|
|
 |
|
14 settembre, 2003 |
|
written
by Paul Maupoux / 07.04.2004 |
|
|
| |
Itinerary |
| |
In the morning, we took the bus over to the catacomb of St. Sebastian. This is the catacomb in which the bones of St. Peter and St. Paul were temporarily moved during the reign of Nero. However, we were unable to visit the catacomb of St. Sebastian because it was closed on Sundays, contrary to what Shawn was told earlier.
So, we instead moved on to the next catacomb up the street, the catacomb of St. Callisto. There, an English-speaking tour guide led us through the underground passageways and burial chambers. There were no bones to be seen in the burial chambers because, as our tour guide explained, people kept stealing little chips of the skeletons to take home as souvenirs. Despite the lack of bones, I found the tour very interesting, though I would have liked to have the freedom to explore a bit on our own.
After the catacomb of St. Callisto, we strolled along the Via Appia Antica, the ancient road that led into Rome. We passed by the tomb of Cecilia Metella, which was much larger and closer to the road than I had imagined it to be. The ancient stones that make up the road were huge, giant predecessors to the smaller, more modern cobblestones.
After the walk, we were free to go off on our own. Several of us went to the soccer game at the Stadio Olimpico: Roma vs. Brescia. That was an amazing experience, not particularly for the actual soccer, but just for the crowd reaction. Sitting in the Roma section that neighbored the little Brescia section, we got to witness a whole lot of incomprehensible cursing back and forth, as well as a fair amount of universal hand gestures.
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Highlights |
| |
Walking along the Via Appia Antica was a pretty amazing experience. It was strange to think that the road we were stepping on had been in existence for two thousand years. In certain parts of the road, large ruts had been carved into the stone by the repeated tread of wagon wheels.
Another highlight was at towards the end of the soccer game, when a group of twenty or thirty Brescia fans charged towards the fence that separated them from the Roma fans, and the two crowds started throwing bottles at each other. The riot police quickly intervened and sent everyone back to their seats.
Another highlight was when Ben and Sadie spotted Bill Murray (!) at a nearby restaurant. Unfortunately, he rode away on his bike before they could talk to him.
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
