Just before leaving Berlin, at the end of August, we realized that something quite unusual was about to happen in Schoeneberg. One of the biggest Cold War bunkers would be open for visits, in Pallasstrasse. A couple of artists were setting up an installation in the bunker, “In Reih’ und Glied” – 3000 pieces of panzers and U-boot. We quite regretted not to be around in Berlin for the exceptional event.

Apparently 4,500 people could be hosted in the Pallassstrasse shelter. And yes, also non-Berliner are familiar with the big block building on Pallasstrasse, featured in “Wings of desire”. Where Peter Falk and Bruno Ganz discuss over the metal fence, that’s the street corner we’re talking about.

Well, funnily enough, Sunday morning we discovered that also at walking distance from our home in Rome there is a bunker. A christian one. We were having cappuccino at our local Bar when we saw an affiche advertising the Day of the Environment or something. One of the events in the program was a visit of the St Hyppolite’s catacombs. Across the street??

So off we went, wearing our Birkenstock and with the Sunday papers under the arms. No proper shoes, no torch…but it was take it or leave it. After 15 minutes an archeologist and a fossore (=catacombs caretaker) from the Vatican turned up. Small intro. This is a multilayer (5) catacomb. There is a basilica on the first layer, the one we are going to visit. The rest is underwater. It is not open to the public.

Yellow daisies and shrubs had to be uprooted from the front of the small door hidden against a tall wall and mimetic among the wild vegetation. Very decadent, very Grand Tour. A bit Indiana Jones too. Above the wall, the Economics campus of the La Sapienza University. “Caemeterium Hyppoliti” was carved in the marble lintel.

The catacomb features intact tall arches in roman bricks and plenty of epygraphs, some written with a beautiful “swallow’s tail’ font. Apparently Hyppolite  was a scholar.

Well, quite odd. Both our neighborhoods, Schoeneberg and San Lorenzo/Nomentano have a surprising underground story…

Foto: Thilo Rückeis