The Underside of Rome

Crypts & Catacombs Tour – Sunday May 11/08

Our group tour that included a guided tour of the multi-layered Basilica San Clemente, the Bone Chapel at Capuchin Crypt, and Domitilla Catacombs was scheduled for the afternoon. I didn’t want to waste the morning, and we headed out to check out sites around Quirinal area: Piazza Barberini and Piazza Republicca.

We took the metro to Piazza Republicca. Piazza Bernando was just up the street from this bustling piazza. We easily spotted Fontana dell'Acqua Felice ("Moses Fountain"), but most of this elaborate statue had been barred by a fencelike structure. Don’t know why? The small square is a church lovers paradise: after mass we managed to peek into Church of San Bernado, Santa Susana and Bernini’s Ecstasy of St. Theresa at Santa Maria della Vittoria.
Feeling hungry we headed for Piazza della Repubblica. We enjoyed a quick lunch at an outside café that provided a fabulous view of the scandalous Fountain of the Naiads. The wonderful façades on the building that surround this fountain are a treat to the eye like the gelato we had enjoyed after pizza. Eager to move on, we headed over to see Santa Maria degli Angeli. The basilica looks like a ruin on the outside, but you will gasp in amazement at the stunning marble used liberally in this grand church. We barely had time to grab a photo the Baths of Diocletain before hopping on the metro back to Piazza Barberini.

outside of Santa Maria degli Angeli

Our tour met at the Fontana del Tritone in the middle of the piazza. Our three-hour tour also included transportation to the Catacombs. The tour had one highlight but many disappointments. Capuchin Crypt was interesting but we couldn’t get a photo. Domitilla Catacombs was not worth the twenty- minute tour. At our final sight, Basilica San Clemente our guide was the only high point of the tour. His lectures were entertaining but filled with fascinating historical facts.

We headed home by bus, still intrigued by the historical layers of San Clemente, and fighting those feelings of disappointment. Every holiday has its disappointment.

The fragment aroma of Italian bacon welcomed us at the door. My in-laws had shopped at our local butcher the day before, a lot of stores are closed on Sunday, had prepared a feast for supper– a British breakfast.