You will be taken back to 22 centuries ago, when Jews moved to Rome and needed a land to bury their people. Through these findings, we can discover and understand the life of the first Jews in Rome, their cultural practices, and their social organization.
Jewish
Catacombs
Jewish Roma can take you underground the Jewish Catacombs down a staircase of 7 steps to walk along the 400 meters long cubicola.
Originally there were six Jewish catacombs, dated between II BCE to 5 CE. Only two catacombs are left, Villa Randanini and Villa Torlonia, which is currently being restored.
Because in Rome the land was very expensive and in Israel there was the same system of burials, the Kukhim graves, the Jews could use the pre-existing pagan catacombs in Rome, abandoned during barbarian invasions and forgotten until the 19th century.
These catacombs satisfied the economic and practical requirements and the biblical dictate, so Jews found their perfect burial location for common people but also for scribes.
Found in 1859 by an Italian priest and archeologist, the site is under a private vineyard (vigna) which belongs to a Marquise. It is unique in the Mediterranean for the state of preservation and for the presence of numerous pictorial decorations relating to both pagan and Jewish traditions and inscriptions.
Places
- Jewish Catacombs of Vigna Randanini (foto+mappa)
Meeting point: via Appia Pignatelli 2
Duration of the tour: 1 h
Participants: min.1; max. 10
Travel tips:
- Wear comfortable shoes
