Rome Day 3
Wow, we are beat tonight! We walked some absurd amount of steps today, nearly 30,00.
The day started at the Colosseum and then the Roman forum. One of our favorite parts of the forum was the Church of Santa Maria Antiqua. It is an early byzantine church that was forgotten. It ended up buried, which saved It from earthquake and other damage, until 1900 when it was rediscovered. It has many surviving frescoes. We started early and when we left the forum around noon the lines were incredibly long.
After lunch, we toured the Basilicalof San Clemente. The basilica building currently standing dates to 1100’s. It sits well below the modern street now. This building is on top of a 4th c church. Below the 4th c level are roman streets from the 1st and 2nd centuries. Also an ancient place of cult worship of Mithras and a still flowing stream that was utilized in minting coins.
We walked from San Clemente to the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano. Many pilgrims here still for the Catholic jubilee year lining up to pass through the Porta Santa - holy door - because this is one of the 4 papal basilicas. Also stopped at the separate Baptistery building. Heard some beautiful singing as a service was finishing up there.
Took an unintended extensive tour of the metro station near San Giovanni LOL… but we got sorted out eventually and ended up at Circus Maximus. Then a walk down to the Forum Boreum area where there are several BC temples still standing.
Thankfully we got a cab back to our neighborhood without too much difficulty and had an earlier dinner. We are all done in for the day!
Thinking of home - two days left in Rome and Ostia. God Bless! PB & Margery, Scott and Shelly
View of the forum from Palatine Hill
