Explore the Spookiest Sights in Rome This Halloween

WHY IT RATES: Visit Rome's famous haunted catacombs or experience first-hand the fear and adrenaline the gladiators felt while waiting at the Colosseum with Roma Experience this Halloween.—Mia Taylor, TravelPulse Senior Writer.

The spooky season is upon us, with Halloween just around the corner. Ahead of the horror-filled holiday, Italy tour experts Roma Experience has rounded up a selection of the creepiest tours in Rome.

Roma Experience offers specialist tours of Italy year-round and this Halloween guests can join its knowledgeable tour guides on visits to the city’s famous haunted catacombs or experience first-hand the fear and adrenaline the gladiators felt while waiting at the Colosseum.

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Have a look at Roma Experience’s selection of spooky city tours below, and prepare for a thrill.

Bones and Catacombs, Rome

The famous Roman catacombs are the former burial grounds that date from the second to the fifth century and were principally used by Christians and Jews. The tradition of using underground passageways to bury the dead began because Christians did not agree with the pagan custom of burning the dead, so they built veritable labyrinths under the city to bury the dead instead.

There are multiple stories and legends concerning the catacombs, and how haunted they are, as if they need a reason to be spooky other than the fact they house hundreds of dead bodies. Indeed, at the end of the 19th century, it was discovered that the Catacombs of Santa Priscilla had been plundered and destroyed, some arguing that it was vandalized not for treasure, but because early explorers believed the cemeteries were cursed and had to be destroyed.

Roma Experience’s Bones and Catacombs tour explores the intricate labyrinth of the Roman catacombs that extend for miles underneath the city and is, even now, still unexplored in some places.

To many, this is considered the “real Rome” – a parallel world that is at once very close and very far from the hustle-and-bustle of modern life. Expert guides lead guests through the deepest levels of the Eternal City, where you can see frescoes painted 2,000 years ago on old subterranean walls that vividly express the first dogmas of faith.

As part of the tour, guests also get the chance to explore the terrifying Crypt of the Capuchin friars – the Domitilla – and the Basilica of St. Clement, a 12th-century basilica where visitors have the chance to walk three levels underground, right under the basilica. The more you descend into the bowels of the earth, the more you have the feeling that you’re traveling in time, right back to the origin of Western civilization.

Prices from £78.02pp including an English-speaking guide, entry fees, and transportation to and from the catacombs and the Capuchin Crypt. Find out more.

Colosseum Under the Moon, Rome

Commissioned by Emperor Vespasian in AD 72, the Roman Colosseum is a historic site where massacres were seen on a huge scale – both animals, and gladiators: since the inaugural games in AD 80, for example, more than 9,000 wild animals were killed.

The Roman gladiators were typically slaves, prisoners of war, or condemned criminals, and they were led into the arena to fight one after another. Should the ground become too soaked with blood, another layer of sand was scattered over the top of it and the games continued.

Countless stories have been told of the Colosseum being haunted, and given that more than 500,000 people were killed within its walls it’s not hard to see why. Some people claim to have heard moaning and screaming coming from within the walls, while others hear the roars of lions and tigers that are very clearly not there. There are also reports of the ghost of a Roman soldier who still guards the Colosseum.

In order to truly experience the haunting atmosphere of the Colosseum, Roma Experience offers a night tour of the Colosseum Underground, led by an expert guide. The tour allows guests to explore the Colosseum and all its restricted areas – including the Arena stage, the site of so many deaths, and the Undergrounds, where gladiators waited for their fate. If you thought walking through the Gate of Death would give you chills during the day, imagine how it would feel in the eerie moonlight.

Prices from £64.89pp including an English-speaking guide, and entry fees. Find out more.

Colosseum Underground Tour

Don’t fancy experiencing the spooky atmosphere of the Colosseum in the dead of night? That’s fine because there’s also the chance to have a look around the underground of the Colosseum in the safety of daylight with Roma Experience’s Colosseum Underground Tour.

Just like with the night-time tour, guests have the unique chance to experience the place where some of the most famous parts of history were made: the gladiators waiting room, where they would have heard the cheers of the crowd, the roars of the animals as they were lifted from the dungeons, and the screams of people they knew moments before.

The popular tour was recently awarded a Trip Advisor Travellers’ Choice Award, so you are guaranteed a frighteningly good time on this tour.

Prices from £87.05 including an English-speaking guide and entry fees. Find out more.

Vatican Night Tour, Vatican City

One of the most famous parts of Italy, the Vatican is officially a City State in its own right and has housed the highest positions of the Catholic church for centuries. Built over the tomb of Saint Peter, the Vatican City houses 11 museums, including the restored Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.

Given the age of the buildings, and the fact that it is located on top of a burial site, it’s no surprise that the Vatican is shrouded in tales of horror and ghosts.

One such tale is of the shadowy figure that haunts the bell tower of St. Peter’s Basilica, which some say is the restless spirit of someone who committed suicide, as the figure appears poised to jump. There are also some reports that St. Peter’s Basilica stands on cursed soil: erected on top of a burial ground, strange activity is said to have filled the 16th-century construction site, with workers dropping dead and even the Pope himself fell ill. There were even apparitions of crows that lingered around the area until the Pope ordered an exorcism.

Discover the Vatican in all of its spooky glory on a night-time tour with Roma Experience, exploring the rooms of the papal apartments with an added touch of mystery thanks to the darkness. Guests have the chance to see the richness of the pontiffs’ art collections, sculptures, and objects – so diverse there are even sarcophagi and several mummies on display, reflecting the Vatican’s world dominance at its height.

Prices from £60.49pp including an English-speaking guide, and entry fees.

Enjoy 10 percent off any Roma Experience tour during the Halloween period using the code: HALLOWEEN10.

SOURCE: Roma tours press release