Appian Way, Circus Maxentius, and Catacombs - Roma round 2!

12/1/10

Before my parents arrived in Rome, Courtney was leaving to go back home to the States for good.  Caroline and I headed down to Rome to drop her off and stay a couple days before my parents got there and she boarded a plane to Portugal for a week.  I was actually pretty sick when we got down there so the first couple days weren't too exciting, though we did go a a nativity exhibit in Piazza del Popolo.  It was definitely better than I expected and having Mariah Carey's Christmas album running in the background helped me get into that jolly mood.  I'm not going to bore you with repeating the things I have already seen and written about in Rome, but we actually did do something new and exciting!

Caroline wanted to go to Via Appia Antica (Appian Way) to check out the Catacombs of San Callisto.  I was willing to go again, though I was on the fence about going into them since the whole experience kinda freaked me out last time I went.  So we hopped on the metro and bus to take us the few miles out of the city center and literally arrived at the catacombs at 12:03.  We then found out that they are closed from noon-2.  Awesome.  So since we had 2 hours to kill a lady at the sight said we should walk up Via Appia Antica and check out the Circus Maxentius up the way.

Appian Way

A little history on the Appian Way: built in the mid-4th century BC, it is one of the oldest and most important strategic roads built in Rome.  The Roman republic was in desperate need of roads because they needed something to connect the city of Rome to it's many military bases on the peninsula.  The Roman army depended on it's bases because they allowed for quick retreats and resupplying of the forces (the supplies come from Rome).  The Appian Way was the first long road built just for troops being transported to the smaller regions just outside of Rome.  It went from Rome to Brindisi - located in southeast Italy.  It proved of major importance during many of the battles after it's construction.  After the Appian Way was constructed, Romans went on to build many roads in their Empire.  All of these roads started in Rome and would have a list of destinations on them to show which route you should take, which is where the expression "All roads lead to Rome" comes from.

On the Appian Way you can still see some of the original stones used during it's construction and you can also see the old wheel-cart marks.  We made our way up to the Circus Maxentius, which I had never heard of before and I didn't have high hopes of based on the Circus Maximus located near the Colosseum.  Circus Maximus has always been kind of a disappointment for me because it is so run down I can't even imagine what it used to look like.  Circus Maxentius, however, is the only Roman Circus in existence in which all of the architectural components are still well preserved.  When you walk into the complex, you can almost imagine the events that occurred here.

Walking towards the circus

In the center

The circus was built to celebrate the emperor Maxentius, who was defeated by Constantine at the battle of Milvian Bridge.  This may not ring a bell for you, but since living in Italy it feels like everyone should know about that battle for a couple of reasons.  First, according to legend, the night before the battle began Constantine had a vision that he would be victorious if he fought under the protection of the Christian God.  He then went into the battle with a latin cross on his shield and was successful.  Secondly, this was the first of a few battles between Constantine and his fellow emperors (there were 4 emperors in all that ruled separate areas of the realm) in which Constantine was victorious.  After beating Maxentius he moved on to beat the other rulers, thus becoming the sole emperor of the realm.  After he became emperor he also established Christianity.

We headed back to the catacombs and I decided that I'd rather not go in again, I would just wait for Caroline.  There a a few different catacombs along the Appian Way and they served as large tombs for Christians, as well as some for Jews and Pagans.  They were used because of overcrowding of tombs within the city, but also because persecuted Christians needed a place to bury their dead in secret.  While a lot of the bodies have been removed it is still, for lack a better word, creepy to go down into these underground chambers.  You walk through very high ceilinged passages and from the floor to the ceiling are holes where bodies once laid.  It is a little disconcerting and while I can appreciate the history there, I didn't want to go back in!

Once we were ready to go we headed back to the city center.  We went inside St. Peter's Basilica then went to the Christmas market in Piazza Navona where I grabbed a couple gifts for my nephews.  After, we had dinner at Old Bear, one of the best places I've been to for pasta in Rome.  My mentor teacher when I taught in Rome took us there and I have been back a few times since.  The amatriciana is AMAZING!

The next day I was excited because my parents were coming in!!  More on that trip to come...

Right now I'm heading off to have aperitivo, drinks, and go to a bar to listen to a live cover band of the Beatles!  Exactly 2 weeks until I am home, yikes!

baci xo