Last Day in Rome

Saturday was our last day in Rome. We had a few more sites that we wanted to check out. Our plan was to check out the National Museum of Rome and San Clemente, plus any where else along the way.

We took the metro to Termini and walked to the museum. Funny, it really does seem that everywhere we go, there is an event. Today we just could not get away from a marching protest. They protesters were marching to stop racism and homophobia. There were police and guards everywhere. The museum was very quiet. A much needed change from the hustle and bustle of the city. We could still hear the helicopter at certain points in the building and sometimes we could hear someone on a megaphone but we could not make out what he was saying.

The museum has excellent sculptures and exquisite mosaics. There are also numerous sarcophagi. One in particular, il Sarcofago di Portonaccio, left us both completely speechless. So incredibly ornate and it was not even complete. In the explanation it says something about the lid having the faces of the husband and wife who were expected to be placed in it but the faces were never completed and it is unclear whether the piece was used.

In the basement there was an extensive collection of coins as well as a mummy of an 8-year old girl. They found her in a small sarcophagus and she had some lovely pieces of jewelry and dolls with her. They are not sure who she is and the sarcophagus does not have the details of her family. There was a video about her but it was in Italian so we did not understand it. The coin area was very organized and they even had some stations with magnifying glasses that moved by pressing arrows so you could zoom in on the coins. Some of the coins were very tiny and some where just giant. I couldn't imagine carrying the giants ones so I think they must not have been for general use.

When we left the museum, the protest was really getting going. Seems we were at the meet up/start of it. I started to get nervous as I remembered reading about the protests (same topic) before we left and they didn't always stay calm. The police had helmets and shields. The guy on the megaphone started chanting hallelujah and we decided it best to leave before they started marching. We headed in the direction of the Colosseum and stopped in at a pizza shop for a quick slice. It was only ok so we went in search of the pizza place that had the spicy pepperoni and good sauce. It took us a bit to find it and we had to walk all around Trajan's Market to get to it. The pizza was just as good. The place is called Caesar Pizza and it is on stairs near Trajan's Market. The lady is nice and the pizza good but the drinks are very expensive. $4.50 (US) for a small Powerade.

My third slice in hand (you can never have to much good pizza), Alan and I headed to San Clemente. It is a 12th-century church, built on top of a 4th-century church, built on top of 1st-3rd century buildings, which include a Temple of Mithras and an old Roman house with a spring. The top-level church is free to visit but to go below there is a small fee. Unfortunately, there is no photography allowed in any of the locations. We only saw one camera flash the entire time there. The guidebook mentions that it is possible the Christianity may have been worshiped secretly in the lower buildings in the 2nd century.

From here we decided to head to the Campo de' Fiori. Turns out, the marching protesters were walking that way too. We stayed just ahead of them and the police. Along the way we passed the Theater of Marcellus. This building looked like it was pieced together from several different types of material but it has just been used for so many different things. We walked around one side of it and continued on our way.

We made it to Piazza Farnese. The market ended at 1:00 so we had missed that but they were still cleaning up when we arrived. We walked through the square and down a narrow street to Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte. The traffic, in order to get places despite the protest blocking most of the central area, was just whizzing through the little streets around the area trying to find a way through. Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte is the church dedicated to the burial of the unknown dead. There are skulls and hourglasses decorating the church and it was very quiet. Not many tourists here. There was a nun watering the fresh flowers and music was playing in the background.

I decided to sit and rest outside while Alan snapped pictures. As I was sitting, a couple young guys stepped out, speaking English. One of them was a young priest. He said, "James, there are more skulls out here. I wonder what they mean." I told him the church was dedicated to St. Mary of Prayer and Death. He asked me what that meant... I told him it was about burying the unknown dead. He thought that made sense. :)

From here, we decided to squeeze in a few more museums. Piccola Farnesina is small but quiet and has a nice assortment of pieces. There is one small face and it looks like it is made from tiny bits of alabaster or mother of pearl. I don't know which but it was shiny and lovely. From here we went to Palazzo della Cancelleria. It had a temporary exhibit showing mockups of Leonardo da'Vinci's works. Some of the pieces were interactive so that was fun.

And just when you think we cannot possibly walk any more, we walked all the way back to the area of the Trevi Fountain. We came across a yarn store but it wasn't that great. We found a restaurant and each ordered some pasta. Spaghetti alla bolognese for me, tortellini alla bolognese for Alan... mint gelato for dessert.

We are all packed up and ready for our 9:45 am pickup. We are headed back to the land of Ubi, Ro, and pumpkins. I already have plans for roasting pumpkin seeds.

Thanks for joining us on this trip. I believe we are headed to Seattle next and then some family time in St. George, Utah.

Tchuss! Adios! Arrivederci!