There is a pyramid in Rome. Not a small decorative thing. A proper, 36-meter-tall, marble-clad pyramid sitting between the ancient Porta San Paolo and the Protestant Cemetery, surrounded by traffic, looking completely surreal. Gaius Cestius, a praetor and member of a religious brotherhood, built it as his tomb around 12 BC — right after Augustus conquered Egypt and all things Egyptian became fashionable in Rome. The pyramid took 330 days to build (we know because the inscription says so), was incorporated into the Aurelian Walls in the 3rd century, and has been standing there, confusing visitors, for 2,036 years. Rome guide → · Hidden Rome →
Plan my Rome trip →The burial chamber inside is a small vaulted room (5.9 x 4m) with frescoed walls depicting priestesses, Victories, and vases — the style is late-Republican Roman with Egyptian motifs. The frescoes are well-preserved because the chamber was sealed for 1,500 years before being opened in the 17th century. Visits are by guided tour only — every second and fourth Saturday of the month, 11am (book through coopculture.it). The tour takes 30 minutes. If you can't get inside, the exterior is impressive enough — the marble cladding (partially restored), the sheer unexpectedness of a pyramid on a Roman intersection, and the cats that lounge at its base.
Right next to the pyramid, the Cimitero Acattolico (Non-Catholic Cemetery) is one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world. John Keats is buried here (died in Rome 1821, age 25 — his tombstone reads "Here lies One whose Name was writ in Water"). Shelley's ashes are here (he drowned off the Tuscan coast in 1822). Antonio Gramsci, the Marxist philosopher. Gregory Corso, the Beat poet. The cemetery is a garden of umbrella pines, cypresses, roses, and cats — utterly peaceful despite the traffic roaring 30 meters away. Donation €3-5. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm.
Address: Via Raffaele Persichetti (Metro B: Piramide — the station is named after it). Interior visits: guided tours 2nd and 4th Saturday, 11am, €5.50. Book at coopculture.it. Exterior: visible always, free. Protestant Cemetery: donation, Mon-Sat 9am-5pm. Duration: 30min pyramid tour + 30-45min cemetery. Combine with: Testaccio neighborhood (food market, restaurants — Rome's best food district), MACRO Testaccio contemporary art (former slaughterhouse), Aventine Hill keyhole view (15min walk).