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Uncovering Rome's subterranean secrets – by bicycle

Rome is honeycombed with secret underground places
Rome is honeycombed with secret underground places

From catacombs to crypts and ancient sewers, Rome is honeycombed with secret underground places. But the latest one to be opened up to the public is being explored in a distinctly unusual way – on bicycles.

Guides have started taking small groups on bike tours of the Great Quarry of Rome, a vast labyrinth of subterranean tunnels that extends for 35 kilometres (21 miles) beneath the ground.

The barely noticeable entrance to the quarry lies in Caffarella Park, a large wedge of countryside just a few miles from the Colosseum.

The park extends along the ancient Appian Way, one of the most important roads leading in and out of Rome, and boasts the ruins of Roman aqueducts, cisterns and villas. A popular place for runners and dog walkers, it has miles of paths, patches of woodland and a flock of sheep owned by a family who live in a fortress-like medieval farmhouse.

The fortress-like farmhouse in Caffarella Park - Alamy
The fortress-like farmhouse in Caffarella Park - Alamy

In a little-frequented area of the park, a moss-lined lane overhung with trees leads downwards to a metal door. Once opened by the guides, it leads into the huge quarry complex.

For centuries, legions of slaves extracted huge quantities of pozzolana, a volcanic rock which they pulverised to create a type of ancient concrete. Mixed with lime, it was used in the construction of vast edifices such as the Pantheon temple and the Baths of Caracalla, a huge thermal complex not far from the Circus Maximus chariot racing track.

“The reason the Romans dug this underground quarry so close to the city was because transportation was so expensive. Building materials are heavy and if you want to bring them from far away, you have to pay the workers, you need to feed the beasts of burden, there is the danger of brigands. Much cheaper to excavate right here,” said Alessandro Placidi, a guide from Sotterranei di Roma or Underground Rome, a group of speleologists and historians who specialise in exploring the city’s hidden subterranean places.

“The real Rome is hidden underground, a precious treasure that few people know about or appreciate,” the group says on its website.

At one point he asks the group of around 40 cyclists to turn off all bike lights and mobile phones. The darkness is absolute – not a single shape or shadow can be made out. The thought of being lost in this labyrinth without a source of light is terrifying.

Tourists explore the tunnels on two wheels - Nick Squires
Tourists explore the tunnels on two wheels - Nick Squires

Until as recently as the 1990s, the tunnels of the quarry were used to grow mushrooms. The temperature is a perfect, constant 15C all year round and the humidity was ideal for the fungi. Strands of electrical lighting dangle from the ceilings and one side chamber has a long table and benches – it was the underground canteen of the mushroom growers.

One section of the quarry was burrowed beneath a large catacomb that was dug by the early Christians to bury their dead. Holes have been hacked in the walls of the quarry to try to access the catacombs.

“It was the 1920s and the mushroom growers who worked down here had heard of the amazing finds made by archeologists in ancient Egypt,” said Mr Placidi, referring to the celebrated discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb by Howard Carter. “They thought there might be similar treasures waiting to be discovered in the catacombs. But they found nothing – just skeletons.”

Mushroom cultivation was abandoned in the 1990s when a rock collapse caused the death of two workers.

The quarry was closed, largely forgotten, until being opened to the public recently. “This is only the second tour by bicycle that we have done,” said Luigi Plos, a guide and member of Sotterranei di Roma. “It’s a pretty unusual experience, even for Rome. It is the only underground tour by bike in Rome. It’s never been done before.”

How to do it

Tours can be arranged by emailing info@contexttour.com or calling 0039 3289 026924. See sotterraneidiroma.it for more information. For more travel inspiration, read Telegraph Travel's guide to the best hotels in Rome.