Protestant Cemetery of Rome (Cimitero Acottolico di Roma) Tours
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Rome may be home to the Vatican, but not everyone who lives (or dies) in the Eternal City is Catholic. One of the city’s loveliest cemeteries is dedicated to Protestants and non-Catholics, both Italian and foreign, and is home to a number of important tombs, including those of English poets Keats and Shelley.
The Basics
English travelers began to come through Rome on the Grand Tour in the 18th century, followed by a wave of writers and artists who settled there. Many were not Catholic, and Rome soon found it needed a cemetery to lay to rest Protestants who died while in the city. The first burial in Rome’s Protestant Cemetery was in 1738, making it one of the oldest cemeteries in continuous use in Europe. With the tombs of luminaries such as John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, American poet Gregory Corso, and Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci, the cemetery is said to contain the highest density of famous graves anywhere in the world.
The Protestant Cemetery is also known locally as the Cemetery of the English (Cimitero degli Inglesi), though its official name is the Non-Catholic Cemetery for Foreigners. Visit the most famous graves in the Protestant Cemetery by joining a guided cemetery tour, or stop in to appreciate its beautiful statuary and moving inscriptions as part of a Rome highlights walking or bike tour.
Things to Know Before You Go
- The cemetery offers 1-hour guided tours that must be booked at least 10 days in advance.
- To find a specific grave, consult the burial database or pick up a cemetery map at the visitor center.
- Restrooms are available in the visitor center at the cemetery entrance.
- The cemetery is crisscrossed by paved and gravel walkways, some of which may be hard to navigate with a wheelchair or stroller.
How to Get There
The Protestant Cemetery is located in the southern Roman neighborhood of Testaccio, near Porta San Paolo and the Pyramid of Cestius. Take metro line B to the Piramide station.
When to Get There
The cemetery is outdoors so best toured on a clear day in spring and fall, when the temperatures are mild. The site is closed in the afternoon on Sundays and holidays.
The Most Beautiful Tombs in the Protestant Cemetery
Many of the most famous graves in the cemetery are surprisingly simple, while there are a number of remarkably beautiful tombs for less famous figures. Some of the most important are the neoclassical grave of Dutch sculptor Pier Pander, the statue of the young Georges Volkoff, and the Angel of Grief, designed by American sculptor William Wetmore Story for his wife’s grave.
Address: Via Caio Cestio, 6, Rome, Province of Rome 00153, Italy
Admission: Varies
4 Tours and Activities to Experience Protestant Cemetery of Rome (Cimitero Acottolico di Roma)
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Testaccio Street Food and Market Plus Roman Pyramid Tour in Rome
Combine some of Rome’s best local foods with hidden history and culture on a walking tour of the city’s Testaccio quarter. This lively neighborhood is beloved by locals for its family-run delis, bakeries, street food, and more. Uncover Testaccio’s past in the atmospheric streets, and enjoy five food stops to sample local specialities (own expense). Explore Testaccio food market and see the ancient Pyramid of Cestia, Artists (Protestant) Cemetery, and other sights on route.
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Face masks required for travelers in public areas
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On the footsteps of the "Grand Tour" in Rome: Keats, Shelley and Goethe
Between the 18th and 19th centuries, the Grand Tour was a common habit for European higher class members, who desired to explore and understand other countries culture and art. Italy and Rome soon became most popular destinations for such journey and, in the years, artists like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Percy Shelley and John Keats were among the most known and outstanding of guests.
A private guided tour, away from the most usually visited places, will allow you to discover where these geniuses used to live and work - places that have become museums dedicated to their art. You will feel like a real Englishman or woman in Rome, sipping an exquisite cup of tea in the most ancient tea room in Italy. Finally, you will feel the peculiar, inimitable atmosphere of the place where some of these personalities have found their rest: the non-Catholic Cemetery near the Cestia Pyramid.
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Price varies by group size
From
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Price varies by group size
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Testaccio District And Market Street Food Tour
Discover an off-the-tourist path neighborhood of Rome, Testaccio, on our morning street food tour. You'll find a very charming district beloved by locals for its atmosphere, food, and more: this is an area with a unique blend of both historical and modern architecture. This tour will take you to see the Pyramid of Caius Cestius and the Artist's (protestant) Cemetery. You will then head on to the foodie heaven of the covered market of Testaccio, where you can chat with local vendors, and try different foods and delicacies from different regions of Italy. With the new "pay what you eat" formula you will choose the food you prefer with the help of your guide, and pay at your own expense.
After some tasting, have a walk around the ex-Mattatoio, a former slaughterhouse turned into a museum center, and see the famous Mount Testaccio. Then finish up with the best gelato (if you want). Of course you want! Meet near the Pyramid at 10:30am.
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Price varies by group size
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Price varies by group size
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
E-Scooter tour of the mysteries of Rome
Rome the Eternal city, Rome of a thousand faces, Rome the city of mysteries. We offer you an unusual and never heard tour, among suggestive beauties and wonders, strange and out of the usual tourist circuits. We will discover together a Rome that is always wonderful but also mysterious, surprising and sometimes disturbing. We will start from the House of Monsters, we will pass through the Mouth of Truth and we will come to spy on all the beauty of the capital from a keyhole passing through many other hidden beauties of this splendid city.
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