Vatican, Campo DeFiori, and the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian

2019 Western Mediterranean and Transatlantic Cruises on MSC

Pre-Cruise - Rome -- October 28, 2019

Please click here for video of our trip on this day.

This morning six of us will be visiting the Vatican with pre-purchased tickets booked online for 9:30. This will be my fourth time there and I was less than excited. The thought of being in the crowds and herding through the rooms just did not sound too appealing. The only reason we were there again was to take our relatives from Taiwan there for their first visit. 

Vatican

We found the correct exit when we got off the metro near the Vatican this morning. The line wasn't bad at all that early in the morning but the whole area was bustling with visitors all walking towards the same direction. We were able to just skip the line and got into the museum with the printed ticket in hand. After security we checked in, got our audio-guide and off we went on our self-guided tour.

Courtyard of the Pigna

Pius and Clamentine's Museum

Finally done and we are outside of St. Peter's Basilica. 

Campo de Fiori 

We then took the bus and met up with the rest of our group at Campo de Fiori Piazza. This colorful produce market was filled with locals and tourists alike. We strolled through the stalls and admired at all the goods but unfortunately not planning to purchase anything to take home. 

With son's guidance, we found one of the three Forno Campo de Fiori in this neighborhood for some delicious pizzas and sandwiches for lunch. This is a busy take-out place of sweet and savory baked goods with very limited seats in their tiny stores. Everybody would make their purchase and then enjoy the food sitting or standing around the piazza. A fun and economical meal indeed.

Catacombs of Saint Sebastian

After lunch, we were ready to head over to our next destination--the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian. Again, we utilized the public bus (#118) to take us there through the Appian Way. We got off the bus right across from the Church of Domine Quo Vadis which we visited first.

We took the #118 bus at the stop Ara Coeli/Piazza Venezia and got off at the stop Appia Antica/Domine Quo Vadis.

This is a simple, small church by the roadside.

This is one of the first churches built along the Appian Way. It was said that when Apostle Peter fled Rome, he met Jesus here. He asked Jesus where He was going and our Lord replied that He was going to Rome to be crucified again. Apostle Peter then knew what he was suppose to do and returned to Rome where he was later put to death. 

A stone copy of the footprints that was left by Jesus inside the church. 

The original copy is inside the Basilica of San Sebastian nearby.

Basilica of Saint Sebastian and the Catacombs

There are several catacombs in this surrounding area but we decided to come to the Saint Sebastian. No photography was allowed inside the catacombs as we were going on this guided tour. They had tours in different languages and we had to wait just a little to join the English speaking tour. It was quite an interesting tour that provided a lot of information about the underground tomb and the martyr Sebastian who is buried here.  There are steps and uneven grounds which probably is not suitable for people with mobility issues. After the tour, we were able to get inside the Basilica for a glimpse of this beautiful church.

The original copy of the footprints of Jesus.

After our visit to the catacomb and the basilica, we were ready to take the bus back to Rome. Right in front of the basilica is a one-way road, so we had to walk back down to the other side of the highway and caught the same bus (#118) at the stop Appia Pignatelli/Appia Antica infront of the Catacombe di Pretestato.

What surprised us was when we got off the bus near the Circo Massimo Metro Station, trying to take the metro back to our apartment, we were told that the metro had stopped running because of some unknown reasons. Needless to say all the other transportation like buses and trams were all jammed with people waiting to get home after a day of work. There was no way that we could get on any buses now so we decided to walk back to the apartment. It was quite a hike, I must say, but when we reached the Colosseum, we were met by the very beautiful sight...

Quite different from what we saw during the day.

As for dinner, we stopped at the Chicken Hut across from the Termini for another round of the chicken rice and fried chicken. We were really tired and our comfortable beds were the most welcoming things after a long day of walking!

" Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind."   -- Isaiah 65:17

Vatican and An Evening Around Rome

Rome--Vatican, Piazza Popolo, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Column of Marcus Aurelius, Pantheon, Piazza Navona--February 12, 2015

Due to the jet lag, we all woke up early, and got ourselves ready for our first whole day touring Rome. Breakfast was whatever we had in our bags--coffee, nuts, crackers, cheese, and peanut butter. DC booked our tickets online for a 10:00 tour of the Vatican and we did not want to be late. The Vatican was about 350 feet away from the apartment and the museum entrance was about 1,500 feet away. After arriving the entrance we went straight in even though there were long lines of people waiting outside.

The line wrapped around the walls of the Vatican.

After security check, we got our guided-tour tickets from the booth and waited for the 10:00 group to start. Receivers and ear plugs were given out and the tour started on time.

The lobby of the museum

Our guide, who has a PhD in history and art explained what we would see inside the Sistine Chapel as we entered the courtyard. She was not allowed to talk in the Chapel.

This is our third time to the Vatican so I was not as enthusiastic as I should. Probably because I was tired also.

I have taken many pictures on the two previous visits so I was holding back a little this time.

After the museum and the Sistine Chapel, we were taken to the Bisilica. At the end of the tour, we also went underground on our own to the necropolis, where previous popes were buried, including Peter's. For some reason I did not take any pictures down there.

We decided that since we have never climbed the dome before on our previous visits, we should do it this time. We paid 7 euros pp for the climb with part elevator. (5 euros without elevator)

Elevator ride ends here

Only half of this balcony was opened inside the dome.

Then we continued the climb up to the top of the dome. It was a killer! The stairs got narrower and curvier. I thought I was going to get stuck with a heart attack there. We finally made it to the top and I was out of breath. Was it worth it? Let's see...

This was what we saw up at the top.

Was it worth it? I say 'No!' We ended up with bad leg cramps that afternoon. I am glad that now I can say "we did it" but I would not recommend this to people who are not at their best physical condition. It was just too strenuous and exhausting for a 'senior citizen' like myself.

Just imagine climbing along the ceiling of the dome!

Happy to be alive!

Swiss guards

After our tour of the Vatican, we went for a late lunch at Il Colibri, which is close by and a restaurant that we had visited a couple of times before. There were a dozen of priests sitting at the tables next to ours which means this must be a local favorite. They have daily lunch specials for 10 euros, which includes a small salad, a pasta and a main dish, plus drink. The pasta was good, chicken delicious but small portions, salad was OK. It was a good deal for 10 euros and the service was exceptional.

After lunch, we decided we need to go back to the apartment for afternoon nap because everybody was tired. We slept until around 6 before heading out again. We thought it would be a good idea just to walk around Rome at night and experience the life of this amazing city after hour.

DC, who has so much information and knowledge, acted as our private guide.

The two cathedrals standing side by side at Piazza Popolo.

One of the fountains at the piazza.

The Egyptian obelisk

Rome at night as we walked from Piazza Popolo to Spanish Steps.

Spanish Steps

Group picture

The Trevi Fountain was covered with scaffolding and glass walls for restoration.

The Column at Piazza Colonna

Then we enjoyed the best gelato at Giolitti gelateria!

Of course, the Pantheon was closed at night. We came here during the day on our previous trips so it gave us a different perspective being here at night this time around.

We found a local market nearby and bought bread, yogurt, cheese etc. for breakfast for the next two days. Then we continued our walk to Piazza Navona.

We were very tired after this, so we called Uber and got 2 taxis to take us back to our apartment. They respond quickly and we were safely taken 'home' in the comfort of a Mercedes and an Audi.