The history of the Catacombs of S. Callisto goes back to Pope Callixtus (217-222), who responded to the law at that time, which forbade the funeral of the deceased within the city walls. With its total surface of 15 hectares and its long galleries of about 20 km, the Catacombs of S. Callisto belong to the largest and most impressive Roman catacombs. From the Catacombs of S. Callisto it is only a few meters to the Via Appia Antica, the ancient connecting road from Rome to Benevento, Taranto and Brindisi. The road, that partially shows its original paving-stones, leads us to the ancient burial places of Cecilia Metella and Romulus.