Roma 2!

First day of our bus tour which was to stay in Rome! Out the door at 8.30am for a visit to the catacombs (underground cemeteries). We have a lovely local guide called Franca and everything she says has a 'a' at the end! (think - now watch your stepa - lots of dog pooa)Very knowledgeable with interesting tidbits about places as we drive pass.
Catacombs -
 17kms of underground pathways, 4 levels below, 150,000 bodies found so far! you start in this underground basillica (church) where there was actually a service taking place. (it was Sunday). We walk quietly pass and down and down and down these stairs. The tombs were just rectangle type holes in the walls (about 4 or 5 going up a wall). The size was so small, but app. people were tiny back then. So both sides of these narrow passages have these as you walk past. They have taken the bones of the dead away in the 'tourist section' to stop modern grave robbers, as well as any valuables that were buried with the bodies (these were in glass areas you could see). It was dark and sensor lights came on as you went pass. Quite spooky. There were rich peoples family crypt type places with mosaics, wells, air-vents (like sky lights) as the smell was app. quite bad. In these ones the families could come down and have their funeral food, prayers etc.
One lady got quite claustrophobic so we had to get out quite quickly. However this was a Christian one, app. there are quite a few of diff. faiths discovered. One interesting fact, the Catholics back then didn't allow the dead to be buried within the city walls, (hygiene, spiritual (not letting the souls mix with the living) so these were the best way to dispose of the dead.(no cameras allowed inside)

Then back on the bus and on a walking tour of piazzas (squares) fountains and other interesting places! She took us through this maze of tiny streets and behold a square with a fountain with interesting history, another tiny street and another fountain, etc Lots of interesting churches and buildings on the way.

We wemt to a church called St Peters in Chains, because St Peter was crucified up-side down and the chains held to hold him on the cross are in this church. 'There is a picture on the ceiling of God taking the chains off. Also a statue of Moses (getting cleaned so scaffolding around).

There were two tombs of people with skeletons and death around them!

This is the monastry where Lucrecia Borgia retreated to for 18 months after her brother killed her husband after she had killed his wife! Remember the Borgias - TV series? By the way she came out of this monastry after 18 months pregnant!

This was a castle designed by Michaelangelo and a cool bridge in front with statues on it.

We ended up in this piazza with this amazing fountain in the middle. She said it was the favourite with the locals (Trevi was for the tourists) and it was stunning. Designed by Bertinini with 4 continents represented on each side (not Australia - hadn't been discovered). The church in front of it was designed by a rival so the statues are pointing at each other!

We had lunch there (pizza, huge beer - 1 litre ) and a local speciality dessert called .....torufuca???
which I had to try. The New Yorkers who had lunch with us said you can get it in Italian places there but nothing like this. Chocolate icecream with cherry in the middle, choc. bits on the outside with choc. sauce over with cream on the top with more choc. bits on that! So rich but you could make millions selling it in NZ!

Then back to Franca and more walking to the Jewish District (the oldest in Europe) with gates that held them in at night. Obviously persecuted by the popes, emperors and then Musselini (/Germans) during the war.
Then to the Parthenon - amazing building as well. Lots of people but quite respectful. Inside is the biggest dome ever made back then (bigger than Sistine Chapel/St Peters). With a hole at the top that lets rain in down all the way to the marble mosaic floor that has little holes to drain the water down below! It is  also a type of sundial so when the sun shines through the hole onto the walls you can tell the time! Clever eh? These people were so clever back then, it just keeps amazing me what they knew about construction and building.
Raphael the painter is buried there with his own crypt.

After that was the Colosseum. It was a Sunday (which is free to get in) so people had been queueing since early morning or overnight to get in. Our Gary went at 7.30am and had to wait an hour to get a time and tickets for us(also no group getting in past the crowd, but somehow he managed it). We walked past all these people waiting (this is 3pm) and there was a three hour wait then. So grateful for our Gary! Franca was with us and gave us lots of information and then let us go for it. It wasn't so bad crowd wise once you were in. We managed to get a good look around.