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Start at the Porta San Sebastiano, the grandest city gate of them all, where you can visit the Museo delle Mura . Climb the stairs for great views. From here, continue straight on along the Via Appia Antica . One of the first sights you’ll come to, on the left at a crossroads, is the small church of Domine Quo Vadis? - this marks the spot where Peter, fleeing persecution, encountered Christ and decided to return to Rome and face his martyrdom like a saint. The church contains a replica of footprints in stone, said to be those of Christ, but it is actually an ancient pagan ex voto .

Quite a bit further ahead, you’ll come to the Catacombs of San Sebastiano. Take the guided tour, and don’t miss the curious fresco of a bowl of fruit and a partridge, which, according to some ancient writers, was the most lascivious of all creatures. Continuing on, past a mobile bar where you can buy snacks and drinks, visit the Circus of Maxentius, an ancient racetrack. Note how amphorae were embedded in the bricks to lighten the construction of the upper grandstands. Last stop will be the 1st-century BC Tomb of Cecilia Metella. The frieze of bulls’ skulls and garlands is beautiful and the cone-shaped sanctum is peaceful.

For lunch, walk back to the Antica Hostaria l’Archeologia (see Antica Hostaria l’Archeologia, Via Appia Antica). After lunch, backtrack a few hundred metres to the bus stop to catch the No. 118 into town.

Kitsch, but fun. The waiters dress up in Roman gear and the decor is like a low-budget epic movie. The speciality is fish; try the spaghetti alle vongole (clams).

An elegant converted farmhouse, where you dine around the fireplace in winter and in the garden in summer. Rustic regional fare, such as roast lamb and homemade pasta.

There is much to attract in this area of the Alban Hills. Swim in Lago di Albano, or visit Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia, a Baroque complex designed by Bernini in the 17th century.

This is the largest catacomb network in Rome. Many of the tombs from the 1st and 2nd centuries have no Christian connection; burial of this sort was practised by several religious sects. The chambers have frescoes of both Classical and Christian scenes, including one of the earliest images of Christ as the Good Shepherd (see Exploring the Catacombs).

Rome’s first official Christian cemetery, on four levels, features some rooms decorated with stucco and frescoes, and special crypts to early popes and saints that you can also visit. The rooms and connecting passageways were hewn out of relatively soft volcanic tufa. The niches, called loculi , were designed to hold two or three bodies.

Underground cemeteries outside the city walls were created in accordance with laws at the time, not a response to suppression (it was thought ghosts of the dead could interfere with the living). However, the remains of saints Peter and Paul may have been moved here, further away from the centre, during one of the city’s periods of persecution. There are also several 4th-century mausoleums, some with exquisite frescoes.

The necropolis of this 6th-century BC city is still quite intact, complete with streets, houses and frescoes.

The place to eat if you decide to explore Via Nomentana. Try pasta with lobster sauce.

In addition to great wines, this bar-restaurant offers local dishes, with an emphasis on fish.