The tour begins by visiting the famous Via Appia Antica, designed in 312 BC by the censor Appius Claudius Caecus. His intent was to build a road axis that would quickly connect central Italy with the south (therefore Rome with Capua).

The second stop will be a Catacomb on the Appian Way, but on the way, you can admire the famous Roman aqueducts. Roman law decreed that the dead should be buried outside the city walls; therefore, all roads leading to and from Roman cities became lined with cemeteries and mausoleums. The early Christians continued this tradition by excavating an underground maze of catacombs to bury their dead.

The tour then takes in the Basilica of San Clemente. Four subterranean floors, a wonderful 12th-century fresco, and an impressive marble floor make this one of Rome’s most imposing places of worship.

After lunch (not included), the tour takes in the Roman houses on the Celio Hill. Beneath the Basilica of Ss Giovanni and Paolo lie the ruins of an insula (an apartment block) for artisans, and also a fine domus (house) with a private bath. In the third century AD, these properties were converted into an elegant pagan house, which in turn was transformed into an early Christian church.

From here, onto the baths of Caracalla, an enormous structure covering more than 1000 square feet. The complex also boasted libraries and exercise courts and probably had more gold, marble, and art than any building in Rome.