Catecombs in Rome

I toured the catacombs of San Callisto a couple weeks ago...I really enjoyed it. I followed the directions in Rick's book, re: taking the metro to Circo Massimo stop and picking up bus number 118 from there. They drop you off right on the Appian Way, there is a signpost that shows which direction to walk to different sites. I walked for a mile or two along it in the opposite direction, nice path, feels almost rural; Stopped for a while to sit on some ruins and read and have a snack. Then walked back toward the bus stop and on past to the catacombs. Saw a flock of sheep along the way. More towards the catacombs there is more traffic with narrow shoulders. At the San Callisto catacombs there is a sign pointing you toward the bus stop, but it was what I thought was a dangerous spot! Way too much traffic whizzing by too close. So I walked back to pick up the #118 again. There is a little cantina, or whatever right there, and several other eaters, and a couple stands to buy drinks at.

It was intersting but if you are time limted you might want to take in something else. The gardens at San Castillo were beautiful.

My favorite catacombs in Rome are the Catacombs of Sain Priscilla, located near the Villa Borghese. The big tour groups do not visit this one so it is usually quiet. Details on their website:
http://www.catacombepriscilla.com/pagine-eng/home.htm

They were on top of the catacombes. There is a lot of area underground that the Catacombes cover so on top the area is quite nice.

I really enjoyed the Catacombs of Priscilla. Careful to take the right bus. BELIEVE ME! I ended up in a not so pretty area, but hey...it's an adventure.

The catacombs were not much except for the frescoes, but the garden before you get in is beautiful and quaint. There is a nature preserve nearby. Not much else. It's a nice strolling area if you want to get some relief from the bustle of Roma.

It's actually a really nice trip out there by bus #118. Just know that the schedule is quite thin on Sundays - we ended up waiting almost an hour for the return into town.

Did it with our kids and they enjoyed the tour. Good thing to do on a hot day as it's cool underground. The gardens above the catacombs are very nice and peaceful. We just walked around for a while and the paths are shady most of the time. Apparently you can also rent bikes and tour the pathways.

As to which one is best be aware that the opening hours/days vary so choose one that is actually open on the day you want to go.

We enjoyed Catacombs in Rome. The one we visited was essentially a lower wing of a church. It was probably worth an hour stop. When we arrived they were closed for lunch. By the time they reopened, there was a line but it moved along pretty well.

We had elected to skip Hallstadt in Austria so this was a chance to catch a "skull collection". In a way it's macabre but the displays don't try to communicate that - just the remains of years of monks to remind us we're all mortal.

We really enjoyed the San Callisto catacombs on a Sunday afternoon. It is a pretty bus ride down the Appian Way to get there. Read Rick's Italy guide very carefully as different catacombs have different days when they are closed, etc. I believe Rick says all of the catacombs are very similar. We chose San Callisto because the Sunday afternoon was the best time for us. Very worthwhile.

We also toured the Catacombs of Priscilla. Our group was only 6 and so all of our questions were easily entertained by our guide.