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Santa Francesca Romana |
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written
by Anabelle Sutcliffe / 07.12.2004 |
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Location |
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The church is located near the Forum. Travel down the Via dei Fori Imperiali towards the Colosseum. Just before reaching the Colosseum, take a sharp right up the ramp across the street from the metro station and follow the walkway up to the church.
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Description |
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The belltower of the church can be easily seen at the Colosseum entrance to the Forum. Small blue, yellow, green and red colored dots add a unique decoration to the belltower. From the main entrance, a more quiet view of the ancient ruins can be seen through a small grove of olive trees. If you want to go inside the church, it is open everyday from 9:30am-12:30pm, 3:30pm-7pm.
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Story of Discovery |
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The colored dots on the belltower first caught my attention while I was walking through the Forum during the day. I thought at first that I would be able to enter the church from inside the Forum but then realized that it was only accessible from the ramp just off the Via Dei Fori Imperiali.
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Element of Interest |
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The extremely tall bell tower of the Baroque church stands out on the edge of the Forum. After visiting the church I read about its meaning and found out that every year on March 9 Roman drivers try to park as close as possible to this church. The vehicles will supposedly be blessed by Santa Francesca Romana, the patron saint of motorists.
Inside the church are St. Peter and St. Paul's knee imprints, which were created when the two saints prayed to God.
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Image |
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The church is set just to the side of the ancient ruins of the Forum. Due to its confusing entrance and the fact that it is situated in one of the most popular tourist sites in Rome, I would imagine that it is often overlooked by visitors. The parking lot where Roman drivers park their cars is very small. The church has a surprisingly peaceful aura surrounding it with the olive trees and Roman columns at its entrance.
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