Go to http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15198192/?GT1=8618 to read about this necropolis that was discovered about 3 years ago while building a parking lot in Vatican City.

Interesting, thanks. It just goes to show that in a city as old as Rome, anywhere you dig you will find something.

Actually I think they've since discovered that those were the graves of the people who died while waiting in line to see the Vatican museums.


LOL

Glad I went in the winter when lines were short, otherwise I might still be standing there.

I have not been around here much lately, but I think I detect a familiar note to one of the above posts.

Oh Ah, right. That was not criticism, merely admiring the witicism.

Don't forget to check Les Alyscamps in Arles France too - amazing "city of the dead"

Here's yet another article on Yahoo concerning the newly opened necropolis:

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061009/ap_on_sc/vatican_necropolis

When I was doing the Vatican "Scavi" tour last month, we were told about the opening of this necropolis-if you read the Yahoo article, it actually references the "Scavi" tour, and says, (as I stated on another recent post) that the "Scavi" tour (the necropolis running through Via Cornelia, which many Fodorites have visited, and/or are awaiting reservations for) is "believed to hold the bones of St. Peter's." The article does NOT advise people that the Scavi tour is available to the public-one of course, has to come to Fodor's to find that out!

And by the way, I rate the Vatican "Scavi" tour an absolute must-see for Rome. It exceeded my expectations tenfold, unlike say, that totally not worth it to me 8 Euro tour "Domus Aurea" I took last year, where there were virtually no mosaics, nothing but gray walls-it's really one of the weakest links of Rome's too many ancient sites.

Okay, I just got back from Rome...maybe a brief trip in winter? I fell back in love with Rome this year, from when I was there last year, (for some reason, Rome looked astounding to me this year, everything was sooo easy, sooo fun, and I kept asking Romans, is everyone gone? It's September, where is the traffic? Why is it so tranquil? What happened from last year to this year? They just laughed.) I love joking around with the Romans-and I never spoke one word of English while in Rome, in fact, in over 5 weeks in Italy, I think I spoke English briefly something like 2 or 3 times-it was a great linguistic work-out, and I felt, and still feel, quite altered by the experience.

Girlspytravel, while I thoroughly enjoyed my tour of the Domus Aurea, I have to agree that it is one of the weakest links in the chain of Roman sites, literally in fact, since it has subsequently been closed to the public indefinitely due to a danger of collapse.

Here's a link to a Vatican Information Service story about the necropolis, which gives details on how to get on the tour - which aren't on the Vatican website yet, it seems (I looked at both the Museum site and the Scavi page):

http://tinyurl.com/ztbmf

"The archeological site may be visited on Fridays and Saturdays in groups of no more than 25 persons. Reservation is obligatory and may be done by sending a fax to Vatican Museums - Office for Special Visits (no. 0669881573) or by writing to [email protected]."

Nikki-I believe I read that also somewhere this past year, and I'm glad to hear it, because it was totally blah, nothing to commend the Domus Aurea whatsoever.

I can only hope that the Roman authorities find the funds to reinforce the Domus Aurea to preserve it and reopen it to the public because I found it to be an incredible site. Maybe not as pretty as some, but in terms of historical interest and a sense of connecting with the past I found it an amazing experience. The sense of scale of the enormous palace of Nero gave me a context in which to place the rest of the ancient sites and made it easier to comprehend that the site of the Colosseum was a lake in Nero's front yard, filled and built upon with the Colosseum when the Romans wanted to obliterate all memory of Nero.

Saving

bkm

Andalusia - thanks for the info - i emailed the Vatican museum email link - but hven't heard anything, yet. Any other thoughts on how i can follow up on a request for a tour. My boyfriend and I will be in Rome in November, and would love to be included in one of thosse tour groups. is that even a possibility? or will the tours be reserved for "special groups/guests"? any thoughts?

Some photos http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/se...;c=news_photos Regards, Walter

ttt

Caramia79,

Have you received a reply to your e-mail request?

I have just read on another travel forum that someone has received a confirmation for November 25.

If you have not had a reply, perhaps you should send another e-mail <b>clearly indicating the days on which you can participate in a tour (Fridays and Saturdays only).</b> I think the office is probably too busy to respond to simple information requests.