Oggi. . . Roma, Italia

Today. . . Rome, Italy

OK, I just want to warn you, this post will seem repetitive because today was another absolutely wonderful day. I saw places that I never dreamed I’d get to see. I walked the same cobblestone paths that the Emperor’s of Rome walked and I stood under the Arch of Titus and saw the Colosseum. I entered Vatican City and St. Peter’s Basilica. I stood where Peter was crucified and where Paul was beheaded.

We began with a wakeup call at 5:45am, before the sun. We had breakfast in one of the dining rooms where several different languages were spoken at our table. Our ship docked in the port city of Civitavecchia. We met our tour group at 7:45, boarded our bus and set off for Rome, the Eternal City. Along the way we saw Eucalyptus, Pine and a few Palm trees. It’s very rural between the coast and the city, so we passed vineyards and cattle and sheep farms. It had rolling hills and our Italian tour guide called it “spontaneous vegetation”, instead of natural or indigenous.

The city of ancient Rome is built on the left side of the Tiber River along with the Seven Hills of Rome. Some of the things we saw today are different than we expected. The Fontana di Trevi was in the middle of the city, down the street from a McDonald’s. It was so beautiful; we thought it should have been set apart in a large green space. Maybe when it was first built it wasn’t as metropolitan around it. Legend says you should throw coins over your left should with your right hand, one to return to Rome, two to make a wish, and three to marry an Italian.

Next, we walked all through the Forum at the base of Paletine Hill, the home of Augustus’ palace. I could not believe we could walk all around these ruins, stepping on ancient stones and touching the base of some of the columns. We saw the tomb of Julius Caesar. We could touch it. It had some fresh flowers on top. Our guide said people still love him and bring flowers to place on his tomb everyday.

We continued walking on the original large cobblestones from years before Christ, and then found ourselves at the base of the Arch of Titus. It had very ornate carvings of the fall of Jerusalem and the Jewish slaves being led by Roman guards through this arch to their death in the Colosseum. This was one of the more overwhelming moments of the day for me. We looked ahead of us to one the entrances to the Colosseum and continued walking until we entered this ancient building.

We were allowed 20 minutes to explore inside without our guide. We took so many pictures and walked around the interior on the 2nd level. There are a total of four stories, and they are huge. The building would hold 70,000 people, the men and women sat on different levels, never together, and a Roman citizen could enter for free. The original floor was wooden and covered with sand to make it less slippery for the games and to absorb blood. This was another overwhelming moment. I could not believe I was really standing there, the same place where so many Christians stood firm and died rather than renounce their faith in Christ. I wonder if I would have the same resolve if I were facing the lions and gladiators.

Rob took an empty film canister and scooped up some of the sand and pebbles to bring home to Leland. This is the one thing he wished for from us when we start passing out the treats when we return home. I was not near him. I thought we should be separated in case la polizia arrested him and he needed me to bail him out of jail. J

We boarded our bus again and traveled to lunch at a resort hotel near Vatican City. We were served Baked Ziti, our first pasta in Italy, pork, mashed potatoes and collard greens (we thought that was funny to have what we consider a southern dish in Italy), and an apple dessert too complicated to describe. It was all delicious.

Our afternoon was spent at Vatican City and St. Peter’s Basilica, but there’s so much to tell you about it that I need to write that tomorrow. It’s midnight here and we have another early morning preparing for Naples, Mt. Vesuvius, and Pompeii.

It was wonderful to see all these Roman sites, but we could have easily spent hours or days at each different place. We rushed through so much of it, it seemed irreverent at times.

“. . . at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” - Philippians 2:10, 11