In shortPriscilla is on Via Salaria, north of the centre and well away from the Appia Antica strip. Over 13 km of galleries run on two levels, with seven popes and thousands of burials among them. The accompanied visit lasts about 45 minutes and each group is capped at 25, so everyone books ahead. Doors open Tuesday to Saturday 9:30 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:00, Sunday from 11:30, and the site closes on Monday.
over 13 kmgalleries on two levels
7 popesburied at Priscilla
about 230–240earliest image of the Virgin
about 13°Cinside, all year
What sets this site apart from the Appia catacombs
The entrance is on Via Salaria, in the residential belt north of the historic centre. Below ground the complex runs to more than 13 km of galleries on two levels, a flatter plan than the four-level warrens out on the Appia. Thousands of burials are recorded here, seven popes among them. One is Sylvester, elected in 314, whose tomb lies under the dug-out foundations of the San Silvestro basilica raised over the cemetery.
Day-to-day care of the site belongs to the Associazione Pro Deo et Fratribus – Famiglia di Maria, a religious community you will not meet south of the walls. The Salesians have handled reception and visits at San Callisto since 1930, Domitilla is looked after by the Missionaries of the Society of the Divine Word, and San Sebastiano marks 200 years of Franciscan presence. Seven Roman catacombs are listed as open to the public by the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, and this is the only one on this side of the city.
The Greek Chapel frescoes and the earliest image of the Virgin
Painting is the reason to come up here rather than go south. The standard route takes in the cryptoporticus and the Greek Chapel, a room named for the Greek inscriptions on its walls, whose panels include Susanna, the Adoration of the Magi and the Fractio panis, the breaking of bread. The Cubicolo della Velata, the chamber of the veiled woman, is the other painted room pointed out along the way.
The image most people come for is dated to about 230 to 240 and described as the oldest known depiction of the Virgin. It is painted straight onto the wall of the gallery, lit where it sits, and it is small, so expect a few minutes in front of it rather than a room to linger in. The density of painted cubicula here has no match on the Appia Antica strip, which is the argument for a second catacomb if you have already done San Callisto.
Opening hours, the Monday closure and the long breaks
Monday is the closing day. The rest of the week splits into two sessions with a break in the middle, and Sunday morning starts at 11:30 rather than 9:30, which catches out anyone who assumes the same opening every day. Tours stop before the doors do: the last morning departure goes at 12:00 and the last afternoon one at 16:00, so turning up at 12:30 or 16:30 gets you nothing.
Two long breaks are published for the site, along with a run of single feast days. Check the catacomb's own information page close to your date, since these calendars are reissued every year.
- Maintenance closure: 11 January to 1 February 2027
- Summer break: 16 to 23 August 2027
- Feast days with the gate shut here: 1 November, 8 December, 24 to 26 December, then 1 and 6 January
- Weekly closing day: Monday
| Session | Tuesday to Saturday | Sunday |
|---|
| Morning | 9:30–13:00 | 11:30–13:00 |
|---|
| Last morning tour | 12:00 | 12:00 |
|---|
| Afternoon | 14:00–17:00 | 14:00–17:00 |
|---|
| Last afternoon tour | 16:00 | 16:00 |
|---|
| Monday | Closed | Closed |
|---|
Booking, the 25-person cap and 13°C underground
Every person in the party needs a reservation, children included, and groups are capped at 25. That cap is worth something in high season: even in July you walk the galleries with a couple of dozen people rather than a coach load. The accompanied visit runs about 45 minutes, a little longer than the 40 minutes published for San Callisto.
Inside, the air holds at about 13°C, a few degrees below the roughly 16°C published for San Callisto and the lowest figure among the main open catacombs. Those degrees count once you have spent three quarters of an hour standing still in damp air, which will get through a T-shirt in August. Bring long sleeves whatever the month, and leave bulky bags at the hotel.
How to get there from the centre
Buses 310, 92 and 63 all stop at Priscilla, which is the shortest version of the trip. The other way in is Metro B1 to S. Agnese/Annibaliano, then roughly 15 minutes on foot along Via Lago di Lesina. Either route takes you north, out past Villa Ada, away from the Aurelian walls.
This matters for planning more than it sounds. Priscilla will not slot into an Appia Antica day: the two sit on opposite sides of the city, both break for lunch, and the buses that serve one are no help for the other. Bolting it onto a San Callisto morning means crossing Rome in the dead two hours and making the 16:00 departure at best.
A catacomb and the Capuchin Crypt, transfers included
If Priscilla's Monday closure or its late Sunday start wrecks the plan, this 3.5-hour outing from €49, rated 4.6 (5439 reviews), meets at the Tritone fountain in Piazza Barberini and pairs a Rome catacomb with the Capuchin Crypt and Museum. Coach transfers and an English-speaking guide are included.
★ 4.6/5 · 5,439 reviews
Plan half a day, or swap to an Appia Antica site
Give Priscilla its own half day. A 9:30 arrival Tuesday through Saturday is the cleanest plan: first slot of the session, 45 minutes underground, and the rest of the morning for the Via Nomentana side of the city. If your one free day falls on a Sunday, book the 11:30 session or the afternoon and write off the early part of the day.
If the trip north does not fit the week, head for the Appia Antica instead and let a tour handle the distance. San Callisto is the heavyweight down there, with the Crypt of the Popes; San Sebastiano stays open through the middle of the day; Domitilla publishes the widest range of tour languages. The two outings below cover that strip with transport included, which is the part people underestimate at either end of the city.
Questions people ask
Can I see Priscilla and the Appian Way catacombs on the same day?
In practice, no. Priscilla sits north of the centre on Via Salaria while San Callisto, San Sebastiano and Domitilla are south on the Appia strip, and both ends of the city shut for the middle of the day. No new tour starts here after 12:00 and the last afternoon departure is 16:00, so the crossing eats the time you came for. Pick one side per day.
Can I just turn up on a Sunday morning?
Sunday mornings here open at 11:30 instead of 9:30, and the last morning tour still leaves at 12:00, which leaves a very narrow window. Everyone in the party needs a booking in any case, so plan a Sunday visit around the afternoon session, which runs 14:00 to 17:00 with the final departure at 16:00.
Why does Priscilla feel colder than the Appia Antica catacombs?
The published figure for the interior is about 13°C, against roughly 16°C with high humidity at San Callisto. The visit also runs about 45 minutes, so you stand in it a little longer. Long sleeves or a light jacket are the right call in August as much as in February.
Is the Greek Chapel part of the standard route?
Yes. The Greek Chapel comes with the cryptoporticus on the normal accompanied circuit, and the guide stops there at the Susanna, Adoration of the Magi and Fractio panis panels before moving on to the Cubicolo della Velata and the wall painting of about 230 to 240 called the oldest known depiction of the Virgin. Routes get adjusted for conservation work, so if one room is the reason you came, ask at the desk on arrival.
Is photography allowed inside?
The rules published for the Appia Antica sites are explicit: photography and video are banned inside San Callisto, where staff may remove anyone ignoring it, and San Sebastiano forbids them too. Nothing on the subject appears on the information page for Priscilla, so keep the camera away and ask the staff member leading your group before taking anything.
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