Sunday, March 20, 2011

Today we decided to go to the old Appian Way and the catacombs. Itinerary: #910 bus to Stazione Termini, stop for a salami and cheese sandwich on marvelous Italian bread accompanied by fresh-squeezed orange juice, catch the red line metro to San Giovani Square, then the #218 bus to Appia Antica. All went smoothly until San Giovani, where we couldn't find the correct bus stop. A woman who saw us cross her path twice while looking questioningly at our map offered her help: because of construction, take the #85 bus right beside us across the intersection, and we would find the #218 bus there. Thanks! We did so, and still could not find the #218 bus stop. We went up to a newsstand in an empty lot and said with a question mark, 218 bus? The Italian speaking-only man simply held up a strip of paper that said, in English, "Bus number 218 leaves from under those trees". So funny, it made my day. So we crossed the square and sure enough, under the trees was the stop for bus #218.

In a short time we saw the stop for one of the catacombs and got off the bus.

We had an hour and a half to wait before they re-opened after the long lunch break, so we explored the grounds and made daisy chains.

At 2:00 pm we entered the catacombs with our English speaking guide from India. Tenar had been looking forward to an experience like the one Elliot and I had in the Paris catacombs, with bones stacked higher than our heads in an orderly fashio n, and we could explore on our own. This was, instead, an original burial ground with crypts and open spaces where bodies had been. The catacombs had been raided long ago, so much of what we saw were horizontal oblong niches. We saw levels 1 & 2 out of the 5 total. Quite astounding how they managed to construct this nearly 2000 years ago. There were small chapels also. They weren't labeled as chapels when constructed, but were rooms into the walls of which the family members were buried. The living members would gather in the rooms at the burial, then on the anniversary of the death in years after. The guide said this was how the tradition of church services began.

After viewing the catacombs, we tried to find a place to rent bikes, to no avail. We ended up outside the grounds of the catacombs walking on the old Appian Way.



Tenar on the Appian Way



We had seen many sheep grazing while on the grounds of the catacombs, and while walking on the cobblestone road, began to hear a lot of bleating. We turned to look and saw the entire herd of hundreds running on the road across to the other side, stopping the traffic. We watched as they disappeared down a long driveway. We would have followed, except it was marked private. They were trailed by a man we had seen with the sheep while they were in the meadow, wearing clothes and high muddy boots, carrying a broom that consisted of small twigs tied to the bottom of a stick. I assume he was the instigator of the sheep's exodus, and since he was trailing, it was hard to tell. At any rate, it was quite a sight.

We wound our way back to bus #218 and rode back to San Giovani Square, where we decided to have an early dinner of gnocchi. The waitress was quite taken with Tenar because he ordered his dinner in Italian. She confirmed for us that we could take the #85 bus into ancient Rome's center, so we did. We wanted to see the Pantheon while there was some daylight coming through the opening in the dome. Alas, it was closed for Sunday mass, so that will have to wait for another trip. We also had a second goal, which was to find another of the gellaterias on our "best" list: Cremeria Monteforte. Here Tenar had one flavor that tasted like roses smell. Yum! The literature says it's right behind the Pantheon. It's not, it's to the right as you face the Pantheon. However right behind the Pantheon is the wonderful tea store, if you're so inclined.

We then made our way to the Trevi fountain. As it was our last night in Rome, we wanted to toss in a coin to assure our return to the Eternal City, Roma. Then, as usual, we headed to bus #52 for our return home. What a difference from our first night's return to the apartment, when I anxiously examined the map at each turn to make sure we would get off at the correct stop. Now we are pros. On arrival home, there was a lengthy session of hand-washing to be done, followed by hot tea, reading and bed.