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Wanted in Rome In the holy year 1950, Pope Pius XII created a sensation when he announced to the world that the tomb of the apostle Peter had been located in the exact spot where tradition had always placed it directly underneath Michelangelo' s dome and Bernini' s bronze baldachin inside the basilica of St Peter' s.  The pope' s declaration was the result of years of secretive explorations and excavations, which began in 1939 to satisfy the last wishes of the previous pope, Pius XI, who wanted to be buried in what are known as the Vatican grottos underneath the basilica. In order to create more space for pilgrims who wanted to pay homage to the dead pope, it was decided to lower the grotto floor by some 80 cm. This led to one of the most sensational discoveries in 20th-century archaeological history: a whole monumental city of the dead buried and forgotten under the foundations of the original church built on the same spot by the Roman Emperor Constantine in the fourth century.
A visit to the Vatican underworld is still a relatively rare experience, simply because so few people know how to get there. In actual fact, tours for small groups are organised regularly, but they are not advertised and there are no signs indicating the entrance to the excavations. You cannot simply turn up for one of these tours. Prior booking is essential and the Swiss guards on duty under the archway on the left-hand side of the basilica steps will check your ID and booking carefully before letting you through into the courtyard where the groups assemble to await their guides. The formalities over, we were ushered through a series of rooms containing sculpted tombstones, marble friezes and sarcophagi, all salvaged from the fourth-century basilica. Finally, a narrow flight of stairs, sealed with a glass door, led us down into the excavation area. We found ourselves in a sort of miniature Pompeii a silent street of monumental sepulchres with their corniced entrances, gaily frescoed walls, mosaic decorations and commemorative inscriptions still largely intact, situated between three and ten metres below the central nave of the present basilica. The row of excavated tombs runs for some 70 m before it is blocked by a wall. We know that the cemetery goes on under Via della Conciliazione as far as the Tiber, but we can' t dig any further as it would mean damaging the floor of St Peter' s, our guide, an eager young archaeologist, explained regretfully. At present, there are 22 mausoleums visible, constructed on what was once open ground near Caligula' s circus, where the apostle Peter was crucified in 67 AD. This was a largely pagan cemetery (although there is also evidence of some Christian burials) with grand tombs built by rich families of liberti (ex slaves). You can' t help but feel close to these long-gone occupants when you read some of the epitaphs they have left behind. Gaio Popilio Eracla, for instance, brags about what he spent on his sepulchre. He left precise orders for his heirs to build it for the enormous sum of 6,000 sesterces (this was the equivalent of five years of a legionary' s pay in the first century). There' s Aurelio Nemesio, whose wife tells us he lived 53 years, 8 months and 11 days and that he was dedicated with the maximum success to the art of music and that he was master of the choir that accompanied acrobatic dances and pantomimes. Flavio Istatilio Olimpio is described by his sister as the worthy brother who joked with everyone and never quarrelled. Most amusing of all is an inscription by Flavio Agricola: I' m lying on my side, he tells us. As I was among the living in the years fate granted me& I never lacked for wine. He also says he spent thirty sweet years with his beloved wife and he ends with: Friends& . I advise you to pour out the wine and drink abundantly& . and don' t reject amorous unions with beautiful girls.. This inscription is handed down to us by historians as the original has since been lost. After we' d seen the biggest and most splendid mausoleum, built by the Valerii family in the second century and containing up to 250 tombs, the tour proceeded to the area known as Campo P. This is where the Vatican believes Peter was actually buried. Sometime in the second century, the place was marked with a little shrine known as the Trofeo of Gaio , trofeo being Greek for victory and Gaio being a second-century Roman priest who documented the monument. The shrine was backed by a red wall, still visible today. A flanking wall was covered in graffiti scratched by early pilgrims. In 1958, archaeologist Marguerita Guarducci claimed to have deciphered the letters PETROS ENI meaning: Peter is here . Bones discovered buried at this spot were analysed and found to belong to an elderly man who had lived in the first century AD. After walking for an hour through a labyrinth of dimly lit passages and steps it was something of a shock to emerge into the dazzling gilded and marble Clementina Chapel, built by Pope Clement VIII in 1594 on top of the site of the apostle' s alleged tomb. Our guide pointed to a bronze grating in the ceiling above our heads. Looking up, we found that we were standing directly under the main altar area of the present St Peter' s, getting a worm' s eye view of the soaring bronze pillars of the baldachin, with the great dome of Michelangelo floating far overhead.
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