Italy: Day 4 (07-05-09)

Today was one action-packed day. Adam and I had planned for us to have a special tour guide to take us around the city for a few hours today and tomorrow so that we could see some of the things that most tourists don’t get to enjoy. Plus, it gave us the opportunity to learn about the rich history by a true Roman. (Our tour guide, Michael, explained to us that to be a true Roman, your family had to live in Rome for seven generations.)

First Michael drove us to the church of Saint Paul, which was outside the central area of Rome. The church was ornate in every detail, and included a painting of every pope since Peter himself. Also housed in the church was the Tomb of Saint Paul, as well as a chain that bound Saint Paul to live as a prisoner in Rome.



Next we drove by a pyramid built in 200 BC for a wealthy Roman whose family wanted to honor his love for Egypt. We also passed by several of the 13 gateways that lead into the original stone wall that surrounded the ancient city. Many parts of the ancient wall remain today.
We next stopped at a park on one of the seven hills surrounding Rome that gave us a beautiful panoramic view of the city. Of course, we snapped a few photos before heading to our next location.
Our next stop was the residence of the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, an organization that began in 1085 and continues today with over 11,000 members around the world. While the residence itself was not able to be seen, we were allowed a peek through the keyhole, which held a beautiful secret. Through the small hole, was a line of trees opening at the end to a view of the Vatican.

Our next brief stop was at the Circus Maximus, where the famous chariot races took place several thousand years ago.

We continued driving around for a bit, looking at the tomb of the unknown soldier, the balcony where Mussolini gave his speeches, the residence for Napolean Bonaparte’s mother, an ancient theater, several churches and many other features all over the city.

Our final stop with Michael as our guide for the day was a beautiful city park. At the back of the park was a man-made lake overlooking a roman temple dedicated to a goddess. Young couples took advantage of the lake’s rowboats while families fed the many ducks and turtles.


After seeing so much of the city in one morning, we were starving. We took the metro back to the stop nearest our apartment and picked up some sandwiches to go. We ate our quick lunch back at our temporary residence and then rested up for a couple of hours. Then, it was back out again. We saw the inside of several other churches – including a beautiful church that had just held an Italian wedding.
The power of our next experience was very unexpected. We found a church housing the Scala Santa stairs. Here’s what we learned about them: “According to an ancient tradition, Saint Helen, the mother of the emperor Constantine, brought the Scala Santa stairs to Rome in the year 326. It was believed to be the staircase from the palace of Pilate in Jerusalem of which Jesus was supposed to have traversed several times on the day of his condemnation. It comprises twenty-eight marble steps, which, from the year 1723 have been covered with walnut wood to protect them. Openings have been left where it is believed that traces of blood are found.” Out of reverence for the sacred place, the holy stairs are only allowed to be climbed on one’s knees. So, that’s what we did, stopping at each individual stair to pray for friends, family and guidance. Many of you reading this blog were thought of and prayed for today on those very stairs.

After a few quiet moments of reflection, we walked down to the closest metro station and headed back to the section of town near the Termini station where we stayed on our previous trip. We went back to a restaurant we loved during our last trip for its ambiance, delicious food and wonderful memories of a phenomenal waiter who we visited multiple times in 2003. While many things about it had changed, the food was still wonderful. Our plates were heaped high with calamari, bruschetta, fettuccine alfredo, seafood arribiata, spaghetti alla carbonara, and lasagna. While we were all stuffed, we made sure to save a little room for gelato.
The man who rented our apartment to us, Paolo, had recommended we visit a restaurant named Giolitti for Rome’s best gelato. And it did not disappoint. The stracciatella (white cream with chocolate shavings) was my favorite.

From there, we strolled down to the Trevi fountain to see it lit up at night. The place was very crowded, so we did not stay long. It had been a very tiring day, so we headed back to the metro to catch the subway home. We turned in for the night to get ready for tomorrow’s trip to the Vatican.