This was a day filled with much wonder, relaxation, and curiosity. Some of the activities today included the brief exploration of the 9-mile long catacombs that lay deep beneath the ground, as well as the inevitable shopping for Gucci, Prada, and other exotic, expensive designer brands as requested by the many shopping enthusiasts within the group. [Editors note: sarcasm]
To start off the day, we traveled across the street from our hotel over to the market where a luscious aroma of fresh bread, vegetables, and sweets filled the air. We went to the sandwich place, just as we did the day before, where we each got to pick from the many breads, cheeses, and meats available to us. It was an incredible experience for me to watch the members of my group communicate with the locals.
Jake was given a gift by the bakery ladies—gluten free torrone.
The bakery gave the students a bag of these delicious cookies to go with the picnic food.
After getting our sandwiches from the market, which was our lunch for later, we took the subway to one of the many Catacombs of Rome.
These catacombs were ancient cemeteries located underground, and the one that we visited was an incredible 7 kilometers long. In fact, it was estimated that archaeologists have discovered over 65,000 tombs in these catacombs, alone. It is believed from the ancient graffiti that is still visible that the bodies of St. Peter and St. Paul were once buried here before being moved to the Vatican and another cathedral. These particular catacombs also happen to have an incredibly well-preserved Ancient necropolis that has mausoleums that still have the original decorated plaster ceilings, amphora, and identifying plaques that our group, especially Eddie, helped to translate for the whole tour group.
[Note: No photography is allowed in the Catacombs so the above three images are taken from postcards.]
After exploring these narrow tunnels, we visited the incredible Church of San Sebastiano that sat directly above it.
Then, we walked along the Via Appia towards our lovely picnic spot which overlooked some of the incredible Roman baths that were fortunate enough to have the intricate raised floor heating systems visible. Our picnic lunch consisted of an inclusive, opinionated question session that really bonded the entire group as a whole.
We continued exploring the Via Appia until we unfortunately got stuck in a ditch! Not really. This is a reference to many chapters in the middle school Latin book that many of us had used where the characters get their cart stuck in a ditch on the side of the Via Appia.
There were many old monuments and tombs along this road through the country.
After all that walking, we took a bus and then the Metro back to Rome.
Next, we visited Ara Pacis Museum where we spent a short while looking at some ancient artifacts and inscriptions.
The museum’s main attraction was the gloriously decorated “Altar of Peace” that was centered in the middle of the museum. Such altars, like this one, were typically used for sacrificial rituals to certain gods and goddesses on special occasions, however this altar was specifically dedicated to Apollo, who was known for being the god of the sun and light.
Later, us students were given some free time, which a majority of us, myself included, dedicated to shopping. The day came to an end with a relaxing dinner at a nice restaurant which was followed by a quick gelato/crepe stop nearby.
Post shopping time with the sun setting on the Spanish Steps in the background.
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