Three coins in the fountain

The morning was wet and ancient Rome was on the agenda.

We took a leisurely walk through the Forum, viewing the ruins of temples to Caesar, Jupiter, and vestal virgins, triumphal arches, and the public basilicas, which became the model for the great Christian churches. 

This triumphal arch was built after the defeat of the Jewish rebellion in Jerusalem—note the menorah from the great temple.  

Rome is a city of pigeons... and fountains of course.

 

We circled the coliseum.  This is another site that must be seen in person to be appreciated.  It is vast.  It is a ruin not because it fell down.  It was mined for centuries as building material for other Roman buildings.

The cross was added later to honor the Christian martyrs.  And, being sanctified protected it from further destruction.

The Romans were not charged to attend the games.  Because each of the arches at ground level is an exit (and an entrance), it could be vacated in 10 minutes. 

Modern Romans (some anyway) play dress-up as centurions, posing for pictures and then harassing tourists for tips.  

 The afternoon was the great baroque church St Jean de Latran.  This is the pope’s parish church.  It is gilded, golden, and full of statuary and mosaics, which really describes most of the churches that we saw.

The doors were from the ancient Roman Senate.

no tank tops either

Our favorite church, and certainly the favorite of our guide, was the Basilique St.-Clement.  This church is smaller than many that we visited but it is distinguished by its extraordinary history.  It has three levels.  The “modern” church was built in the 1200’s (the facade dates from the 1800’s) and includes a beautiful mosaic.  The older church was actually larger and dates from the fourth century.  It is built over a Mithrian temple, a pre-Christian sect that shared some significant beliefs with Christianity:  resurrection and a savior.  It is believed to be the site of early, secret, Christian worship and a place where apostles Peter and Paul actually spoke, spreading the gospel.  Unfortunately photos were not permitted inside this very special church.  

The evening walk was to the Trevi Fountain, a universal favorite.  The fountain is enormous and the roar from the water can be heard before the fountain can be seen.

Traditionally, one throws coins and makes a wish but the wish must be to return to Rome.  We were all very happy to make this wish!