SPQR Fellowship

Tuesday was my last full day in Rome. The end of an incredible adventure is always bittersweet. I was excited to go home to see family and friends, and share my extraordinary Italian experiences. It was also sad to leave such an incredible city. I had grown accustomed to Rome and my daily adventures. The traffic, tourists, museums, ruins, and all of the history and education were a part of my everyday life.

I wanted to ensure that I made the most of my last day in the Eternal City, and I still had several exciting things to see. I began with a trip outside the city walls to the ancient Appian Way. The Appian Way was a road built in 312 B.C., originally connecting Rome to a town near Naples, and then expanded the city of Brindisi, which was the Gateway to the East where boats sailed to Egypt and Greece. The Appian Way was a marvel of its day as the largest, widest, and most important road leading from Rome. Eventually 29 roads like the Appian Way connected Rome to other cities, as the Romans knew that proper transportation access was vital to their success as an empire.

The Appian Way has many funeral monuments and tombs lining its path because in the past people were not allowed to be buried within the city walls. So, the Appian Way became the place where people would build grand tombs for public admiration. Some of these have become museums, and there are also two Christian catacomb sites along the Appian Way.

When I first arrived, I ended up walking the wrong way on the Appian Way according to my plan (and Rick Steve’s recommendation!). I continued on that path however, because there were signs that that was part of the original stone path. I was walking on the same stones that ancient Romans thousands of years ago walked. It was very peaceful and quiet in that area, and I marveled at the history upon which I was literally walking!

After enjoying the quiet respite of that path, I turned around and went in the direction that was more popular. I should have known this was near more popular sights, because it became a lot more crowded with tourists! One of the largest tombs is that of Cecila Metella, and I went inside to explore the ruins and other ancient relics. They had sarcophagi, headstones, and other statues and relief sculptures from many of the tombs that had been along the Appian Way.

Next I took a tour of the St. Sebastiano catacombs. That was unlike anything I had ever seen before. These particular catacombs held over 100,000 graves and the maze-like paths totaled seven miles! The catacombs went three levels below the ground, bringing us almost 14 meters deep. It was an incredibly informative experience. Although most of the graves were looted in the past, some remain intact, but they were not part of the tour. It is amazing to imagine the engineering and work of the ancient Romans who built the catacombs. I would definitely recommend that people traveling to Rome visit one of the catacombs. There are only a handful in Rome that are still open to the public, though out tour guide said that it is thought that more catacombs may exist, they just have yet to be excavated.

I finished my day by visiting the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon one more time. I enjoyed one final gelato in the piazza of the Pantheon, and couldn’t believe how fortunate I was to have seen and learned from the incredible wonders of Rome!

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