MAJESTIC ITALY Part 10

Day 8 - Monday, November 19, 2001

It's time to get up for another full day, by now the elevator and breakfast routine have gotten standard, so I'll skip that part.  Today we were to have some more group touring in Rome.  Cameras ready, I decided to take the stairs down to the ground floor. Of course there was a reason, I have started to notice flags more lately, and noted than on the front of our building in the spot where the flag of Italy would be, was a flag for Vatican City instead.  Implying at least, that our hotel was in Vatican City.  I took the photo from a viewpoint to make it clear I was inside the building. Down the rest of the stairs and onto the tour bus. 

We began by driving an almost eerily familiar drive, as if the Roman Coliseum and the Circus Maximus and all are part of our normal everyday commute.  We took a turn and headed down a section of the Apian Way.  The Apian Way was one of Rome's earliest military routes.  The road is, more or less, still in service today.  You get to it by driving outside, and around a bit of the walls of the city.  That rising ground concept was again mentioned as to why the walls seem so short. We then started down an old piece of the Apian Way.  Our attention was turned to the really neat marble 'mile markers' along the road.  I don't know if they measure miles, or if the guide used the term 'mile marker' for our benefit, or if they measure some other totally non-related unit of measure.  It is worth noting that the majority of Roman street signs are actually marble plaques embedded into the sides of the corner buildings.  Along our drive out of the center of Rome, we learned a bit about the burial practices.  It's interesting once you hear our next destination.  In Roman times folks were buried outside of the city, and the lots prices varied depending on closeness to Rome, and closeness to the Apian Way.  This was during the time of religious persecution, and although practicing your faith was technically illegal, holding funerals was ok.   In what turned out to be a great trick, the early Catholics, (and other faiths) had one giant plot purchased alongside the road, then built a series of caves deep below ground from there.  In effect screwing the landlords and tax collectors as they only got charged for the land area above ground, when in effect they had dug an elaborate system of tunnels and caves, forming one giant mausoleum. I stress giant as according to our guide, the tunnels stretch for ELEVEN MILES.  Some sections have caves under caves, and at its deepest point are five layers deep.  Fun fact is that if you laid every cave out into one long, long, long passage instead of a baffling maze of twisting caverns, the whole thing would stretch over 450 MILES. I am of course referring to the Catacombs. 

There are three Catacombs that are open for public tourism, and we were taken to the Catacomb of Domatillo. Here we learn that all groups must be escorted by a guide employed by the Catacombs.  With the sheer size of the caverns it is easy to realize why.  Some time was given to enjoy the above land gardens, while other enjoyed the facilities, with their unique outdoor urinals for the men.  Anyway, after touring the gardens, we entered the attraction, where we were issued tickets.  I won't say complimentary tickets, as we all realize the tickets were included in the package price.  One of the many benefits of being on a tour that some people miss.  The tour takes care of a lot of minor aggravations, like already having tickets instead of waiting in ticket lines, or having special privileges like relaxed photo restrictions in some areas, or having those pesky gratuities at meals, or for baggage handlers taken care of, or for a group visiting a lot of religious sites, proper donations already made in the group's name.  Let alone the major benefits, like transportation, English speaking guides, quality and reliable hotels and restaurants chosen, and a general framework to keep you going instead of wandering around and not seeing anything, and seeing things you would have never noticed with self-exploration.   You do trade in some personal freedom along with your package price, in that you may not have ample 'free time' to cover your priorities, or touring while the shopping areas are open, and being free when they are not, or having your day regulated to someone else's schedule, but I'm definitely pro-group tours.   For myself, I can say I hit all my major objectives that were open to be enjoyed. Anyway back to the ticket office at the Catacombs.

Tickets in hand, we are admitted to a staircase down to the Catacombs.  At the base of the stairs is a church, and its inherent auditorium like setting was the perfect place for an orientation speech.   As I already said, the Catacombs were used for funerals, and possibly for worship, though that is not at all confirmed.  What is clear is that the common myth of Catholics hiding out down there is just that, a myth.  There are several reasons why they did not actually hide.  The stench from being in an early cemetery, underground would have been one reason for sure.  Besides seeing the old tombs, the Catacombs provide some of the earliest surviving church art.  It may be relatively simple, but it tells a lot about those early citizens.

            After the orientation we went on a tour of a representative sample of the caves.  Along the way we saw the common passages lined with 'berths'.  Note that all the bodies have been removed, at least from the parts on tour to the public.   Reports that body parts, such as skulls were being snuck out as souvenirs.  How sick is that? We paused in what was a larger family vault, and then saw an early fresco along one wall.  We also saw other caves branching off in every direction, and stairs going down to the lower levels.  As I mentioned some parts are five levels deep. A few of the more squeamish amongst us were getting a bit scared, and only wanted the exit.  But we pressed on, amazing how ancient caves come equipped with emergency lighting and signs J.  Sooner or later we found ourselves on the exit stairs that just so happen to lead up into a gift shop.  Some time was given for purchases, and snacks from a snack cart, and then back on the bus for our next stop.

            Our next stop was St. Paul's Basilica.  Here we learned some more interesting trivia, but first a moment of pure humor.  About 10’ before you enter St. Paul's, there is a vendor with a cart selling film and cameras.  As you enter the church there are signs stating that photography is prohibited. In our case, our tour escort was able to secure the appropriate permissions.  St. Paul's is different from most churches in that it has a huge fenced in courtyard before reaching the church.  Today a statue of St. Paul stands in the center of the outer courtyard, originally a fountain stood there.  The fountain was used by those coming to church for a symbolic cleansing.  It was also noted that in those days, if you weren't baptized yet, you were not allowed in the church building itself, and instead attended service standing outside in the courtyard.   This would include children, as people were not baptized in those days until they were older.  It seems fair to say that in those days Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation were all rolled into one.  We noted the fine mosaic on the front façade of the church, while we learned it is actually a quite recent addition.  Actually much of the church is more recent as it was rebuilt in the early 1900's, after the original wooden roof was struck by lightning.  It was noted that several world religions contributed to its restoration, as St. Paul seems to be an important figure to many faiths.  Up on the front porch we saw their holy door, and learned that the practice actually goes back several years, where the bishops of each of the cathedrals of Rome would open their holy door at the same time to mark the start of the church year.  John Paul II however has automated this process so that all the doors open electronically in all the churches by radio control. 

 

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