Basilica di San Clemente Reserved Entry

Reserved entry to San Clemente’s underground Rome. Add the Rome Audio Guide for extra stories and citywide highlights!

Duration: 1 hour

Picture this: you step into the Basilica di San Clemente and, in just minutes, travel through layers of Rome that most visitors never even realize exist. With reserved entry, the experience feels smooth and unhurried from the start.

Begin in the upper basilica, where shimmering mosaics and marble details set the tone. Then go deeper. Descend into the earlier church below, where medieval frescoes still cling to the walls with quiet drama and surprising color.

And then comes the real reveal: ancient Roman rooms buried beneath it all, ending at a hidden Mithraic sanctuary that feels worlds away from modern Rome. It’s one site, three eras, and a story that keeps unfolding the further down you go.

Stories You'll Hear

• Rome Built on Rome: How one basilica ended up stacked over an older church and even older Roman buildings, creating a true timeline you can walk through.
• The Frescoes That Talk Back: The famous lower-basilica paintings that include one of the earliest written lines of everyday Italian, captured like a medieval comic strip.
• The Secret Cult of Mithras: Who worshipped in the Mithraeum, what their rituals meant, and why this underground sanctuary feels so different from the church above.

What's included:

• Reserved entry to the Basilica di San Clemente archaeological excavations (Lower Basilica, Roman levels, Mithraeum)
• Access to the Upper Basilica
• Rome audio guide (only if the Rome Audio Guide + San Clemente option is selected)

What's not included:

• Live guide
• Transportation
• Food and drinks
• Smartphone and headphones for the audio guide