Rome, Italy
Stateroom C512
Thursday, November
17, 2022
70F, sunny, partly
cloudy
Aboard Regal
Princess
Roman Forum
Our morning
started very early (7 a.m.)—we were ready to meet new friends, Cyndi and Rich and Mary
Jane and Jack, on Deck 5 so we could disembark the ship for our “Early Christianity” tour
into Rome. I arranged this special tour with Rome in Limo and Francesco was just outside
the ship with a sign with our name on it, ready to go. Rome is about an hour and a half ride from
the port of Civitavecchia, and we were really happy to make this ride in a clean,
comfortable Mercedes Benz. The day was
warm and dry, the warmest yet. Francesco commented that this summer was
especially hot and long. https://www.romeinlimo.com/
The landscape is much flatter here, but we saw the usual olive and orange trees, cabbage recently planted, more tiled roofs, and gas was 1.65 euros for a liter. The six lane highway was smooth and in good condition, with not much construction occurring.
The four main churches of Rome are the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Wall, Basilica of St. Maria Maggiore, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, and St. Peter’s Basilica. It is said the St. Peter is buried at the Vatican and St. Paul is buried at St. Paul Basilica. Francesco mentioned there are 700 churches in Rome, with 300 within the ancient wall. That is a lot of churches!
The Aurelian Wall around Rome was built between 271-275 A.D., made of Roman concrete, brick and mortar. Parts of the wall are still visible today around parts of the “Ancient City.”
The Coliseum of Rome
Our first stop was
the Flavian Amphitheater, the first name of the Coliseum, which opened in 80 A.D.
With 80 entrances, and 4 reserved for VIPs, it could seat between 55,000 and
80,000 spectators. It is the largest ancient amphitheater ever built and is
still the largest standing amphitheater in the world today, despite its age. Performances here were gladiators vs.
gladiators, gladiators vs. animals, and naval battles (the base was flooded to
accommodate small ships). All of us have
been inside, so we only stopped here for photos.
The Catacombs of Callisto
We took the Appian
Way, a lovely walled cobblestone road, to the Catacombs of San Callisto, outside
the walls. The catacombs are now owned by the Vatican. No burials were allowed in the walled city in
ancient times. There are actually 60
catacombs around Rome, but San Callisto is the largest with 500,000 people buried
in the 90 acres and 12 miles long area. The
ceilings of the tunnels were up to 70 ft. high and sometimes less that 6 ft.
wide in places. The catacombs were
abandoned by about the 10th century. In the 1600s they were
discovered by graverobbers who stole many artifacts. It wasn’t until the
mid-1800s that serious archeological work was begun.
Before we entered
the catacombs with a guide, she explained the Christian symbols and frescos
depicting Christian stories that we might spot. All of the remains have been
removed from the area we visited. Sixteen
early Popes (called Bishops of Rome) were buried here, as well as saints and
martyrs.
Christian stories
To enter the catacombs, the stairway was very steep and we were told that we would be 50 ft. underground. The passages were dimly lit. To us, it was sort of a pilgrimage, paying tribute to those who made many sacrifices in the name of Christianity. We did see the symbols of Christianity, the beautiful frescoes, and the unimaginable engineering that went into carving out niches, layer by layer. No photos were allowed, understandably.
The Basilica of San Clemente
We had to get tickets in advance at home for this tour to the ongoing archaeological
excavations under the Basilica of San Clemente.
This Basilica was dedicated to Pope Clement I and was built just before
1100 A.D. In 1857 excavations were begun
that uncovered the original 4th century basilica directly
underneath. It was later discovered that this earlier basilica had been
converted out of the home of a Roman nobleman, part of which served as an early
church in the 1st century, and the basement has briefly served as a
mithraeum in the 2nd century. The home of the Roman nobleman had
been built on the foundations of an earlier villa and warehouse that had been
destroyed by fire in 64 A.D. Did you keep up with that?? Four iterations, which meant I had many more
steps to go down.
By the way, a mithraeum is a temple erected in classical antiquity by the
worshippers of Mithras. Such worship can be dated between 100 B.C. and 300 A.D.
The
room appeared to be where worshippers and had meals. Look here for more
information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraeum
This trip into the “innards” of Rome was very interesting despite more steep stairs. It was a self-guided tour, and I saw beautiful early early frescos, sarcophagi, carved columns, small rooms, thick walls. It was really a labyrinth and at times I was afraid of getting lost forever. In one area there was even a freshwater spring, with water strongly gurgling. I doubt this is a tour everyone goes on, and thankfully our tour mates really liked seeing unusual areas and history of Rome.
The current church, Middle Ages era, was also very interesting, but I spent my time below it! TK took great photos. No photos in the excavation area allowed.
Circus Maximus
This ancient Roman
chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue is located between the
Aventine and Palantine hills of Rome. It measured 2,047 ft. in length and 387
ft. in width and could accommodate over 150,000 spectators. It is now a public park and the Rolling
Stones performed here this summer!
Roman Forum (Forum Boarium)
Located
near the Tiber River between the Capitoline, the Palatine, and Aventine hills,
this “cattle” forum experienced intense commercial activity because of its
location at the site of the original docks of Rome.
Pictured
here is the Temple of Hercules Victor, a small Roman temple located in the area
of this forum. It was constructed around the year 120 B.C., making it the
oldest still-standing marble building in Rome made from Greek marble. The
temple is dedicated to Hercules. In 1132 A.D. the structure was transformed
into a church dedicated to St. Stephen, later rededicated to St. Mary of the
Sun. In the 20th century it was returned to its original state as a
Roman temple.
Lunchtime!
We stopped for lunch at Vecchia Roma, based on Francesco’s recommendation. It was a charming, busy restaurant. I ordered bruschetta al pomodoro (tomato) and TK ordered bruschetta alle olive (olives). Mine was delicious, and TK liked the chopped olives on toasted bread. For lunch, I had gnocchi alla sorrento with a delicate tomato sauce/mozzarella cheese, and TK had spaghetti alla parmigiana flambe (zucchini, eggplant, and peppers) with parmesan cheese. MJ and Jack had ossobuco—she said it was very expensive back home and 16 euros was very reasonable. There were even gluten free options! While we dined, fifteen Carabinieri came in for lunch—in suits and ties. They had wine and a hearty lunch, and we were told that was normal in Italy. I believe they were detectives. Francesco said the police department was nearby.
Lunch time!
Our choices!
Roman Forum/Central Rome
After lunch, we headed to an area with an excellent view of
the Roman Forum. We were dropped off near a church with a gazillion steps—Francesco
said it is only used for weddings today so the bride and groom can make a grand
show as they leave the church. (The Basilica of St. Mary of the Altar of Heaven)
Fortunately, Michelangelo designed the Piazza del Campidoglio
right next to this church on Capitoline Hill so we could walk to the top a
little easier. This area is excellent for viewing the forum!
King Victor Emmanuel II-monument
We also saw the monument that commemorates the unification of
Italy in 1861 and the first king of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II. It was built
between 1895 and 1911 on top of Palatine Hill.
Our really last stop was for gelato, and as I said before,
Italy is the only place to get great tasting gelato (my opinion).
Very good gelato here!
We rode back to the ship quite exhausted, had dinner and returned
to our room. The end.
TK’s Takes: He
absolutely admired Mary Jane and Jack’s lunch of ossobuco.
Janie:
11,100 steps and 21 flights of stairs—one would think I would be in shape by
now, 15 days of steps and flights, so many more than usual!
Stunning, just stunning so much history and faith
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