Panorama taken on the road through fields leading up to the Catacombs of San Callisto.

Road to Catacombs of San Callisto - Rome visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Road to Catacombs of San Callisto' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Roma.

The Catacombs of San Callisto (Catacombe di San Callisto) lie outside of the Aurelian Walls of Rome, a little south of the Porta San Sebastiano and near to Domine Quo Vadis? on via Appia Antica. They are the most popular catacombs attraction in Rome for tourists and the approach to the catacombs runs through some gentle fields.

The Catacombs of San Callisto are named after Callixtus, and are sometimes called 'Catacombs of St Callixtus'. They date from the 2C, and have almost 20km of tunnels and galleries which run through 5 levels to a depth of almost 20m. These catacombs cover 15 hectares and were a Christian burial site. Rome has over 40 different catacomb sites. While most were used by Christians to bury dead underground in secret during times of persecution, some were used to bury pagans and others for Jews. The practice declined after the 4C once Christianity became accepted by the state, and eventually the catacombs were forgotten until around the 18C.

Catacombe di San Callisto,
110 Via Appia Antica
00179 Roma

Bus: 218 from Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano, a 15-minute ride, or Bus 716 from Piazza Venezia.
Car: Head south along Via Appia Antica out of Porta San Sebastiano. Just past Domine Quo Vadis? the road splits into 2, and in between is a track through a wall up a gentle hill to the catacombs.