Day 3, warm enough for you?

Those of you who know me at all probably know that I’m not a big fan of the heat. Anything above say 65 I generally consider questionable and above 75 I head for an airconditioned basement. So I thought the beautiful cloudless blue sky above Rome this morning was a mixed blessing. The city is confounding in its beauty, its majesty and its grime and chaos. Nearly 3 million people live here, around, amongst and sometimes in the ancient ruins and remnants of the eternal city. You see some of the sleekest, most modern cars, furnishings and appliances. The biggest contemporary design houses in the world are seen here. Modern design and fashion are everywhere, even the cats and dogs have cell phones, but the soul and spirit of the city is the past still present in everyone’s every day. It is a city of contradiction and an amazing adaptability. So it must be in the air and the water here because 94 degrees today and it didn’t bother me a bit.

First stop Basilica San Clemente. It’s a bit of a hike, about as far as Piazza Novona, so we know we can do it. South to the Coliseum, then south west. We go through what seems to be just regular folks neighborhoods, nothing fancy, no big signs for tourist “attractions”, just tucked in amongst the houses and the shops with a little courtyard. From the outside it’s not particularly dramatic or commanding. Inside it is mostly plain grey stone except for the ceiling which is very ornate with some of the deepest coffers I’ve ever seen. (and I’ve seen a lot of coffers.) It also has a very ornate tile floor. The amazing part of San Clemente is what you get for a 5 euro ticket. There is a flight of stairs behind a glass door at the back of the gift shop. The first flight down brings you to the remnants of a church built in the 4^th century. At one point a Roman nobleman’s house it was converted to a church. Beautiful mosaic floors and a worship space of unusually pleasing proportions. There is a just thought that was kind of odd.

Down another narrow twisty flight of stairs and you are in a 1^st century public building. This area was used as a secret church… there are apartments and a water supply rushing through tunnels from a spring. There’s an ancient alleyway where who knows what went on in that crazy party century after getting out of the negative years. No pictures allowed in Basilica San Clemente… sorry. How can they sell post cards if they let people take pictures? (so I stole these off their site.)

Well as long as we were that far south/west we might as well check out the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano. One of the big 4 on the pilgrim’s tour. Not that we’re pilgrims mind you … we just like old churches… and I wouldn’t wear buckles on my shoes on a bet.

A little farther south… a little farther west and we emerge from the nice little neighborhood to see San Giovanni across the way… way across the way… like 23 lanes of traffic across the way. Ah Roma. This is the view from half way… oddly, the traffic picked this exact moment to be camera shy. Notice the COMPLETE ABSENCE OF LINES IN THE ROAD!

cross walk? we don’t need no stinkin’ cross walk!

Stepping into San Giovanni is dramatic. It is all designed to impress in intimidate. It has possibly the second most impressive ciborium after St Peters, with a cage on top holding silver statues of Peter and Paul. One of the most interesting things is that there is a very special chair here. After a new Pope is elected, within the first month, he is supposed to come and sit in this chair to make him really Pope. I have to wonder… with Francis and his pragmatic style, did he just tootle up in his Fiat, dash in, plop himself down for a minute and back to work?

I swear! it was so hot his face just melted right off!

The Pope maker.

There was a choir practicing somewhere too and that always makes all the gold shinier and all the frescos more colorful somehow.

The huge bronze doors on San Giovanni are ancient originals and were relocated from the curia, or the Senate House, in the Imperial Forum. Only about 25 feet tall, but still there is something impressive about them. It gives me the electric shivers to grab hold of the doorknob that all those dudes at the granddaddy of toga parties touched when they were making up the rules to the western civilization game.

Back to the apartment for salami and cheese sandwiches and a bit of a break.

One thing on the afternoon agenda… Santa Maria Maggiori. Another of the big 4. (This was not planned.) As we finally don’t have to consult our map we are marching along, window shopping and dodging scooters and pedestrians when we are approached by a woman holding a guide book. “Do you know where Boschetto Street is?” “Via Boschetto? It’s right down there about 2 blocks, where you can see those vines hanging.” We say. “And Panisperna?” “You’re on Panisperna.”  “Thank you” she says enthusiastically “It’s nice to be able to speak English!”   We start to feel a little bit like we’re getting the hang of it.

Down a hill and up a hill and across another 8 lanes of traffic. I don’t know if it’s just me, but in the US we tend to pass to the right, even on the sidewalk, we just naturally move to the right when we meet up head on. Right? Well in Italy it’s a little different… you have to make eye contact and have a quick little telepathic debate. Half the time it’s to the left and half the time to the right and the third half of the time they don’t move aside at all!

Santa Maria Maggiori. The most interesting thing to me about this church is the fact that Bernini’s tomb is here and that it is so inconspicuous. For a guy who’s name is on some of the most conspicuous things in this city his final resting place is marked by a couple of lines inscribed on a step on the side of the alter. Trod upon every day. I had to wait for people to step down from taking pictures of the alter so I could get a picture of it.

There is a lot of gold on the ceiling and I have to wonder what the sum total of all that gold leaf weighs up there and where did it come from?

Back down to the apartment… we stop for an espresso (me) and a caffe freddo (D). The baristo asks us where we are from. We tell him Michigan, USA. He says he is from Ecuador. By the look on his face, I don’t think he knows where Michigan is.

It’s laundry night so take-out pizza for dinner. I go in, I special order a pizza, I watch the guy throw the dough, make the pizza pop it into the wood fired oven and I walk out with a hot perfect pizza in 5 minutes. As it should be!

A motorcycle I saw parked by the Coliseum because I like old motorcycles and D said she would buy me one when I turn 60. A sign in a shop doorway that reminded me of Midsummer Night’s Dream!