church of Quo Vadis, where you will find amazing evidence of the life of the two Saints. Visit the Catacombs where the early Christians were buried, even if persecuted by the Romans.

Take a break for lunch (own expense) before heading to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Explore the Basilica built on top of the tomb of St Paul. Next, visit the Cathedral of Rome, where there is evidence of the power of the Church after Constantine stopped the persecutions of the Christians: Saint John in Latheran.

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Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Private tour
Live commentary on board
Driver

Not included

Entrance fees 6 euro per person for the visit to the Mamertine Prison and 8 euro per person for the Catacombs
Lunch
Gratuities
Guide

Additional

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
Entrance fee to the Mamertine Prison if you choose to visit it from the inside 6 euro per person. Free for kids up to 6 years old
Entrance fee to the Catacombs 8 euro per person and reduced 5 euro per person
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Features

Tourism

95%

Cultural

85%

Reviews

4.8

9

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Peter B

5 | 2019-07-29

Excellent guide and very knowledgeable of his home, Rome. It was my first time in Rome, my partner's 12th time and we both saw things we had never seen and likely wouldn't have on our own. Fantastic introduction to Rome filled with profound insight. Great way to see the city as well as we covered a very large area by car. And to top it off, we were brought to maybe the best Gelataria in the city!!!

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thomas.noll8134

5 | 2019-07-03

We have been on many European vacations with various tour guides. MAX set a new excellence standard of tour guides. We started at our hotel and were whisked back in time to experience the life of Peter and Paul in chains while in Rome. We spent over 7 hours learning of the core of Christian beginnnings and ended with a trip to the Cattacombs to experience the persecution of the church and early Christians. The prior reviews of Max’s expertise were unstated. He personality and knowledge satisfied our curiosity and quest for history in a manner that we had never experienced before on any of our prior vacations/trips. Highly recommended....

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Lance K

5 | 2017-03-05

I have always had a passion for reading and learning about religious history and what it teaches us about human nature. When I read about this tour and its focus on looking at early Christianity from a historical perspective, I was cautiously excited. Having been on the tour of the Vatican and taken other tours of religious sites in Rome, I find they focus way to much on reciting church doctrine and fail to give an accurate picture of early Christianity. This tour, by comparison, was led by an anthropologist and historian that is well-read and can help you better understand the context of what was going on in Rome during the early beginnings of Christianity and the conditions that led to the success of Christianity despite fluctuating tolerance and persecution from the Roman emperors at the time. Luca, my tour guide, helped separate historical facts from unprovable church legends. During the tour, you will visit multiple sites that teach about early Christianity including the Roman Forum and Mamertine Prison, Aventine Hill, the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains, the Christian Catacombs of St. Callixtus, the Appian Way, and St. Johns Ouside the Walls. Before visiting each location, you will get a briefing on each location and the context of the location to early Christianity which helps you put the official tours at each location into perspective since the guide cannot lead you at some of the locations due to local laws. In the end, I found the tour very enjoyable and my tour guide Luca was extremely smart about the topic. My one caution is that if you are looking for him to stricly align with your particular Christian church's teachings, this is probably the wrong tour for you. If you want to learn about the historical context of the rise of Christianity though, you will love it.

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sncogan

5 | 2016-07-03

Guide was amazing. He really knew both art and history. We had a wonderful day.

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Leonard F A

3 | 2016-06-22

The guide Max was excellent . However the tour had no order or explanation of the origins of Christianity in Rome. Too much showing of old churches.

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