Underground Rome Tour
- Explore the subterranean depths of Rome through interactive, family-friendly activities
- Led by an expert archaeologist trained to work with families
- San Lorenzo in Lucina and Vicus Caprarius
We’ll begin with a visit to the subterranean levels of San Lorenzo in Lucina, a medieval church with remnants of its basilica buried in the crypt underneath. We will also see the remains of an ancient apartment complex, and talk about domestic Roman buildings. From here our Underground Rome tour varies. We may proceed to the Vicus Caprarius, a newly opened space showing Roman apartments under a modern cinema near the Trevi fountain, or pop into Sant'Ignazio Church, with its stunning ceiling frescos by Pozzo. We may also stop into the chic Rinascente department store, which houses the Aqua Virgo aqueduct, inaugurated by Augustus in 19 BC, in its basement. Or we may round out the itinerary with one of the myriad underground sites controlled by the Comune di Roma or other governmental ministries.
Please also note: Although we will prebook all appointments to the sites, participants are responsible for buying their tickets at the time of the walk to any sites that require it.
Tom came to Rome on a Fulbright Fellowship in 1991 after completing his architectural studies at Harvard. Tom was the founder of Scala Reale, an association of scholars leading small-group study walks that was acquired by Context in 2004. Currently Tom is dedicating himself to the fields of cultural and environmental sustainability, architecture and design through his teaching and his design firm TRA_20. He is the author of the book Rome Works: An Architect Explores the World’s Most Resilient City, and the editor of the Still Sustainable City blog sustainablerome.net which was chosen by Guardian Cities as Italy's best city blog.
Liz, a native of San Francisco, California holds degrees in architecture from the University of California at Berkeley and Università degli studi "La Sapienza", Rome. She specialized in restoration and urban design. Her restoration projects have brought her to work in direct contact with the rich historical layers of Rome and Italy. She has been leading study walks for Context Rome since its beginning and has lived in Rome since 1988 practicing architecture, researching design and lecturing at university study abroad programs.
Olivia is a Rome licensed guide and an expert art historian who has worked as a main contributor to the award-winning Eyewitness Guide to Rome. She combines this role with her job as a professor, teaching a course at the Lorenzo de Medici School in Rome on Roman civilization. In addition she has contributed to the National Geographic Lost Cities of the Ancient World. Olivia infuses her discussion of Rome with a sense of what it's like to grow up in the city and be Roman.