Exploring Rome
There are so many churches, there is no way for us to tell you about all of them. Here are two of our favorites in Rome.
To the right: The Basilica Di San Clemente. During a renovation, it was discovered that this church was built on the site of another basilica from the 4th century! After further investigation it was discovered that there are actually four levels of churches below the active basilica and that they date back to the time of Nero in 64AD. What a treat! (sorry no pictures were permitted in any of the excavation sites)
Below: Basilica S. Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri. This church was on our way to the bus station. We walked past many many times before we decided to go in. Thank goodness we did! It is glorious. It was designed by Michelangelo and built inside the Roman walls of the Baths of Diocletian. From the outside it has a very different look because the walls of the baths are still visible. On the inside it is adorned with grand statues and a stunning marble floor.
We enjoyed meandering thru the plazas and admiring the fountains.
The stories our tour guide told us about the Forum were, to say the least, captivating. For instance, one of the buildings that once sat in the Forum was the House of the Vestal Virgins. I'd heard of the Virgins, but never really considered who they were or the role the played in Roman history; until our guide told us their story. Incredible!
As much as we loved the old parts of Rome, though, we were all anxious to see the Vatican!
The Eternal City
Rome was different than Venice or Florence in that it is much more vibrant. The streets are bustling with people, cars, motorcycles and buses. It has the sounds and smells of any other major city in the world ... with one exception. Unlike most other cities, Rome has ancient monuments such as the Pantheon, Forum and Colosseum mingled with modern buildings, roadways and transportation systems. It was almost surreal to be standing on a street light, waiting to cross, while staring at the Colosseum, which was built in 70 A.D.
In Venice and Florence, we traveled to all of our destinations on foot; but in Rome that wasn't a realistic method of travel. Sarah wasted no time in introducing us to the public transportation system. With metro cards in hand, we visited all of the landmarks listed above and then some, using trains and buses. Except for the potential pick pockets (use that money belt!) the metro is actually a very easy and safe mode of transportation.
The Pantheon was our first official stop in Rome. The really amazing thing about this building, other than its age, of course, is that this dome was the influence for all others.
Filippo Brunelleschi, the architect who designed the Duomo in Florence, examined the Pantheon as a way of trying to figure out how it had been built. In fact, there is a section of the dome missing, and it is attributed to Brunelleschi's inspection!
I know I am repeating myself, but the amount of things we managed to see and do on this trip is mind boggling. Thanks to the Rick Steves tour, we had the knowledge and confidence to get around on our own, as well as providing us some excellent options for side trips. For instance, on our last day in Rome, once the tour was over, we hopped the metro with Laura and Pin Ching (two of our tour buddies!) and headed out to Ostia Antica.