In shortThe Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella stands at the third mile of the Via Appia Antica, a round tomb of 30 to 10 BC with a 14th-century Caetani tower on top. The circus and villa of Maxentius are on the same short stretch. The monument takes visitors Tuesday to Sunday, and from 1 April to 30 September the gate stays open until 19:15, with the ticket desk stopping 30 minutes before that.
30–10 BCwhen the tomb was built
Third mileposition on the Appia
9:00–19:15hours, April to September
Tue–Sunpark sites' open days
The round tomb and the castle built around it
The Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella was built between 30 and 10 BC for a Roman noblewoman, probably the daughter-in-law of Marcus Licinius Crassus. At the third mile you stand in front of the cylindrical drum of her tomb, ringed by a marble frieze of ox skulls that gave the district its medieval name, Capo di Bove.
At the beginning of the 14th century the Caetani family turned the tomb into the keep of a fortified compound. The Castrum Caetani brought walls, a church and a palace to the site, and a tower went up directly on the Roman mausoleum, which is why the profile you see from the road is half ancient and half medieval. The Archaeological Park of the Appia Antica presents the tomb and the castrum as one site, with the same ticket desk and the same hours, and the medieval rooms are part of what you walk through.
Cecilia Metella opening hours and last entry
Hours here are set by the Archaeological Park of the Appia Antica. The gate opens Tuesday to Sunday, stays closed on Mondays, and the closing time shifts three times a year. Last entry falls 30 minutes before closing, and that is what catches people out: a 16:30 winter close means your real deadline at the ticket desk is half an hour earlier.
Two closures have trimmed this stretch. Since 22 June 2026 the Complesso di Capo di Bove and the Tombe della Via Latina have been shut for restoration with no reopening date announced, which leaves the road with fewer staffed stops than older write-ups describe. Villa dei Quintili, further out, works to a different rule and stops admitting visitors 75 minutes before closing rather than 30. Hours can be adjusted at short notice, so check the park's own page the day before you walk out there.
| Period | Open (Tue–Sun) | Last entry |
|---|
| 1 April – 30 September | 9:00–19:15 | 30 minutes before closing |
|---|
| March and October | 9:00–18:30 | 30 minutes before closing |
|---|
| 1 November – end of February | 9:00–16:30 | 30 minutes before closing |
|---|
The half day that includes Cecilia Metella
Of the tours on this site, this is the one that writes the mausoleum into its itinerary: 3.5 hours with private air-conditioned transport, San Sebastiano or Domitilla depending on the day, the Roman aqueducts, a walked stretch of the Appian Way and Cecilia Metella seen from the outside, with groups of 18 people or fewer, from €55, 4.8 ★ (1691 reviews).
★ 4.8/5 · 1,691 reviews
The circus of Maxentius and the villa on the Appian Way
The Maxentius complex sits on the same side of the road, a short walk back towards the city from the tomb. It is attributed to the emperor Maxentius, who ruled from 306 to 312 AD, and was laid out over a Republican villa of the 2nd century BC. Mausoleum, circus and imperial palace form one scheme.
The circus is the reason to stop. The official site for the complex describes it as the only Roman circus preserved in all its architectural components, and the central spina, the long spine the chariots turned around, is still there to follow with your eye. Above ground today you have the circus itself, the dynastic tomb known as the Tomb of Romulus, and the restored apse of the Aula Palatina from the palace block.
Opening hours and admission for the villa and circus are not published on the park's information page, which covers Villa dei Quintili, Cecilia Metella, Capo di Bove and the Antiquarium di Lucrezia Romana. Confirm this one before you set out, or see it with a guided group.
Both monuments in one short walk
Coming out from the city the order is fixed. The long preserved run of Roman basolato begins where Via Ardeatina branches off, by the church at Via Appia Antica 51, and the catacomb gates follow on the same road. After them comes the Maxentius complex, and then the mausoleum, the two close enough together that you cross from the circus to the tower on foot with no transport in between. One Roman mile measured about 1,480 metres from Porta Capena, which gives you the scale of how tight this cluster is once you are standing in it.
Bus 660 serves the park access point at Via Appia Antica and Via di Cecilia Metella, and bus 118 from Colosseo or Circo Massimo on Metro B runs the catacomb strip towards Villa dei Quintili. Walking up to the tower is easiest on Sundays and public holidays, when ordinary traffic is kept off the road beyond the Maxentius complex. On those same public holidays private vehicles are barred from the Via Appia Antica altogether, so the bus or your own legs are what gets you to the monument.
Pairing it with a catacomb earlier the same day
Go underground first and leave the open-air sites for the afternoon. Catacomb visits are guided and tied to fixed sessions, while the park monuments stay open straight through the middle of the day. A 09:00 catacomb slot puts you back on the road by late morning with the circus and the tomb still ahead of you, and the 12:00 to 14:00 break at San Callisto and Domitilla falls in the hours when the road itself is what you want to be walking.
Closing days are what wreck these plans. The park's above-ground sites shut on Mondays, San Callisto closes every Wednesday, Domitilla every Tuesday and San Sebastiano every Monday.
- Thursday to Saturday: any combination works, San Callisto in the morning and the mausoleum afterwards.
- Wednesday: San Callisto is shut, so use San Sebastiano, which runs without a break from 09:15 to 17:15 with last entry at 16:45, then the monuments.
- Monday: the park monuments are closed, so make it a catacomb-only day at San Callisto or Domitilla.
- Tuesday: Domitilla is shut, and San Callisto sends a group down every 30 minutes from 09:00, with the last morning departure at 12:00.
- November to February: the park closes at 16:30 and lets nobody in during the last half hour, so take the 09:00 catacomb slot and reach Cecilia Metella by mid-afternoon.
Covering the stretch on foot or on two wheels
Three of the tours on this site cover this part of the road. They differ in how much ground you get across and whether the catacomb is included.
- Rome Underground: Catacombs Tour, Aqueducts and Appian Way is the half day that names this monument on its route, 3.5 hours long and starting from €55, rated 4.8 ★ (1691 reviews). San Sebastiano or Domitilla depending on the day, the Roman aqueducts, a walked section of the Appia and the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella from outside, in a group of 18 people or fewer, meeting at Piramide metro station.
- Rome Bike / EBike Tour: Appian Way, Catacombs & Roman Aqueducts stretches across 4–6 hours and starts from €59, rated 4.9 ★ (1966 reviews). The longest day on the road, with premium bikes or e-bikes and a mandatory helmet; the guided visit of San Callisto or San Sebastiano comes with the 6-hour version only, and the shop is a 10-minute walk from Metro A Manzoni.
- Appian Way Aqueducts Bike Tour (Catacombs & Lunch Option) fills 4–5 hours and starts from €69, rated 4.8 ★ (1176 reviews). This is the family version of the ride past the tomb: e-bike with helmet, phone and handlebar holders, and a child seat rated to 25 kg, from Roma STARBIKE beside Colosseo metro on line B. Take the 5-hour booking if you want the guided catacomb and the lunch or afternoon aperitif with it.
- On a bike you ride the cobbled and asphalted first section as far as Cecilia Metella, then dismount and push where the original basolato starts, or use the dirt path alongside it.
- If you would rather not pedal, the 3.5-hour option with private air-conditioned transport is the one that names the mausoleum on its route.
Questions people ask
What is the Castrum Caetani?
It is the fortified compound the Caetani family built around the Roman tomb at the beginning of the 14th century, with walls, a church and a palace. A tower was raised on top of the mausoleum itself, and that is what gives the monument its castle outline from the road. The Archaeological Park of the Appia Antica presents tomb and castrum as a single site.
Why is this part of the Appia called Capo di Bove?
The name comes from the frieze of ox skulls carved around the drum of the tomb, which later residents took as the mark of the place. The Complesso di Capo di Bove a little further along the road carries the same name, and it has been closed for restoration since 22 June 2026, with no reopening date announced.
Is the Circus of Maxentius the same as the Circus Maximus?
No, they are two different places. The Circus of Maxentius belongs to the complex on the Via Appia Antica attributed to the emperor Maxentius, who ruled from 306 to 312 AD and built over a Republican villa of the 2nd century BC. It is described as the only Roman circus preserved in all its architectural components, with its central spina still in place.
Which catacomb is nearest for the same day?
Three of them sit within reach of the tomb on the same road: San Callisto, which receives visitors at Via Appia Antica 110, then San Sebastiano and Domitilla closer to the city. Bus 118 from Colosseo or Circo Massimo on Metro B serves the strip, including a stop named Catacombe di San Callisto. Entry is only on an accompanied visit, about 40 minutes at San Callisto, with departures every 30 minutes.
Can I cycle the whole way to the monument?
The first section of the Appia as far as Cecilia Metella is mainly cobblestone and asphalt, so it rides well enough. Once the surviving basolato takes over past the tomb, the rule is to get off and push the bike or move onto the dirt paths beside the paving. The regional park puts its walking and cycling itineraries at more than 16 km and calls them passable at any time of year, so reaching the monument under your own steam works in any season.
Read also
