Underneath and Above the City of Rome - 9/4/17


Buon giorno, Globie friends and family. Will here with today's adventure filled blog post. Not only did we tour some fabulous above ground spots like the San Giovanni di Laterno and the Jewish quarter, but we also were able to descend underground into the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian.

What better way to understand Rome than to trek down to the core of it. We arrived at the catacombs early in the morning with our famous tour guide, Francesca, by our side. Though I'm sure Francesca would've adored for the opportunity to give the tour herself, she complied and allowed the site tour guide to have a go. The tour lasted for 30 minutes as we wound our way though the narrow maze of tunnels, walking past the ancient tombs of persecuted Christians. It was quite a surreal experience.

We also were able to tour San Giovanni di Laterno, referred to as the Arch-basilica of St. John Lateran. Francesca was back in the reigns as we learned that the basilica dates back to the 4th century and was constructed by Constantine. It also functions as the cathedral for the bishop of Rome, a.k.a the Pope and is regarded as the "mother and head of all churches".

Our final destination for the day was the Jewish Ghetto, located conveniently close to the hotel (we were drained by the end). We entered the Jewish Museum and were immediately met by the wild eyed tour guide, Laura (with the Italian accent though). She was a high energy/sassy Jewish native of Rome and gave us an absolutely spectacular tour of the area. The tour went throughout the museum, through the streets of the Jewish Quarter, and ended with the Great Synagogue of Rome. Laura spoke of stories and events that our history books had glossed over about the pain and suffering of the Jewish-Italian people. Throughout the tour, she also seemed to take some friendly pokes at Francesca and provided us with some off the table information which kept the tour quite enjoyable.

Overall, it was another magical day filled with knowledge and adventure. We will definitely be sleeping well tonight though.

Ciao!



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