Tour where...Pyramid of Cestius and Non Catholic Cemetery
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We are all equal facing death, that’s for sure, but there are different ways in which we may be remembered. In this tour we’ll concentrate precisely on this idea, by visiting two places that are very close one to another, both from the spatial and conceptual points of view. The first is a marginalization place, standing just adjacent to the city walls and intended to isolate those who did not belong to the Christian community. Notwithstanding this, it remains one of the most evocative places intended for eternal rest in the city. The second (the pyramid) testifies how fashionable where the Egyptians mores in Imperial Rome. It’s the funeral monument of a Roman politician, Caius Cestius, who ordered his heirs to build it within 330 days after his death, otherwise they would lose their whole inheritance. Come and see these places with us…. as living persons, of course!
Tour Description
Lenght: 2 hours;
Warnings: We reccomend to wear comfortable shoes and clothes that are suitable to the weather. This is a private tour, your tour guide will stay with you and your family;
Mode: Competition, Draw and color, Photography, Mythology;
Price: Starting price 160,00€;
Insights
The Pyramid is the funeral monument for Gaius Cestius Epulone and it was built by his heirs, according to his own testamentary will. Standing approximately 36 meters high and measuring about 29 square meters at the base, the pyramid is made of concrete blocks and it holds a funeral chamber decorated with frescoes in the third Pompeian style. To the left of the pyramid front there is a “postierla” (narrow access door to the walls) that indicates the route of the ancient Via Ostiensis. The non-catholic cemetery was established for those foreigners whose burial was forbidden on account of their different religious creeds. The presence of a lush vegetation and many ruins made it a much loved destination for romantic artists, such as Keats and Shelley. Among Italian leading personalities that are buried there: writer Carlo Emilio Gadda, and politicians like Emilio Lussu and Antonio Gramsci.
