When in Rome "You Walk".

There are tens of thousands of extra people in Rome this weekend for the Canonisation of the Two Popes, so we have decided not to battle the crowds and have chosen to go out of the city to see the ancient Roman sites of Ostia Antica , the Park of Aqueducts and the Appian Way. These are three places that we have wanted to visit for years but have just not found the time.

Needless to say visiting these sites has meant  a lot of walking - but it was really great to get away from the hassle and bustle of the city and to walk the paths that the ancient Romans trod.

All these sites were constructed by the Romans a couple of hundred years before the time of Christ - this makes them over 2200 years old and they have all played a major roll in the history of the Romans and Italy.

 

 

 Saturday we went by train to Ostia Antica about 30km from Rome - this was the major port for trade and a major military base for the protection of the harbour and the Tiber River up to Rome until the 1st century AD. It was a bustling city and covered a very large area and thrived for about three centuries. The population just left after the port started to silt up and there where plagues of mosquitoes. Buildings were deserted and left to fall in to ruin.

 

 

 

Today it is still  a massive site with the remains of a huge amount of buildings -houses, shops, churches, meeting places etc. In its heyday more than 10,000 people lived here. It has been fairly  well preserved and there is also a lot of reconstruction going on. One of the grandest sites still standing is the large open-air theatre.

 

We walked many kilometres down the main thoroughfare and explored many of the ancient buildings. Around the Forum behind the Theatre were the remains of many shops and businesses. You could see their size and out the front of each premise  black and white mosaics  advertised the owner and the nature of his business. They all focused on maritime supplies and trade.

 

This is part of the main road that runs the total length of the city. It was a very pretty place with lots to see. Some areas were left to grow wild and there were fields of wildflowers amongst the long waving grasses - buttercups, red poppies and white daisies.

 

 

The next day we went on the train and following a map supplied by a contributor  to the Trip Advisor we managed to find the Claudio Aqueduct finish in 52AD and named after Emperor Claudius. It used to carry 48 million gallons of water to Rome each day. It was quite spectacular to see.

 

This Aqueduct is out in the countryside. No tourists around only the locals riding bikes, walking their dogs and running. It was such a fantastic site to visit - I am amazed that it is not really visited by tourists.

 

This is the countryside we walked through. It was pretty but somewhat overgrown.

 

The Aqueduct - we walked in and out of the massive arches and along the dirt track that run beside it for some distance. It was truly great to see and should be a must see on any tourists list.

 

Other views of the massive structure.

 

 

 

We then wanted to get to the Appian Way, so we walked and caught the train and then a bus. We told the driver that we wanted to go to the Appian Way and  pointed on the map to where we wanted to go. " Si Si " he said - but he actually did not understand us and definitely did not go where we had hoped he would take us. When he stopped and we got out we were where much further away from Rome down the Appian Way than we had hoped for. Only one answer was to start walking.

 

 

 

 

It was hard walking on the cobblestones and rough ground but it ended up being a fantastic walk with lots of road side tombs and monuments. We sat beside the road and had a great picnic lunch.

 

Part of the Appian Way.

 

Allan standing beside one of the many tombstones on the way.

 

Part of the old (the larger cobblestones) and the newer cobblestone road. Note the groves made by chariots on the older section.

 

An other monument on the side of the road.

 

As we were walking you could not help but think who had travelled this road before us and what if anything they had travelled in. What ever mode of transport they choose, it would have been a mighty rough ride. I also thought of the many thousands of Christians who where crucified and died along the Appian Way for their faith.

 

We really enjoyed our walk and all that we saw - and we were exceptionally pleased that the bus driver dropped us where he did, other wise we would have missed the best part of the Appian Way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Two Hour "Church Crawl"

I love having some time to myself in Rome to explore the places that I really enjoy. This afternoon I have 2 hours to visit 3 churches in the Termini area close to where we are staying. All 3 are very old, with very impressive and colourful Byzantine mosaic pictures as one of their main features.                       

The first is Santa Pudenziana a third century church built in the time of Constantine.

A close-up of the beautiful mosaics behind the alter.

It is not as grand as most churches in Rome, a lot smaller in size but it has a wonderful façade and great mosaics in side. There are no other people in this church - I have it all to myself.

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Next I visit one of the oldest Basilica's in Rome - it is Santa Pressed. This is a magnificent cathedral with a fantastic history and many historic items in it. It is said to have the pillar that Christ was scoured at as one of its most sacred items.
 

 I am not sure exactly what this represents but it is made entirely of mosaic tiles  - I will go back and purchase a book about the history and what everything means. After seeing my photos I would like to know more information about them.

 Mosaic pictures of Christ and his followers in the main part of the church behind the alter.

 

A very small chapel off to the side of the main cathedral. The pictures are all fine mosaics.

This church is very busy with people on tours, others praying and many others taking photos and looking at the wonderful art work. I light 2 candles one in memory of my Mum and one for a friend who has just passed away.

 

When I go outside it has been raining - people are scurrying everywhere. The umbrella sellers have come out and they are madly selling their umbrellas. It is 6pm when I cross the road and climb the stairs to one of the largest and most important Basilica's in Rome - Santa Maria Marjore.

 

 

Inside the Basilica is exceptionally busy. There are thousands of people attending a special mass and many others admiring the wonderful art and art works.

 

Close-up of the Byzantine mosaic in the half dome behind the alter.

 

 

There are six priests saying mass under a beautiful golden canopy. I get the feeling that they are visiting from around the world because of the Canonisation of the two Popes and that they have been given the honour of conducting mass in this most beautiful and religious place. They seem to have their families with them and their is a lot of excitement.

I purchase two crosses from the gift shop, stop in at the supermarket and then scurry but to our B&B.

 Tea tonight consists of Italian ham, cheese, dry biscuits, strawberries and chocolate  in our room. The rain is falling and there is plenty of thunder around.

Photos from first day in Rome.

This is Santa Costanzo - 4th century AD

 This is Livia's Villa.

Beautiful mosaics from 2nd century

Museo National Romano

 Sarcophagi at museum.

 The fantastic Trevi Fountain.

Dinner at Cecio's.

Wonderful Day in Rome.

We have just finished a fantastic meal at our favourite restaurant Cecio's directly across from our bed and breakfast - Maryellen's. We really enjoy being back in Rome and to catch up with the staff at Cecio's and have them member us from two years ago was fantastic. It is a small restaurant but every time we go there the staff are always exceptionally jovial, the Italian food absolutely beautiful, the wine fantastic and the customers from all around  the world are chatting with one another and sharing their experiences.

Our dinner has been a fantastic end to a very full-day. We rode the bus to Santa Costanzo one of the oldest churches in Rome. It was built as a mausoleum by Emperor Constantine back in the 4th century AD and is now used as a Catholic Church. This is very strange for a church as it is built in a round circle. We were the only visitors there and it was just superb to be able to explore such a beautiful place steeped in history by ourselves. We also visited Santa' Agnes Fuori le Mura a beautiful church where some parts of St Agnes is buried. Rome is full of beautiful basilica's and they all have Devine Relics in them. Head, heart, hands, any bits are revered and stored in the alter or there on display for people to see.

The next place we visited was Museo National Romano, just around the corner from where we are staying. It is the worlds leading museum for Roman Classical Art. It was just outstanding. It actually houses many of the wonderful Classical Sculptures/Statues excavated found around Rome, many dating back to the 2nd  century AD. They were just magnificent . Also in this museum were many beautiful wall and floor mosaics from the 4th century and the breathtaking frescoes from Livia's Summer Villa dating back to 40-50 years before Christ. There is a very large room, the walls of which are covered with painted frescos of trees, flowers and birds in a serene green, you feel like you are in a garden. Everything was just wonderful and beautifully presented. The whole museum was just fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone.

We then ventured to the famous Spanish Steps and did a self guided walk through some of the cobblestone streets of Rome to the famous Trevi Fountain. This area was so busy- people everywhere but it is still lovely to be part of it and to walk  amongst so many happy people seeing the fantastic sites and enjoying the beautiful day-weather wise-that Rome has given us today. This weekend is a very special time in Rome -Pope John xxiii and Pope John Paul 11 are being canonised as Saints and I presume that this is why there's so many people in Rome and there is such a buzz of excitement in the air.

We are now sitting on our bed, the bells from Santa Maria Maggiore are ringing out 9pm and it is time to call an end to our first day in the Eternal City. We have had a great day and accomplished all that we had set out to do.

Sorry no pictures as yet -having a few problems.

Hi, welcome to my blogging site. Posts will officially start after the 23rd of April. We hope to keep you updated regularly with our travels via photos and messages.

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This picture is of me enjoying a camel ride beside the River Nile on our trip to Egypt and is just a test to see if I can successfully download photos