NEED TO KNOW
LOCATION
The Pyramid of Cestius is in Rome, Italy
DATE OF CONSTRUCTION 12 BC
PYRAMID HEIGHT
89 ft (27 m)
DAYTIME TEMPERATURES
Jan: 52°F (11°C); Apr: 66°F (19°C); Jul: 86°F (30°C);
Oct: 72°F (22°C)
The impact of ancient Egyptian culture spread far and wide. In the years after the Roman conquest of Egypt in 30 BC, scores of administrators and soldiers moved to the North African country, where they developed a taste for all things pharaonic.
The Roman magistrate Caius Cestius was so impressed by the pyramids that he decided to be buried in one. His handsome tomb was faced in bright white marble, and forms part of Rome’s city walls.
However, Cestius proved less immortal than the pharaohs, and by the Middle Ages locals believed the pyramid was the tomb of Remus, one of Rome’s legendary founders
Practical Information
Getting There The pyramid is in south-central Rome, a stone’s throw from the Porta San Paolo train station and the appropriately named Piramide metro station.
When to Go Any time of year. The interior of the pyramid is open on alternate Saturdays.