Appian Way Bike tour Underground with Catacombs & Lunch
Description
Not many places in Rome are off the beaten track so we’re going underground to witness the wonders of the Ancient Appian way. St. Callixtus’s Catacombs are part of the so-called Callistian complex, an area of about 30 hectares between the Via Appia Antica, the Via Ardeatina and the Via delle Sette Chiese, in Rome, which houses various funerary areas and catacombs This tour takes you through the Ancient Appian Way Regional Park, one of the largest urban protected areas in Europe. You will be immerse in the history of the Ancient Appian Way, a 4th century BC roman road, over 500km long that connected Rome to Brindisi, south of Italy. A very much deserved break next to the Appian Way awaits you to enjoy a tasty Lunch in the morning tour or aperitif near the Aqueducts Park in the afternoon.
Tour Options
Itinerary
An imposing southern gateway to the city of Rome. The Porta di San Sebastiano, part of the Aurelian Walls built around 275 AD, also marks the beginning of the historic Via Appia Antica. Be enchanted by its beauty and discover the numerous medieval graffiti that testify to the flow of pilgrims over the centuries.
Visit to the official funerary complex of the Church of Rome. The largest underground cemetery in the city with corridors that reach a length of about 20km. The catacombs of St. Callixtus, a sacred place dating back to the second century BC, take their name from the deacon Callixtus I. More than 50 martyrs and 16 popes and half a million Christians were buried here.
This majestic mausoleum is a pagan tomb dedicated to Cecilia Metella, dating back to the 1st century BC. Incorporated into the Castrum Caetani, it remains the best preserved mausoleum on the Via Appia Antica. Here you can also appreciate the remains of the medieval house of the wealthy Caetani family and the church of San Nicola of which only the perimeter walls remain standing
Discover the secrets that have remained hidden for centuries by descending 40 feet through a Roman quarry. We will tell you a story that has not been told for a long time. Silent but fascinating tunnels that once housed ancient Roman catacombs were later transformed into air raid shelters during the Second World War;
Enjoy a Roman Lunch in a local restaurant in the heart of the Appian Way
At the fifth mile of the Appian Way you can admire the remains of the majestic Villa dei Quintili belonging to the brothers Sesto Quintilio Condiano and Massimo Valerio, consuls in the second century AD, killed by Commodus I who confiscated the villa making it imperial property.
Let yourself be enchanted by this sacred place that tells the love story between the Nymph Egeria and the second King of Rome Numa Pompilius, where Egeria, learning of the death of her beloved, burst into tears from grief and gave life to a spring.
In this park nature, art and history converge. Discover the epitome of Rome as you ride our professional electric bikes through the lush meadows and fascinating archaeological sites of the Appian Way.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The reduction for children (age 6-10) is valid only if they are less than 4'5'' feet tall (143 cm) because they will have a trailer bike and not an individual ebike
- Max weight: 120 KG - 265 pounds.
- You MUST know how to ride a bike WELL
Reviews(74)
Awesome, so much fun experiencing another part of Rome. Guide was amazing, fun and knowledgeable.
Lorenzo our tour guide was amazing! The sites included the catacombs, the aqueducts and a bit of the Appian way. Very scary to bike in Rome though if you are not used to it. None of us were experienced on an E bike but made it through. Thankfully Lorenzo took it easy on us and adjusted the route to make us feel safer and to make it more manageable for our group. Our group of 8 ranged from 11yrs to 73yrs and it was challenging, even with the adjustments. But really was an amazing tour. Took us all of out of our comfort zone and we got to see and learn so much about Rome.
Best ride and adventure guide was extremely knowledgeable trevor
Paolo was a great guide and we got to see several different places of Rome in a short period of time.
Thank you for the feedback
This was AMAZING! It was a great adventure by e-bike through parts of Rome one cannot experience on their own. We rode the historic Appian Way (Via Appia Antica) - which is essentially unchanged since the time Rome ruled the ancient world, went down into and explored the Catacomb di San Callisto, and saw Roman Aqueducts up close and personal. We VERY HIGHLY recommend this tour for cyclists of all types and levels.
Starbike Tours did an amazing job! The bikes worked great and the seat padding covers we requested helped a lot. The staff were very friendly and thorough. Gio, our guide, was excellent! She is very knowledgeable about the history of Rome, the aqueducts and Appian way. Her enthusiasm for the subjects made the tour very interesting. She will be a great history professor in the near future. She also handled the two attendees who had difficulties with kindness and concern. The park is beautiful to ride through and we enjoyed our tour immensely! I do want to mention that the sections of the Appian Way with the large smooth rocks were difficult for me to ride over so I walked my bike through these few sections and still enjoyed my journey. A great tour!
Nazir was amazing! Great facts and very friendly. Really enjoyed the day. Definitely a great way to see this incredible part of Rome and history.
Fabulous e-bike tour with Mara! It exceeded our expectations and it was spectacular! Beautiful tour along the Appian Way with stops to see the sights & lunch too. Highly recommend.
By far the most fun and unique experience we had in Rome. Our guide, Alex, was great. Exploring the Appian Way by ebike was incredible!
We all, a family of 4, had a great experience, biking at the Appia Antica with our fantastic guide Trevor, with his super way of describing and explaining everything!! Thank you guys, great job!! Afrodiri, Andreas, Ellie, Sofia.