The Case Romane del Celio are the excavated remains of a complex of 2nd-4th century AD Roman houses preserved under the Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo on the Celio hill in Rome. They contain some of the finest surviving examples of Roman domestic fresco painting in existence, rooms decorated with mythological scenes, marine subjects, philosophical portraits, and the earliest surviving images of Christian martyrdom in Rome. The site receives approximately 50,000 visitors per year. The Colosseum receives 7 million. The quality disparity doesn't reflect the historical or artistic disparity, the Case Romane del Celio are simply in a category of Roman remains that the tourist infrastructure hasn't yet learned to explain to general audiences. This guide exists to correct that.
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What the Case Romane del Celio Contain
The complex consists of approximately 20 rooms spanning three levels and representing four distinct phases of construction: a 2nd-century insula (apartment block), an early 3rd-century mansion that absorbed and transformed the insula, a late 3rd-century nymphaeum (water feature room) with an extraordinary marine fresco cycle, and a 4th-century expansion that shows early Christian artistic content. The rooms are preserved to varying heights and condition but the frescos, protected underground, never exposed to weathering, retain color and detail that open-air Roman painting has largely lost. The Nymphaeum room has a marine fresco (sea creatures, dolphins, fishing scenes, mythological figures) of exceptional quality that is among the best Roman domestic painting surviving anywhere. The room identified as the site of the martyrdom of John and Paul (the saints to whom the church above is dedicated) contains the earliest known images of Christian martyrdom in Rome, from approximately the early 4th century.
How to Visit
The Case Romane del Celio are managed by the Passionists (the religious order that administers the church above). Entry from Via Clivo di Scauro 1, just below the church entrance. Hours: Thursday-Monday 10am-1pm and 3pm-6pm. Ticket €8. No advance booking currently required. Groups are accompanied by a guide for the first section. Individual visitors can explore freely. The site is about 500m from the Colosseum, an easy combination.
Questions About Case Romane del Celio
Are the Case Romane del Celio worth visiting?
For anyone interested in Roman daily life and domestic art: yes, strongly. The Case Romane del Celio give you something the Colosseum and the Forum don't, the interior, private spaces of Roman life, decorated with the concerns and tastes of specific people in a specific moment. The Colosseum tells you about Roman public spectacle. The Case Romane tell you about Roman private life.
How long does the visit take?
45-60 minutes for a thorough self-guided visit. The rooms are compact but many. The audio materials provided at entry significantly enhance the experience, use them.
What is the connection to Saints John and Paul?
John and Paul were Roman officers executed for their Christian faith during the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363 AD) in the very house that is now preserved below the basilica. Their veneration began immediately after their death. A church was built over the house within the century. This makes the Case Romane del Celio one of the earliest documented Christian martyrdom sites in Rome with a continuous commemorative history from the 4th century to the present.
Curiosità sulle Case Romane del Celio
Le Case Romane del Celio furono scoperte ufficialmente nell'Ottocento durante lavori di restauro della basilica sovraste, ma erano parzialmente note fin dal medioevo, alcuni testi medievali descrivono la discesa in locali sotterranei sotto la chiesa. Gli scavi sistematici iniziarono nel 1887 e continuarono a fasi alterne per tutto il Novecento. L'attribuzione delle pitture a periodi specifici è stata possibile attraverso la stratigrafia e l'analisi stilistica, la tecnica di datazione per confronto stilistico-iconografico con pitture di datazione certa (le domus del Palatino, le terme di Caracalla, i mitrei romani) coloca le principali campagne decorative tra il 180 e il 360 d.C. circa. Il Celio è uno dei sette colli storici di Roma ma il meno visitato, la sua topografia collinare senza infrastrutture turistiche significative ne ha preservato l'atmosfera di quartiere residenziale tranquillo che è, per certi versi, la più vicina possibile all'antico carattere del colle nell'antichità. Vedi anche: Rome · visitare le chiese · Colosseum.
