According to tradition, two Roman soldiers, John and Paul (not to be confused with the Apostles), lived in these houses before they were beheaded by the emperor Julian. There's no direct evidence for this, although research has revealed that the houses were used for Christian worship. This is an extraordinary underground site, where many of the around 20 rooms have retained their rich decoration. There are regular evening tours and wine tastings here in summer; check the website.
Entry to the houses, which now lie beneath the Basilica dei SS Giovanni e Paolo al Celio, is on the Clivo di Scauro.
