Rome, the eternal city. Founded on the 21st of April 753 Before Christ. A place where centuries overlay in a chaotic time machine, and over which you can find a modern subway station on top of an almost 2000-year-old stadium, the overwhelming Flavian Amphitheater worldwide known as the Colosseum.
Rome is without any doubt a city full of surprises, though despite being famous for three or four monuments, it has a lot more to offer.
The Catacombs
Unique examples are the ancient Christian Catacombs, where the very foundations of our modern society were laid, and the Crypts of the Capuchin Friars decorated with human bones.
The ancient Christian Catacombs are the earliest Christian burial sites ever existed in Rome while Christianity was still being persecuted by the Anciet Romans.
Exploring the architecture and art created, left, forgotten and then rediscovered throughout almost 2000 years of history you can have a glance at what a leap of faith that meant for the society of the first, second and third century AD.
BnB Experience and availabilities here:
Catacomb Adventure – Rome’s Hidden World
The Crypts of the Capuchin Friars
Nestled in the heart of the city, sorrounded by noisy traffic, Italian restaurants and street vendors, there is a place built in the 1630 where the Capuchin Friars decided at a certain point to decorate the walls in articulate baroque style decorations… using the bones of their dead brothers in faith.
If you ever come to Rome, those are two places not to miss!
BnB Experience and availabilities here:
Forgotten Catacombs and Bone Crypts
Porta San Sebastiano
Saint Sebastian Gate is the largest and probably the best preserved of the gates passing through the Aurelian Walls (AD 270-274).
The modern look of this gate was originally given in the year AD402 by the Emperor Honorius who reshapened the gate as a single firnix (single arched gate) with an attic on top.
The amazing fact about the ancient City Walls of Rome is that they litterally talk to us, and we can clearly see it by the inscriptions and graffiti left on them throughout the centuries.
On Porta San Sebastiano, these graffiti became a historical document as we can read in medieval Latin how the Roman Ghibelline forces fought against the Guelphs coming from the Kingdom of Naples on September 29 1327, Saint Michael’s day, hence the image of the Archangel Michael killing the serpent.