Rome - Day 3 - June 10, 2010

Train Travel - We're practically natives now that we drive, park, and travel with ease on the train to Rome Termini. We make sure to take our morning pit stop at the Orte clean train station facilities. The train bathrooms can be nasty and I don't even want my shoes stepping in there.

Scala Sancta - The Sacred Steps are 28 wood-encased marble steps rumored to have been brought from Jerusalem on which Jesus was questioned by Pontius Pilate and walked down to his torture. They are sacred to Catholics and can only be ascended on the knees. Many popes, hundreds of priests and nuns, countless faithful, and just plain tourists have made the pilgrimage to the holy stairs and knee'd their way up. The atmosphere is hushed as everyone respects the religious significance of them, the accompanying relics, and adjacent place of worship. We choose to go up one of the side staircases on our feet to make a quick visit to the church so that we can be off catch the next bus to the catacombs.

Catacombs of San Callisto - Justin likes these catacombs the best, but they close at noon. We get there just in time for an 11:30 tour in English. The Brother leading the tour has a heavy Philippino accent and is difficult to understand, but we get the jist. Early Christians weren't allowed to bury their dead within the city walls of Rome, so they dug down several levels into the porous tuscia rock. There are four floors of catacombs at San Callisto with 500,000 buried there. There are 60 catacomb locations similar to these in the Rome area holding similar numbers of dead. Started around 150 A.D., San Callisto catacombs were discovered in modern times around 1850 but have been plundered throughout the centuries. We follow our guide down dimly lighted steps and narrow corridors while peering into family tomb areas and alcoves. There are no bones or skeletons to view and it's a good thing we're not prone to claustrophobia. During WWII, people hid down here, but the air can be toxic and it is not advisable to spend long periods down there. After the interesting 40-minute tour, we're off to catch the bus back into town.

San Giovanni in Laterano (Basilica of St. John Lateran) - This is the cathedral of the Church of Rome, Italy, and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope. It is the oldest cathedral and ranks first among the four Papal Basilicas. It claims the title of ecumenical mother church of the whole inhabited world among Roman Catholics. As usual, no expense has been spared to create an ostentatious testimony to Catholicism. It is filled top to bottom with gold, murals, statuary, relics, monstrous tombs filled with wealthy patrons, saints, and priests, and lots of beautiful fresh flowers. Something special occurred here earlier and find out that 3,500 priests had gathered for a morning meditation and celebration of "the year of the priest." Apparently, we are in Rome when priests, brothers, sisters, nuns, and other religious officials have come to town from around the world. There are groups of them everywhere.

Pantheon - The Pantheon is another incredible ancient site and has no entrance fee. This area is the heart of Rome and is very busy with mostly walking streets. The Pantheon has been upgraded over the years (since about 1 A.D.) by various emperors and religious dignitaries. Because of its religious significance, it was left alone by barbarians. It is filled with some red granite from the Middle East that no longer exists and is quite valuable. Naturally, the interior is stunning and the construction of the dome is incredible and has been much admired throughout the centuries. Outside in the Piazza Rotunda, a large pep rally of communists have gathered complete with banners and rock band. Justin doesn't have a high opinion of them.

Pommerola Drink - Time for lunch and we head to another of Justin's favorite restaurants, Pommerola Drink, near the Pantheon. There's no A/C indoors so we sit al fresco under a vine covered trellis. The waiters all know Justin. First, we are served a bubbly glass of spumanti. Then come the thin and chewy foccacia bread drizzled with olive oil and herbs, along with our acqua frizzante. I have a spiral twisted pasta with porcini mushrooms and sausage. The mushrooms melt like chunks of butter with each bite. Bob has a clam pasta dish and contorno of grilled red peppers, spinach and mushrooms that are great. Heavenly! Afterwards, we are served a thimbleful of limoncello. Justin warns us that it can pack quite a hit. On a thimbleful? Yes, indeed! But it doesn't do us in.  Oh, but it is so good! I'm hooked.

3 Churches and Michael Jackson - We've requested additional three churches to see and Justin hustles us off, determined to grant our wishes. We are not Catholic but it seems as if their churches are always the grandest, most elaborate, and provide an amazing visual sensory overload. (What does God and Jesus really think of all this capitalistic glamour? I'm sure they forgive.) We pop in and out of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, an important church in the Dominican Catholic Order. It has with a little-known Michelangelo statue, Christ Bearing the Cross and a blue painted ceiling with pointed Gothic arches that sparkles with gold stars.

Several blocks away is the Church of San Ignazio with a riot of Baroque illusions with a false dome along with the usual glitter and glimmer. While I don't write many details about San Ignazio, it is stunning edifice and I'm glad I don't have to vote for the most glamorous and ornate church in Rome. It would nearly be a draw.

At the last, we zip into the Gesu Church. Naturally, it is out of this world resplendent with gold, marble, granite, statuary, murals and so on. There is a larger group (200?) of Jesuits: Gesu Church is their mother church. They are all looking straight into a chapel area so we go to check it out. The chapel is lined with columns of lapis lazuli and there is so much gold and silver it is blinding. In the center of it all is an incredible statute covered in gold, silver and lapis.

Justin declares it to be the "Michael Jackson of the Catholic Saints." Later, we discover it to be St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits. James and Bob head back toward the main entrance while I wander around taking pictures of St. Iggy. All of a sudden, right in front of my eyes, a painting slowly rolls up to cover the saint. Am I witnessing a secret revelation seldom seen by others? A mystery worthy of angels and demons? I hurry back to the guys and tell them that the statute has been covered. They rush to check it out and are astounded. Later, when reading about the Gesu Church, I discover that every day, at 5:30 p.m., the painting descends down through the floor with loud religious music and spotlights on St. Iggy. What timing it was to see this.

Goodbye Gelato - We've spent three wonderful days with Justin and have come to know him well. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time together and will recommend his guide services to everyone we possibly can. At Old Bridge Gelato I get a cup of cassata, bacio, and inglese while Bob selects walnut, bacio, and pistachio. On our way to the metro, we squirt ourselves with free fragrance samples in a display on the street outside the store. We say our goodbyes at Rome Termini and head home to Soriano.