Today
was my lazy day. Usually, that’s my
first day as I get over jet lag and orient myself to the city, but I had
exhausted myself by two days of constant walking. So, no alarm this morning, just sleep late,
bum around and head out later in the day.
My only goal is to get the city Omni pass that I paid for online before
I left. Whenever possible, I get city
tourist passes as they offer discounts and include some admission and
transportation too. I had to go to Piazza
di Porta San Giovanni which is the square of the gate of St John.
I got
most of the way there by Metro, but could not get a data signal on my phone,
which makes Google maps useless as a navigation device. So, I went to a café, got a cappuccino, and
used their wifi to set the destination.
Unfortunately, if you deviate from the path Google maps has set, it will
not redirect you without a data signal.
I kept getting pulled aside by the pretty buildings and got a bit lost
again…or so I thought.
Unbeknownst
to me, this is part of the Archbasilica complex around the square area…but I
kept going around to the wrong side of the building
And
I found another crazy Egyptian obelisk that was (for want of a better word)
Catholic-ified. I have since done some
research and found that there are 16 obelisks in Rome, most of them ancient
Egyptian in origin. This particular one
is the oldest and tallest. It was
originally built for Tuthmosis III and Tuthmosis IV.
I
finally managed to find the office I was looking for and it was closed for
lunch…of course. So, I decided to check
out the church-like building next door.
Which
unbeknownst to me is the Papal Archbasilica of St. John in the Lateran, also
the oldest and highest ranking of the five Papal Basilicas. Who knew?
Let me point out now, before you get all judgy, that I am not
Catholic. So, I have an excuse
here. Still, you know me and the
religious architecture and the Roman Catholics do the best and most elaborate
churches out there, so I thought I would waste my half hour until the office
next door opened.
This
is the Holy Door. Apparently, there is
something important about touching the foot there? It’s a good door though.
Apparently
there are a bunch of Popes buried here and it’s fallen down in an earthquake
and burned down a couple of times (leading to the belief that a couple of
missing Pope burial places were actually here, but were lost in fires), but
it’s always been rebuilt.
When
you walk in, your attention is immediately drawn to the enormous statues of the
Disciples along both sides. Then you
walk further in
And
you see the ceiling! Wow. I don’t want to overwhelm you with photos
here, so I’ll stick to the things I found most fascinating
Like
the cherubs
There
were lots of cherubs
And
some angels.
This
is one section of the organ pipes (there were 3 or 4)
Lots
of lovely artwork.
And
a golden Last Supper
Now,
I did say I’m not Catholic, but my Nana was, so I lit a candle for her. Well, I electronically “lit” a candle. When you drop coins into the box, one of the
candles light for you so, the one above and to the left of the coin slot is my
Nana’s candle.
So
I went next door to the Omnia pass office and picked up my city cards (one for
Rome, one for the Vatican) with a group of Americans from Pennsylvania. We got a very thorough explanation of
everything we can do with the cards and I asked for a restaurant recommendation,
which I received. Unfortunately, the
place was closed, so I hopped my starving ass into a sandwich shop where I
purchased a Panini and sparkling water.
After using their very clean bathroom that was down a dark, scary,
narrow hallway, I headed back toward the Metro.
I
stopped in another church-y building which ended up being a part of the old
Lateran Palace where the Scala Sancta or Holy Stairs are located. According to Catholic tradition, these are
the stairs leading up to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate and were actually
where Jesus stepped. The steps were brought to Rome in the fourth century by
St. Helena (mother of the Emperor Constantine, who is responsible for
converting Rome to Christianity). Pilgrims
climb these steps on their knees to reach the “Holiest of Holies” which is the
chapel of St. Lawrence. Well, they
actually climb the protective wooden steps that cover the actual steps, which
is likely kinder on their knees anyway.
As
I’m not Catholic, I took the shortcut steps to the left and peeked in the iron
grate protecting the chapel. I also
visited the other chapels there and electronically “lit” another candle for
Nana. I didn’t take any photos here as I
just got the vibe that it wouldn’t be right.
The stairs and the Lateran Palace are both currently undergoing
restoration.
Back
toward the Metro…
To
get there I had to pass through the aforementioned St. John’s gate through
Aurelian’s Walls, the Medieval section of walls around Rome
Made
of brick and all tower-y, they still stand strong centuries later.
I
decided to walk down the new Apian Way a bit because, well, I’m in Rome
people! Same umbrella pines stand here
as did on the Apian on the way to Naples. I was
happy to find an actual grocery store where I discovered that Romans weigh
their own produce and print out stickers for it before they go to the
register. The cashier was very kind and
ran to print one for me for my single lemon.
By
the way, Italian lemons are HUGE…big as my fist, I swear!
Hopped
on the subway across the street and made my way back to my flat. The subway was crowded as it was rush hour
and a Japanese couple thought that the subways were the same as in Japan where
you force your way in and crowd so closely that you can barely breathe…they
held up the strain by holding the doors open as they forced themselves in. urgh.
I
got back, cooked myself some pasta with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and arugula
(which is often used instead of basil in caprese in a lot of places here. More wine, lemon water, and green tea and
I’m ready for bed and to get up early to go to the Vatican tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment