When visitors walk through St. Peter’s Square and St. Peter’s Basilica, few realize they are walking above an underground city. Rome is built layer-upon-layer and you only have to go down a few feet to discover centuries-old treasures. What’s exciting is that you can go underground and see these historic ruins… and see the tomb of St. Peter. The visit to the underground passageways below St. Peter’s basilica is called the Scavi Tour
.
This special opportunity is presented by the Vatican (and only the Vatican). You will need reservations well in advance for the Scavi tour of the Necropolis so this is a visit that you must reserve in advance.
Scavi translates from Italian as “excavations”
and the tour is a walk through the excavations made UNDER St. Peter’s Basilica. When Constantine built the original St. Peter’s in the 4th century (you’re looking at St. Peters II today), the tomb of St, Peter’s and the surrounding necropolis disappeared from sight. Pope Pius XII led the efforts to discover the original tomb and excavate the necropolis from 1940 – 1957. Today on the Scavi Tour you can see the fruits of these labors to unearth treasures from ancient times, including the most important part of the necropolis which contained the body of Peter.
The Scavi Tour is incredible. For about 90 minutes, you’ll walk through ruins while thousands of visitors to St. Peter’s pass overhead. The tours are usually 12-15 people and you’ll spend 90 minutes underground. The guides are experts in their field and they bring the to life through the explanations of the excavations. Times seems to fly by too quickly when you’re on the Scavi Tour. Visits are organized and the schedule is set by the Excavations Office.
Tickets to the Scavi tour are not
entry tickets to the Vatican Museums. These are two separate entities and their entrances are on opposite sides of Vatican City (see the map later in article). If you also plan to purchase skip-the-line tickets for the Vatican Museums, you will be making TWO purchases through TWO separate booking systems.
The primary difference between these tickets is: For the Vatican Museums, booking in advance and skipping the line is an option; You can always just show up and wait in line to enter the Vatican Museums. To go on the Scavi Tour YOU MUST have an advance reservation – no walk-in’s allowed. In addition, you’ll need to book WELL IN ADVANCE as this is a popular tour, the tours are limited, and the tour slots fill up very quickly. If you show up in Rome without tickets and plan to go on the Scavi Tour the next day, odds are quite high – due to their present ticketing system and the popularity of the tour – you WILL NOT be able to do the Scavi Tour.
In order to get Scavi Tour tickets you must contact the Vatican Excavations Office directly. Requests may be submitted in written form
by sending an email message to scavi@fsp.va, by fax +39 06 69873017, or by visiting the Excavations Office in person (using the south – left – entrance, just outside of the Colonnade).
Once you know when you’re going, definitely go ahead and make your request. The Scavi tour is notorious for being booked up well in advance… and sometimes for being slow to reply. So hedge your bets and send your request early. Even though there are no deadlines for a request, if you wait too late, you will not get tickets.
From the Vatican Website, some booking guidelines:
Requests, if possible, should be sent directly by the interested visitor(s). If the person submitting the request is not the actual visitor, he or she should send the visitor(s) name(s) and e-mail address(es).Those leading groups (universities, parishes, cultural associations, agencies, etc.) should send a complete list of names of the participants and the name of their organization.It is absolutely necessary to provide the following information: 1. Exact number of participants;
2. Names of participants;
3. Language requested;
4. Possible dates *when the Excavations Office can assign your visit (the time will be determined by the Office). *please always write in full the name of the month (e.g.: from 01 January 2013 to 08 January 2013)
5. E-mail address, or fax number, or a complete postal address.
In 2013 the cost of a Scavi Tour ticket will be at €13. There are no
reduced priced tickets for seniors, groups, etc. this ticket price already includes a contribution for the guide. As you can see, this is an incredible value for a 90-minute guided tour.
For more info on the booking process, head to the Vatican website:
Visits to the Tomb of Saint Peter and the Necropolis under the Vatican Basilica,
You must arrive at the Excavations Office at least 10 minutes before the scheduled time of the visit. Trust me, if you’re late, they will not wait! You also have to go through a security process near the Colonnade so you need to give yourself plenty of time.The clothing you wear should be similar to what you would wear when entering St. Peter’s Basilica. The website is even MORE strict as they state:
Clothing should be appropriate for a sacred place: long trousers/slacks/jeans for men; dresses that reach below the knees or long trousers/slacks/jeans for women; shoulders must be covered for all.Suffice to say, if you do not have the proper dress, you will not be allowed to join the tour. This is a holy place and, like entering the Basilica, you should dress respectfully.
You cannot bring luggage, large bags, backpacks, or cameras into the excavation area. And they are VERY strict on this policy. If you have a larger purse, leave it at your hotel. If you have any of these items, you will be required to check them… or you cannot join the tour. As you look at St. Peter’s Basilica, there is a “LEFT LUGGAGE” area on the ground floor, right side of the Basilica. This is just past the “fashionista police” checking your garb and before you head up the stairs into the Basilica. The service is free but do give yourself plenty of time if you plan to use this… because in order to get to THIS storage area, you have to wait in the line as if you were going into St. Peter’s – and that line can be quite long! So the best bet perhaps is to just leave these “forbidden” objects at your accommodations.The tours are limited to approximately 12 people. Thus only bout 250 visitors are allowed into the Excavations each day. As the excavations are closed on Sundays, you now understand how difficult these tickets may be to get.The groups will be set up according to your language.You must be 15 years or older to go on this tour. NO EXCEPTIONS ARE ALLOWED – NONE! Don’t expect to bring your child with you on this tour. They -and thus you – will not be allowed to join this tour. Do bring your passport or verification of your 15 year old so there is NO confusion. And if your child looks younger than 15, expect to be asked to provide ID and proof of age… Consider yourself warned!
You will be lead by a guide especially trained by the Excavations Office. You are not allowed to wander off on your own. You must stay with the guide. The tour will last approximately 90 minutes. Know that the environment of the necropolis – and being underground – has different conditions than most “museums” you’ve been to. Remember, you’re underground and in an excavation zone. So expect temperature variations and humidity. Some sections of the excavation are are “tight” so if you suffer from claustrophobia, perhaps you should not visit the necropolis.
When you send off your email, and if your request is accepted, you will receive a confirmation email. VERY IMPORTANT – Print this out an bring it to Rome. You will not be allowed through security without this confirmation letter.
When you head to the Vatican and the Scavi Tour, take your confirmation letter. To get to the Excavations Office – where your tour will start – you must go through a set of gates and security (X-Ray) located out side of the Constantine Collonnade. This is the colonnade on your left as you face St. peter’s Basilica.
In this photo, supplied by http://saintpetersbasilica.org/, the yellow arrow marks the entry point, just through the colonnade. There, present the Swiss Guards with your letter of confirmation received from the Office which indicates the scheduled time of your visit. You can enter about 15-20 minutes in advance. If you’re too early, they will make you wait.
After clearing security, follow the red arrows on the map to the Excavation (Scavi) Office, denoted by the #28 on the map, circled in red. Once at the Scavi office, you ‘ll wait for the group to form and your guide to arrive. Then, you’re off. It’s that easy.
The photo above shows a group standing outside the doorway of the Scavi Office, waiting to start their tour. Just give yourself plenty of time to get there, don’t being anything you’re not supposed to, and wear the proper clothing.
You can explore the Vatican Necropolis online by clicking here. Again, the Vatican Excavation Office email address is scavi@fsp.va. For a video tour of the Tomb of St. Peter, click here.
OFFICE HOURS
Mon – Fri: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The last visit always begins at 3:30 p.m. (4:15 PM from April through September).
Closed: Sundays and Vatican Holidays
On the following 2013 dates the Excavations will be closed
January 1 and 6 (Epiphany) February 11 March 19 (St. Joseph), 28-31 (Easter), April 1-2 (Easter), April 19 (Election of the Pope) May 1 (St. Joseph), May 9 (Ascension), 30 (Corpus Christi), June 29 (SS. Peter and Paul) August 14 -16 (Assumption) November 1-2 December 8 (Immaculate), 24-27 (Christmas) and 31 December 2013.The Scavi tour is an incredible experience… it makes you aware that there’s a city beneath your feet, wherever you walk in Rome. And to have the opportunity to walk where others walked thousands of years ago is a humbling experience. So send in your request EARLY and become a part of Vatican history yourself.
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