Rome is certainly filled with many signs and sights of what the city used to be like in ancient times. But some sights are a lot more bizarre than others.

The most bizarre one of them all must surely be the Capuchin Crypt. The word crypt will surely make you wonder why you would want to add this to your tour of Rome upon arrival. Certainly, it is not for everyone, but there is something about this particular attraction that does beg to be seen.

So let’s consider what is in store for you here should you be willing to see it. Firstly it is indeed a crypt, and a relatively small one at that. There are several chapels here and each one is tiny, so it might not be ideal for those who tend to feel claustrophobic.

But what of that word Capuchin? Well, Capuchin friars were laid to rest here between the early 1500s and the late 1800s – but they were not laid to rest in the traditional way. Instead their bones were used to create the decorations on the walls and ceilings in the chapels themselves. This bizarre way of handling the dead is undoubtedly the reason why so many people visit this crypt today.

Each part of the crypt has its own unique name, and some of them indicate exactly what you will find inside. For example the Crypt of the Skulls is fairly self explanatory, as is the Crypt of the Pelvises. Some of the bones are used to create designs and ornate patterns on the walls, mixing the bones of hundreds of people to create the finished effect.

If you feel you have the nerve to see this very unusual crypt, you will find it underneath a church on the Via Veneto. The church is called the Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini. It is certainly very unlike anything you will have seen before. It might be just a short visit, perhaps an hour at most depending on whether you have the stomach to stay, but it is a memory that will definitely last a lot longer than that.