- Duration: 40 minutes
- Priority access
- Mobile Ticket
- Photos without flash
- Guide App
What to expect?
- Visit the oldest prison in Rome
- Let yourself immerse in acient history with interactive smartphone App
- Skip the line and don't waste your time
Rome's oldest prison
The Mamertine Prison, known in antiquity as the Tullianum, was a prison (carcer) with a dungeon. It is said to have been built in the 7th century BC and was situated on the northeastern slope of the Capitoline Hill, facing the Curia and the imperial fora of Nerva, Vespasian, and Augustus.
It is not known when the prison went out of service permanently, but since medieval times the site has been used for Christian worship. Currently it is occupied by two superimposed churches: S. Giuseppe dei Falegnami (upper) and S. Pietro in Carcere (lower). The Cross on the altar in the lower chapel is upside down, since according to tradition Saint Peter was crucified that way.
Accordind to a legend, during the imprisonment of St. Peter at the Tullianum a spring in the bottom of the pit came into existence miraculously and St. Peter used that water to baptise the guardians. Also Saint Paul was imprisoned at the Tullianum.
What is included?
- Entrance to Carcer Tullianum
- Use of a multimedia device in Italian, English and Spanish
- Booking and management costs
Available options
- Use of a multimedia device in Italian, English and Spanish
Price reductions
- Reduced ticket for children aged 6-17 (It is still required to pay the reservation fee to skip the line; valid identity document needed at the entrance)
- Free Ticket for EU students up to 25 years old (It is still required to pay the reservation fee to skip the line; valid identity document needed at the entrance)
- Free ticket for children up to 6 years old (It is still required to pay the reservation fee to skip the line; valid identity document needed at the entrance)
Meeting Point
To remember
Meeting point: Carcer Tullianum, Clivo Argentario
The site is opened as follows: Monday - Sunday 9:00am - 5:00pm
Accessibility: for logistical reasons the site is not accessible to people with mobility difficulties
