There’s No Place Like Rome

We wake up and have breakfast at around 0830. It is a simple affair of a croissant, some cheese and meat, and cappuccino. There is also some juice and fruit. We meet a couple from Sicily that is visiting Rome. They are from Palermo but now live in Cefalu, which are two places that we visited. We also find out that our host, Guiseppes mother was from Trapani where my grandmother came from. They actually lived on an island just off Trapani and Giuseppe still owns their house there. We finish up our nice conversation and then get ready to go explore. This is our third time in Rome,so we are just going to explore and then go to the National Museum.

Ruin in a Park

We walk from our BNB past the church of San Giovanni, which is the main church in Rome. Carol thinks we have been to it so we continue on and then come to a park with an ancient ruin in it. This to me is the cool thing about Rome. It is a city where around any corner, you may just find bits of history mixed in with the modern world. Many of these ruins are just surprising to find and some are not labeled or marked, leaving you to wonder what they were and how old they are. Nearby is the church of Sant Eusebio and Sunday Mass is just getting out so we peak inside. This church was built in 1238 and additions were made over the years. It is obviously still in use today. When we emerge, a young nun is playing ball with a group of children. We watch for a while and then continue on. We approach the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore and I notice a basilica down a side street so we go to check it out. It is the Basilica di Santa Prassede and we go inside where Mass is being held. We sit and join the service. The basilica has beautiful acoustics and wonderful mosaics. It is amazing to think of how they were able to design these churches with the acoustics being so perfect. Without microphones in those days the voice of the priest had to carry and the builders and designers sure knew what they were doing. The service ends with a phenomenal organ recital and song.

Flagellation Pillar

Afterward we are able to look around and notice a side altar. This alter contains part of the pillar on which Jesus was flogged and tortured before his crucifixion in Jerusalem.
From the Basilica, we head across the street to,the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. This church also has some mosaics from the 5th century and there is a side chapel that has the all knowing eye symbol that was brought to fame in the movie, National Treasure. The important artifact here though is in the crypt of the nativity where there is a crystal reliquary that contains wood from the Holy Crib of the nativity of Jesus Christ. So many churches here have important relics from the history of Catholicism. From here we wander on over toward the National Museum. When we get there, we discuss things and both of us agree that the day is too nice to spend inside. We decide to just keep,walking around and hopefully discover new things. We cross the street toward the baths of Diocletian but they are not free to go in and do not interest us enough to pay. We visited the palace of Diocletian when we were in Split, Croatia.
We round the corner and find the basilica of Santa Maria deli angeli e dei Martiri or Mary of the Angels and martyrs.

Meridian Line

Michaelangelo helped build the church and there is also a meridian line within it. We continue on our walk looking for the church of Santa Maria Della Vittoria.The map I have is not real detailed and we do not find it so we head up a street toward the Victor Emmanuel Monument. In a few blocks we pass the church we have been walking around looking for. It is supposed to have a statue by Bernini in it but unfortunately it is closed until 1600 so we can’t see it. There are two other churches surrounding the intersection, also closed, so we continue on. We pass a corner marked as Via Quattro Fontane, or the four fountains, and true to the name each corner has a fountain on it. A little further on, we come to a nice park with a horseman statue in it. It is a statue of King Carlo Alberto who was King in the early 1800’s and married his second cousin, Maria Theresa of Austria, solidifying ties to the Hapsburg dynasty. Another short distance from this park, we come to the Quirinale Palace which was built in 1583 as a papal summer residence. Currently, it is an official residence of the President of Italy and in the past it has housed thirty popes, four kings of Italy and twelve Presidents. From the Piazza outside, we can see the dome of St Peters in the Vatican. We wind our way through the streets of Rome and reach the Victor Emmanuel Monument.

Victor Emmanuel Monument

The grand monument to Italy’s first king commands great views after climbing the many steps to the top. At the top of the first large flight of steps is Italy’s tomb of the unknown soldier watched by Italian flags and armed soldiers. The monument itself is 200 feet high and 500 feet wide and the 43 foot long statue of the king on a horse is the largest equestrian statue in the world. We get near the top of the monument for some great views walking around the back and sides. The views include the Forum and also the Coliseum. There is also an entrance from near the top to the Church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli. This church which we have not been to, sits on a site where Emperor Augustus had a premonition of the coming of Mary and Jesus standing on an altar in the sky ( ara coeli). Inside the church is the Holy Bambino of Aracoeli wood carving from the 15th century. It was made in Jerusaleum by a Franciscan friar out of an olive tree from Gethsemani.

Angelic Light Shine on Me

While in the church, we also have some angel light shine down on us so we are now blessed. We descend the large staircase outside the church back to street level and pass the Capitolene Museums. From near here, we find an overlook with great views down into the Roman Forum. We also pass a statue of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, with their wolf mother. We walk past the Coliseum and find a restaurant that we ate in three years ago, so decide to eat there. The food and wine is really cheap at Trattoria Luzzi. It is good basic pasta fare, but after some of the phenomenal meals we have had, it does not seem as good as we remember. We finish dinner and it is a straight shot back to our room for the night. We have had a nice relaxing day just walking and exploring with no specific destinations in mind. Rome is just flat out one of our favorite big cities and we look forward to another day of exploration before we leave.
Expenses
Pizza Lunch 4.6E
Dinner and Wine at Trattoria Luzzi 20.5E
Gelato 4E
Relais 155 BNB 83.5E
Walked 9 Miles