When in Rome (I am)

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  Rome, Italy
Monday, June 26, 2006

So yesterday, after a considerably shorter walk back to the train station in Siena, we took a train to Rome, which was waylaid for an hour and a half in some place called Grosetto, putting us in the city at around 5 in the afternoon. We found our hostel without much trouble. Turns out it's in a condo complex above a dentist's office. So then we walked around a bit, saw some cathedrals (San Magiore mainly), the monument to Victor Emanuelle II--a very impressive monument indeed-- walked along the Tiber, and then stopped in for some huge and very delicious salads. This was a very satisfying and MUCH needed break from our Sugarlusters diet of bread, cheese, pizza, and pasta. Sad as it is to say, after walking across town back to our hostel, Jon and I were pretty well tuckered out, and I was feeling a cold coming on. So we called it a night while the girls went out for some gelatto. The further south we get, the hotter it is...and the lack of AC was definitely felt last night, as I tossed in my sleep and woke up drenched in sweat

Cat sanctuary

. Nice, right? And as predicted, I distinctly recall the pleasant tinkling of a jackhammer when I awoke this morning, feeling congested and sweaty, but surprisingly well rested.

The day would bode well for me, as I would find, with the arrival of Jenn and her brother Robert. Not only did they provide new and pleasant company, but Jenn brought with her a package from my very pretty and considerate mother. That is, athletic inserts and arch supports--which have already done wonders for my feet. Anyway, with our two new recruits, we put on our tourist shoes (mine had arch support!) and saw some of the main attractions: the Spanish steps, the Trevi Fountain, and we took a bus outside the city to one of the 50 catacombs there. It was pretty neat, especially since Jody and I had tried to do the tour a year ago. We hiked it for about 2 hours, without a map, relying on inconsistent street signs and local Italian directions to finally make it there at closing time. What we learned: the bus makes the trip in about 10 minutes. Um, yeah, like I discovered with the sleeper trains, sometimes the little extra mulah is worth it.

But the catacombs were cool. Apparently, beginning in the 3rd C AD, Christians were given a small area of land outside the city to bury their dead. So they began to dig, burying bodies, and as time went on, they would dig deeper, until a chamber would be up to 20 feet deep. Then they would dig another chamber underneath it. At the deepest part, it's about 42 feet deep, and covers 20 km. Between the 3rd and 5th Centuries, around 500,000 people were buried in this one catacomb; one of 5 excavated and 60 total in the Rome area. Just the concept of the age and history of the place was impressive, and knowing that 5 popes and many martyrs had been buried there

Jon in front of some cool arch i cant name

. In the areas we were allowed to go in, all the bodies (bones) had been exumed and moved to an ossuary below. Anyway, that was cool, but after that Jenn, Robert and I were feeling ready for a bit of rest before dinner, so we went back to the hostel while Jon, Jill and Kelly went to the Pantheon (which I've already seen anyway). Everyone will be staying another day in Rome, following a tour guide that Jenn's dad hired for us. Unfortunately, it was cheaper for me to fly out tomorrow, so I get to Athens around 5 pm tomorrow. I've never seen Greece, and am really looking forward to it, especially since my good buddy Scott and his friend Adam are going to be meeting up in Athens day after tomorrow, and two of our Vandy friends, Drew and Anne Elise are also coming the following day. Sweeeeeet. Well, anyway, I'm supposed to be meeting the others for dinner shortly, so I leave you with that. Que vayais muy bien!

Matt

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Monument of Vittorio Emanuelle II at night

navigating roman streets

the mighty Tiber

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