2nd Weekend of Tours

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Our second weekend in the eternal city consisted of more tours. We met Snuffy and Nicolas Cage to begin our adventure at 9:00AM on Friday. We explored Capitoline Hill and the Museum. My favorite part of the museum was taking a picture next to the big foot! Haha…No, but really… the museum can be traced back to the 1470s when Pope Sixtus IV donated a collection of important ancient bronzes to the people of Rome. Ever since then the collection has been growing. We saw many statues, paintings, jewels, pottery, etc.

After the visit at Capitoline Hill Museum, we walked down to the Imperial Fora. The Imperial forums were part of the public square during the Roman Republic. We saw the Forum of Caesar, Forum of Augustus, and Forum of Trajan (Trajan’s Column).

After lunch, we were led to Piazza del Popolo. This is by far my favorite piazza! Molly, Bridget, Jessica, Sam, and I stayed to explore the area. We climbed a few stairs to reach il Pincio. Here, we got a great view of the piazza.
On Saturday, we, again, started our day off at 9:00AM. It was a day full of Basilicas! We walked all over Rome to see the Basilicas of San Clemente, San Giovanni in Laterano, and St. Paul.

The Basilica of San Clemente was first on the list. This basilica was dedicated to Pope Clement I around the 12th century. It is an ancient church that was transformed over the centuries. It holds a lot of early Christian history.

Next, we went to San Giovanni in Laterano (Basilica of St. John Lateran). The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the oldest of the four major basilicas of Rome. (4 major Basilicas in Rome= St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. Peter’s)

After lunch, we got on the metro, and headed to the Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura (the Basilica of St. Paul Ouside the Wall). --Also, one of the four major basilicas of Rome. The basilica is believed to be located on the burial place of St. Paul. It was said that after St. John was executed, his followers built a memorial in this place. After history I’ll leave out…We know have this gorgeous Basilica in the Apostle’s honor.

On Sunday, Miss Hoffman led us to St. Mary Major. I found the story behind this basilica to be very interesting. According to the legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to Pope Liberius and instructed a church to be built on the Esquiline Hill. That night, the outline of the church was laid out on the ground by a snowfall…and now we have St. Mary Major!

After mass in St. Mary Major, Sam, Jess, Bridget, Molly, Meghan, and I went to Porta Portese. Porta Portese is a street market held only on Sunday mornings. People sell everything imaginable here!!

We ended our day at a Chinese restaurant. I experienced culture shock here! I was so befuddled…Chinese, Italian, English, gibberish…I didn’t know what language to use!

…and that is that…

Maps are beginning to make sense, places are looking familiar, and our room is getting a bit cozier…I have officially established myself here in the eternal city!! 😉

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