Testaccio
Rome, Italy
Pyramid of Cestius, Rome
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Photo: Chabe01, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Free outside
- Hours
- Outside 24 hours; inside by scheduled tour
- Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 20 min
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Outside
- Free, 24 hours
- Inside
- Guided tours only, by booking
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Date
- ≈ 18–12 BC
- Height
- ≈ 36.4 m, base ≈ 29.6 m
- Time needed
- 15–20 minutes
- Location
- Piazzale Ostiense; Metro B Piramide
Key facts
≈ 18–12 BCbuilt as the tomb of Gaius Cestius Epulo
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English Wikipedia≈ 36.4 mheight of the pyramid
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English Wikipedia330 daysthe time it took to build, according to the inscription
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English Wikipedia3rd centurybuilt into the Aurelian Walls, which saved it
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English Wikipedia2015a restoration restored the marble's whiteness
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English WikipediaA short history
After Augustus annexed Egypt in 30 BC, Rome went mad for Egyptian style — obelisks, statues, even pyramids. Gaius Cestius Epulo, a wealthy magistrate and member of a priestly college, ordered a pyramid tomb beside the road to Ostia. Its inscription says it took 330 days to build; it was finished around 12 BC.
It's steeper than the Egyptian pyramids — about 36 metres tall on a 30-metre base — closer in shape to the Nubian ones. A small frescoed burial chamber sits inside the concrete core. In the 3rd century it was built into the new Aurelian Walls, which is why it wasn't quarried for stone.
How it was built and restored
The core is Roman concrete and brick, clad in slabs of white Carrara marble about 30 centimetres thick. Inscriptions on the east and west faces give Cestius’s name and offices and record how his heirs carried out his will. Excavations nearby turned up statue bases and columns that once stood at the tomb’s corners.
Two thousand years of soot had turned the marble grey. In 2013–2015 a restoration funded by the Japanese businessman Yuzo Yagi, about €2 million, cleaned the cladding, consolidated the joints and the chamber, and returned the pyramid to the gleaming white Augustan Romans knew.
Can you go inside?
The burial chamber is a small vaulted room with faded frescoes of nymphs, vases and Victories. It opens to small guided groups, usually at weekends and by booking; the schedule changes, so check the archaeology superintendency's site. Most visitors view the pyramid from outside — it's free and visible from all round the square.
What to see
- The pyramid — bright white after restoration, with inscriptions on the east and west faces.
- Porta San Paolo — the ancient gate beside it, home to a small museum of the Via Ostiense.
- Aurelian Walls — the stretch of wall the pyramid is set into.
- Non-Catholic Cemetery — behind it, a quiet garden with the graves of Keats and Shelley; resident cats too.
- Testaccio — the market and trattorias five minutes away.
- Monte Testaccio — a hill made of broken ancient amphorae.
How to get to the Pyramid of Cestius
Tap a route to highlight it on the map.
Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Testaccio is about 10 min away on foot.
- Aventine Keyhole is about 14 min away on foot.
- Santa Sabina is about 14 min away on foot.
More tips
- Metro line B to Piramide — the pyramid is right outside.
- The Roma–Lido train stops at Porta San Paolo, next to the metro.
- Trams 3 and 8 stop at Piazzale Ostiense.
- From the Circus Maximus, 15 minutes' walk down Viale Aventino.
Is it worth seeing?
Yes, if you're nearby — in Testaccio, on the Aventine or heading to St Paul Outside the Walls or Ostia Antica. A pyramid in the middle of Rome is a surprising sight, and it's free right by the metro. Make a special trip only if you can join a tour inside.
At the pyramid
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Ancient Rome: compare and choose
Ancient sites in Rome rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.
| Pantheon | 82 | 30 min | ≈ €5 | 43 min walk |
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| Colosseum | 73 | 2 h | ≈ €18 | 31 min walk |
| Roman Forum | 63 | 1 h 30 min | ≈ €18 with Colosseum | 31 min walk |
| Circus Maximus | 63 | 30 min | Free | 20 min walk |
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| Capitoline Hill | 58 | 30 min | Free | 33 min walk |
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| Arch of Constantine | 57 | 15 min | Free | 29 min walk |
| Palatine Hill | 54 | 1 h 30 min | ≈ €18 with Colosseum | 25 min walk |
| Mausoleum of Augustus | 53 | 45 min | ≈ €5, booking | 3.3 km |
| Largo di Torre Argentina | 53 | 30 min | Free from street; walkways ≈ €5 | 37 min walk |
| Pyramid of Cestiusyou are here | 52 | 20 min | Free | — |
| Appian Way | 49 | 3 h | Free | 5.8 km |
| Domus Aurea | 49 | 1 h 15 min | ≈ €18, with VR ≈ €26 | 36 min walk |
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| Baths of Caracalla | 48 | 1 h 15 min | ≈ €8 | 19 min walk |
| Catacombs of Rome | 48 | 1 h 30 min | ≈ €10–12 with guide | 43 min walk |
| Ara Pacis | 47 | 1 h | ≈ €13–15 | 3.4 km |
| Theatre of Marcellus | 47 | 20 min | Free | 30 min walk |
| Vatican Museums | 44 | 3 h | ≈ €25 | 4.0 km |
| Capitoline Museums | 43 | 2 h 30 min | ≈ €15–19.50 | 32 min walk |
| Baths of Diocletian | 42 | 1 h | Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12 | 3.3 km |
| Basilica of San Clemente | 39 | 1 h | Upper free; excavations ≈ €10–12 | 35 min walk |
| Imperial Fora | 38 | 1 h | Free from the street; museum ≈ €13–15 | 35 min walk |
| Testaccio | 38 | 2 h | Free | 8 min walk |
| Palazzo Massimo | 34 | 2 h | ≈ €10–12 combined ticket | 3.1 km |
| Ostia Antica | 31 | 3 h | ≈ €12–18 | 21.0 km |
| Hadrian's Villa | 29 | 3 h | ≈ €12–15 | 25.4 km |
Testaccio and Ostiense
The Pyramid of Cestius by the metro, lunch at Testaccio market, then St Paul Outside the Walls.
- Pyramid of Cestiusyou are here20 min · Free outside
- 8 min walk from the previous stopTestaccio2 h · Free
- 34 min walk from the previous stopBasilica of St Paul Outside the Walls45 min · Free
3 places · about 3 h 47 min with walks · 42 min on foot in total
Nearby and on the way
How to do it right
- It's right outside Piramide metro.
- See it through the cypresses of the Non-Catholic Cemetery.
- Inside visits are by tour and booking only.
- Testaccio market is next door.
Questions
Where is the Pyramid of Cestius?
On Piazzale Ostiense by Piramide metro, next to the Aventine and Testaccio.
Who built the Pyramid of Cestius?
The Roman magistrate Gaius Cestius Epulo, as his tomb, around 12 BC.
How tall is it?
About 36.4 m.
Can you go inside the Pyramid of Cestius?
Yes, but only on a scheduled guided tour with booking.
Why is there a pyramid in Rome?
After Egypt was annexed, Egyptian style was fashionable — obelisks, statues and pyramid tombs.
Is it free?
Yes, from outside.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- English Wikipedia, Pyramid of Cestius
- Special Superintendency of Rome: Pyramid of Cestius tours
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