Case Romane del Celio

Beneath the Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo on the Caelian Hill, the Case Romane del Celio preserve one of Rome's most remarkable underground complexes. These Roman houses, dating from the second to the fifth century AD, were built over successive generations and eventually incorporated into the foundations of the early Christian basilica above. Visitors move through more than twenty rooms that retain original frescoes, mosaic floors, and architectural details spanning pagan domestic life through to early Christian devotion, offering a layered record of how Roman urban space transformed across centuries.

The Caelian Hill itself is one of the seven hills of Rome, quieter than the Forum and Palatine yet rich in ancient fabric. The Case Romane sit within this neighbourhood as a rare example of stratified Roman domestic architecture that has survived largely intact underground. Entry tickets grant access to the full sequence of excavated rooms, making this one of the more intimate and genuinely atmospheric archaeological sites the city holds.