The catacomb of Porta d’Ossuna is the largest early Christian underground cemetery in Palermo. The site is located in the natural Papireto depression northwest of the city, and was cut along Corso Alberto Amedeo for the construction of the 16th-century ramparts. Today the catacomb is frequently juxtaposed with the legend of the Beati Paoli, as Luigi Natoli, author of the novel of the same name, mentions it several times, setting some of the salient moments of the tale inside.

The early Christian catacomb of Villagrazia di Carini, with its more than 5,000 square meters of excavated surface, stands as one of the most important testimonies of that historical period in Sicily. The monument is characterized not only by the monumentality of the tunnels and hypogean cubicles, in whose walls arcosoli and loculi are still perfectly preserved, but also by the numerous neo- and vetero testamentary frescoes, as well as scenes of daily life and an iconographic repertoire belonging to the full Roman tradition, restored and dated among the oldest on the island.