Day 15: Rome

For our last day in Rome we had a lot planned. We really wanted to explore the catacombs but these were a ways out of the city. However, we managed to find the right bus and rode about 45 minutes to the catacombs of St. Sabastian. We were given a tour through endless mazes of tunnels underground. The early Christians used these Roman burial grounds as meeting places during the persecutions. This particular catacomb had over 10 miles of underground tunnels. The length of all the catacombs combined is just huge. The catacombs are along the Appian way which is an ancient road built to connect cities in the Roman empire. Peter and Paul probably walked these ancient roads.

Once we returned to the city we tried the Vatican once again. This time, the line to get in St. Peter's Basilica was non-existent! We walked right in and straight up to Michealangelo's famous Pieta (Mary and the crucified Jesus). The church is just enormous. Even after being in lots of churches the previous weeks, this one still had the "wow" effect. It is the biggest church in the world. After the Vatican we walked around the Forum area once more and did a little shopping. We had to catch our night train to Paris, so we bought some groceries for dinnerto take on the train with us . This time our night train was more pleasant. We met our fellow roommates...a non-English speaking Japanese girl, a Georgian (as in Russia) biochemist, and a couple from the UK just finishing a 5 month bike tour through Australia, New Zealand, parts of Asia, and Europe. A very interesting mix! The train ended up being about 14 hours long, but we got an adequate amount of sleep and ended up in Paris!


The courtyard in the Vatican


Pieta


St. Peter's Basilica

The Appian Way

Area above the catacombs