Day 4

Day 4 started out a bit slow as sleep didn't find me much last night. We did want to get an early start, so up we got around 8:30. Leaving about an hour later we hopped a cab to the Vatican. We got there early enough to get a front row seat, but decided to shop for souvenirs. We walked through hoards of people going in as we were heading out of Vatican area. We walked to the museum gift shop, but it was closed. Not to worry, there were PLENTY along the way back. We picked up a few things and got a bite to eat. I would have shared my cookie with the Pope, but he was now going to be pretty far away as the masses have arrived. It was a BEAUTIFUL day and even a bit warm in the sun. We waited in an area where we could see a straight shot of the window the Pope would talk from, but he (the Pope) decided to speak from a different window this time. Hey, it's his house...so he can pick what ever window he wants. But now he is out of our good line of vision, but I managed to snap a photo. Feeling a bit like human sardines, we decided to leave before he was completely done and catch a cab to the catacombs before the crowd swarmed the taxi stands.

It was quite a cab ride, so it was well worth the money. Arriving at the Di San Callisto catacombs (the largest of the 16 in Rome) we were there an hour and a half before the first tour, so we were directed down a road to a small town about 6 minutes walk time. We passed a restaurant and we thought we'd check it out. It was beautiful inside and we took a seat outside in a covered area that looked like a garden. The restaurant was called Archeologia and the menu looked great from the outside menu board, but the Sunday lunch menu was apparently a bit more limited. Still ok though, they had gnocchi with shrimp and lime and we were intrigued. We saw several plates of food come out and we saw the gnocchi. Looked delicious, a healthy portion piled up in a bowl. So we each ordered it. While we waited for the food, we went to wash our hands and got to walk through the inside of the restaurant where the kitchen door was open. Peeking inside it was huge and looked very clean. The bathrooms were lovely as well and we were excited about our find. Then comes the food. We each were served a big plate with a tiny bit of gnocchi on it. Staring, we wondered where the rest was, but ate slowly, savoring each delicious bite. As we ate, the locals started pouring in, apparently after church as they were all dressed up, and they began to order. Out comes these huge bowls of gnocchi. Hmmm....*finger to chin* what the heck! Well, as most of you who have traveled to Italy know that there is often a first plate ordered, then a second plate. Portions are not huge for this reason. But when we looked around, the larger portion was just the first plate for everyone else. Theirs served in a large bowl, ours was a tiny portion on a plate. So we figured we got a little tourist treatment, but we were surprised as they seemed friendly. When we got the bill I was thinking there may have been two sizes, but nope, we were each charged 14 euros for our pasta which is about $20 US. Hmmm...*finger to chin* feeling kinda swindled. Two tiny plates of pasta, two cokes and bread (which they bring out when you sit down and bill each person $3 for it) = 42 euros. Close to $60 US. Little did they know they'd be poo pooed in my blog!! :) Don't think it will effect their business tho, I think it was mostly a place for locals.

So it is now almost 2pm and we head back for our catacomb tour. Not too much to get in - 8 euros each, and we get in line for the 2:30 tour. The gentleman standing inside the gate became my source of info, seeing if I thought I could handle the claustrophobic tombs. I did pre-medicate a bit because I didn't want to miss it, but my heart was beating really hard. He told me with his Indian accent that they were well lit, lots of air and I could leave at any time. They did have some pretty strict rules. You couldn't touch anything, no photos, you couldn't leave the group, and a few others. Bummed by not being able to take pictures I put my gear away and stood there listening to my heart beating. Every time the man walked by, he assured me it would be ok. He had me go look down into the exit to get an idea of how far it went down. So I did. Not sure that helped. So he told me he would be our guide and I should be the first in line by him. He would walk me out if I needed to leave. So off we went for the tour and the sweet man never left my side and told me exactly where to stand to be the first out. Throughout the tour he would turn and say "this is the exit". I'm not sure they were, but I think he just meant this is where we go next. The tour was fascinating. He began to tell of how the catacombs were dug out of volcanic rock below the ground to bury Christian martyrs in the 300ADs. This was when the Christian persecution was at its worst. When the catacombs were discovered by the Romans, they'd often raid it when they knew Christians were inside holding services. Sometimes they killed them, tortured them, or enslaved them for life. The Di San Callisto is the largest of the 16 catacombs in Rome and went on for 12 miles underground, with twisting turning tunnels that were anywhere from 30 to 90 meters deep. It held 500,000 Christian bodies. Through the years it had been raided and the bones were taken, but when recovered they were moved to a different location. At one time it had held the bodies of 18 popes. It had original frescos that dated back to 300ish AD. Each tomb had a marble covering with the name of the dead inscribed on it. Most marble name coverings were destroyed by the barbarians, but some original pieces remained, inscribed in Greek as that was the language of the church in the 3rd Century, before it became latin. The tombs laid empty and were forgotten for 1000 years, then in the late 1800s they were rediscovered. You were not allowed to go without a guide because it was too "dangerous" our guide told some folks standing by me. Then he turned to me and said "only because you can get lost". He figured the word "dangerous" wasn't good to say around me. But I could see why. And at one point when the walkway was really narrow he gave strict instructions to walk single file and stay really close to the person in front of you. There were so many off-shoots of rows of tombs I could see where you might get in and couldn't find your way out. That was pretty scary - 12 miles of scary. The guide said when the Romans would raid the tombs, the Christians could easily hide because of the many paths. Sometimes they'd stay hidden for an entire day. The temperature of the tombs stays consistent all year at a damp cool 51 degrees. We were taken through the oldest part of the tombs that dated back to 300AD, but obviously there were years and years of digging with picks and baskets of rock being lifted out to create such a huge tomb. The had of God was involved I would say. Later it was used as a burial spot for Christians even after the persecution, and the 5 families that owned the land the tombs were under paid for those who were too poor the cover the cost of the burial. Lots of tiny tombs of children as well. Quite fascinating indeed.

After we emerged from the tombs, I hit the gift shop for some post cards and Guy asked about transportation out. All the way there he kept saying "how are we going to get back to the city" because it was quite a cab ride there. But there was a public bus we could catch. We told the lady we still wanted to see the Appian way. The first road built leaving the city of Rome. The road that Peter was on as he left Rome. Local legend says Peter saw Jesus on this road and Peter asked Jesus where he was going. Jesus said "back to Rome to be crucified again". This is when Peter turned around and went back into the city where he faced death on the cross. So we didn't want to miss this road. The lady in the shop told us the road was walking distance. After she explained where it was, that was the road we had just walked to find lunch. It wasn't the part of the Appian Way with the original stones, but she said we were quite a distance from that area. We opted not to try to find it and were satisfied that we had at least walked a portion of this historical road. Perhaps in the future we'll seek out the little church that was built in the spot where Peter was supposed to have seen Jesus.

We hopped the 218 bus back into town and then caught the subway to the station closest to our hotel. Our legs were sore from yesterday and we were zapped, so we came back to the room, washed up and headed for the huge park across the street for some gelato and some relaxation. Well,the park was packed. Mini horse and buggies, a kiddie train, skate boarders, roller bladers, bikers, and even people on Segways. We decided to eat our gelato (not the best we have had) and head back to our room and put some chairs out on our balcony. We did just that and after it got a bit chilly, we came in so I could finish my blog and Guy opted for a nap. I wouldn't dare nap...I need to be sleepy tonight and try to get some rest. Oh yes, I forgot to mention the fabulous bakery we passed on the way back from the park where I got a cannoli, a cookie and an apple tort. The cannoli made it about 5 minutes...but the cookie is for after supper and the apple tort is for breakfast. I'm a girl with a plan. ;)

So we are still deciding where to eat supper. We'd like to try the pizza at the il Pomodorino, but hate to eat at the same place again. Guy just woke up from his nap and has decided he is hungry. So we are going to venture out for our last meal in Rome - will report back shortly. - Ok, reporting back. We went by a seafood restaurant but chose the relaxed atmosphere of il Pomodorino again. We had the most adorable waiter, an older gentleman with a great sense of humor. He joked with us about "Italian American" food. He laughed at Carmela from the Sopranos when she made chicken parmigiano. He said "there is no such thing, plus I haven't seen spaghetti and meatballs in a restaurant since I was like 7 years old". LOL Guy told him his Grandparents were from Sicily and he said "Sicily is not Italy, Sicily is like the Sopranos"! Finally after we had finished all we could eat, we had to order the profiteroles because that is our favorite dessert and this is the first place we have see them on the menu. We asked our waiter for profiteroles and he said "no" because we didn't eat all our pizza. He was funny. Then when he brought out the dessert, there was a small spoon for Guy and a giant spoon for me. He made our trip back worthwhile.

So now my belly is full and I'm SUPER sleepy tonight. I hope we get a good nights rest. This is our last night in our AMAZING suite at the Westin. We've decided all we need is a kitchen and we could live here. So farewell fast paced lifestyle of Roma and hello Tuscan countryside. Tomorrow the road trip begins. Woot!