Chariot tracks – part one- Rome
A great number of stories developed from the so many experiences of our Mediterranean cruise years ago.
Our departure point for the cruise was Citavecchia on the Italian coast, very close to Rome.
We decided to spend three days in Rome prior to the cruise. This was mindblowing for both of us. We stayed in “Il Parliamento”,a hotel which was built in the mid 1500s and is located close to the middle of the city. The rooms were small and the floors were slanted but it could not have been better. Instead of catching up on our sleep after arrival, we put on comfortable shoes to explore our surroundings. Within about 15 minutes, we witnessed a purse snatching, had some gelato and gazed at the Trevi fountain. It was then a short walk to the Pantheon -a temple of all the gods. It was a Roman temple in the time of Augustus around the time of Christ. It was rebuilt about 126 A.D..
Almost 2000 years after it was built, the Pantheon’s is still the worlds largest and reinforced concrete dome.
It is one of the best preserved of all the ancient Roman buildings.
As if this were not enough, a short walk away was “Piazza Navona”. This was the site of a stadium in ancient Rome, known at the time as “Circus Agonalis” or competition arena. As we wandered through, we were met by musicians actors reflecting ancient Rome and much more. We purchased two tickets for a horse and buggy ride that took us to the Colosseum, Roman forum, gladiator training site and the “Circus Maximus” site of chariot racing an ancient Rome.
After dinner, outside of a small Italian restaurant, we, almost exhausted, returned to our hotel. At the concierge’s suggestion, the two of us ,with a bottle of wine, went up the stairs to the rooftop patio. It was a nightly ritual to gather here and to gaze at, and listen to the sights and sounds of this ancient city. We met a couple of beside us who knew Rome well. He was previously a soccer player from Ireland, but married an Italian lady and were full of fabulous suggestions.
One of the highlights he suggested was to visit was the church of San Clemente. The present structure was built in 1100, the height of the middle ages. It, in turn, was built upon a fourth century basilica which was once the home of the Roman nobleman. Further down was a Mithraeum – a temple of the god Mithras..(built sometime between 100 BC and 300 AD).
This was definitely now on our list.
The next day we went to the Vatican, a city state surrounded by Rome. Saint Peters Basilica the Vatican museums, St. Peter’s Square and the Sistine chapel took us an entire day to see, and we only scratched the surface. End of part one