Case Romane del Celio

Heritage museum · Celio ·

Case Romane del Celio

Heritage museum · Celio ·

Ancient Roman homes, shops, shrines with frescoes & mosaics

Information

Clivo di Scauro, 00184 Roma RM, Italy Get directions

@cntraveler

42,481 Postcards · 5,683 Cities

Case Romane del Celio in Rome

"What’s this place all about? Underground beneath the Basilica Santi Giovanni e Paolo, this heritage museum shows how Roman daily life has changed over the years. There are 20 rooms showing ancient Roman homes, shops and shrines. It’s cheap to get into and relatively quiet, even on weekends. A museum's permanent collection is its defining feature: How was this one? This is one of the best preserved examples of ancient Roman domestic architecture. Visitors can explore several interconnected rooms, including reception areas (atria), living quarters (cubicula), kitchens, and courtyards. The houses are decorated with colorful frescoes, intricate mosaics, and marble floors, showcasing the opulence and artistic sophistication of the Roman elite. Exhibits keep us coming back. What can we expect? The houses date back to the second and third centuries AD. They were part of a larger residential complex, possibly belonging to a single aristocratic Roman family. One of the most remarkable features is the underground area known as the hypogeum – a subterranean complex of chambers and passageways. Any guided tours worth trying? They offer guided tours but the exhibits are so well-signed that you’ll glean as much knowledge about life in ancient Rome by just walking around."

https://www.cntraveler.com/activities/rome/case-romane-del-celio-in-rome

Case Romane del Celio

@cntraveler

42,481 Postcards · 5,683 Cities

The 26 Best Things to Do in Rome

"Underground beneath the Basilica Santi Giovanni e Paolo, this heritage museum shows how Roman daily life has changed over the years. There are 20 rooms showing ancient Roman homes, shops and shrines. It’s cheap to get into and relatively quiet, even on weekends. This is one of the best preserved examples of ancient Roman domestic architecture. The houses date back to the second and third centuries AD. They were part of a larger residential complex, possibly belonging to a single aristocratic Roman family. One of the most remarkable features is the underground area known as the hypogeum—a subterranean complex of chambers and passageways. Visitors can explore several interconnected rooms, including reception areas (atria), living quarters (cubicula), kitchens, and courtyards. The houses are decorated with colorful frescoes, intricate mosaics, and marble floors, showcasing the opulence and artistic sophistication of the Roman elite." - Katie Parla, Maresa Manara

https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-things-to-do-in-rome

Case Romane del Celio

Nina S.

Google

A gem that’s truly hidden: under the basilica dei santi giovanni e paolo with the entrance on a side road. The place gives an idea of ancient life in Rome with rooms and alleys on 3 floors underneath the above mentioned church building. As I have been to Rome many times and seen all the major sites I enjoy these small sites which are not overrun and thus allow you to imagine the past.

Ece A.

Google

We attended to the night tour in August 2025. It was nice. Even though we bought the tour tickets in advance from the website, they asked for the entrance fee for the building separately. Therefore it took some time paying everyone.

Anna R.

Google

This is one of the best sites showing an ancient Roman house in the entire city. It’s underneath a church, has been immaculately restored, and has a first rate audio guide. Upon entering, you walk into a number of the rooms and see the fresco decorations on the walls - in near perfect condition. The audio guide talks you through the imagery in the frescoes, pointing out clues about the people who lived there. The house had several stories, a dining room, a wine cellar, several alters, connecting corridors, wells and staircases. There is an amazing little museum at the conclusion. I’m amazed this site is not better known.

D. M.

Google

Lovely little museum, well presented and excellent audio guide detailing the house and the changes undergone when the church above was built. Not too far from the Colisseum and Circo Maximus and a nice park nearby for a peaceful wander! Highly recommend.

monica P.

Google

We bought the tickets on the Internet and were surprised to discover that there was no guided tour available there, so we visited on our own but for a better understanding of the site I think a guide is necessary. The place to visit is not very big, but we saw a stair going down that was closed and it semed to continue there. The paintings on the walls are incredible and well worth seeing, and there is a little museum in the last room .

bcbrun

Google

First rate for a small museum. You get to see a) the dimensions of a normal roman house as it evolved over centuries b) how different ages (classical and middle) layered on top of on another. C) get close and walk the alleyways of ancient rome. Highly recommended. Takes about 60-90 min.

Gabriele G.

Google

A huge Roman house (Domus) in the underground of a church with spectacular paintings and mosaics perfectly conserved. At the end of the visit a restored area (antiquarium) shows done of the major find of this amazing archaeological area.

Richa S.

Google

Very cool piece of Roman history. You can see the remnants of the insulae that led to shops which were later absorbed by two Roman villas which then were bought by one owner and made one huge villa. Remnants of frescoed walls of the villas, a wine cellar/kitchen, street between the two villas connecting one side of the Caelian hill to the Palatine side, a nymphaeum, a thermal bath under all of this (all subterranean now), from about 2-3rd century). There is also a museum housing artifacts discovered here. Fascinating!