Rome Day 2

---

What a day! I can't believe all the sites that we took in...riding the Metro to the Piazza di Spagna to see the Spanish Steps...the Trevi Fountain....praying at the Church of Santa Maria in Trivio...the Pantheon designed by Hadrian (by the way it was preserved by a church)...and then the Catacombs! Our guide for the Roman Catacombs & Crypts tour was fantastic! We wound our way through the ancient Christian burial ground known today as the Domitilia Catacombs. We saw niches, frescos, Christian symbols & the earliest known depiction of Jesus Christ - all from the 1st Century! Because we were a small group (12), Georgia (our guide) even took us to recently excavated areas not on the normal tour! From here we went to the Church of San Clemente which is built over an ancient 4th Century Church which is built over a 1st Century Roman house containing Christian artifacts & a pagan temple. Georgia described it as a building lasagna. Words can't describe the feeling of walking on 1st Century streets & into a 1st Century home - plus we could touch everything! Our tour concluded with the Capuchin Crypt - a series of chapels decorated entirely with human bones. It was a bit creepy - but Georgia's humor (or should I say Gordo jokes) got us through it. The day was truly amazing!

Joyce

---