Caravaggio in Rome Semi-Private Tour: Saints, Sinners & Scandals

Tucked away in a corner of the church of Santa Maria del Popolo are two of Caravaggio’s most haunting works – The Conversion of Saint Paul and The Crucifixion of Saint Peter. In both, figures slowly but hauntingly emerge from the shadows, unidealized and startlingly real. In The Crucifixion of Saint Peter, the men tasked with dragging the first pope to his martyrdom don’t seem particularly evil – they are humble laborers with calloused hands and dirty feet, going about their grim task with seeming indifference. In The Conversion of Saint Paul, meanwhile, it’s a horse rather than the titular saint that dominates the frame, its bulky form obscuring any traditional sense of balance or symmetry. Set beside the harmony of Annibale Carracci’s nearby altarpiece, Caravaggio’s canvases feel like a declaration of war. This was a new kind of religious art: gritty, immediate, and revolutionary.

Near the elegant Piazza Navona stands the church of Sant’Agostino, home to Caravaggio’s striking Madonna of Loreto. At first glance, it’s a quiet devotional scene, but look again. The Virgin appears barefoot in a crumbling doorway, blessing two humble pilgrims with feet caked in mud. Here, Caravaggio’s ability to collapse the divide between the sacred and the everyday showcases him at his most brilliant and scandalous. Was he bringing religion closer to the people, or dragging divine mysteries down to the gutter? Our expert guide will help you unpack the layers of meaning – and controversy – lurking in this unforgettable work.

In the Contarelli Chapel of San Luigi dei Francesi, Caravaggio’s violent vision reaches a fever pitch. The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew crackles with tension: a nearly nude assassin lunges forward, sword in hand, as chaos erupts around him. A candle flares, an altar boy flees, and in the shadows, the artist himself watches the murder going down. Is he a witness or accomplice? Across the chapel, in The Calling of Saint Matthew, a shaft of divine light slices through darkness, illuminating a stunned tax collector chosen by Christ. Nowhere else are Caravaggio’s signature techniques – chiaroscuro, emotional realism, theatrical staging – so vividly on display. As we gaze on these masterpieces, you’ll learn exactly how Caravaggio went about painting them, and why they amazed his contemporaries.

In 1606, at the height of his fame, Caravaggio crossed a line he could never return from. A violent clash on a Roman tennis court ended in blood, with the artist fatally wounding a man named Ranuccio Tomassoni. Whether it was over gambling, insults, or jealousy, the result was the same: Caravaggio was declared a murderer. The brooding menace that simmered in his paintings had spilled into real life. Overnight, he went from court favorite to outlaw, fleeing the city with a bounty on his head. His once-glorious Roman career shattered, he entered a final chapter marked by exile, paranoia, and desperation.