Yesterday afternoon I went down to Sta. Sabina, which is south of the Circus Maximus, and wound up walking all the way back up to Piazza del Popolo. It was a loooong way, but the weather's been so cool here that it's a shame not to take advantage. Sta. Sabina is a perfect example of an early Christian basilica, and a pair of 5th century wooden doors contain the earliest known depiction of the crucifixion, so that was interesting. Also in that area was a municipal rose garden as well as Parco Savello, which has an amazing overlook over the city. And we cannot forget the Priorate of the Knights of Malta, their flag flying from the top of the Aventine hill.
After that I headed back past the Forum Boarium (goodbye to the Temples of Hercules Victor and Portunus, sniff!) and dropped in at the Basilica of S. Marco across from the Vittoriano, which, damn it, I LIKE. S. Marco was basically a tarted-up version of Sta. Sabina with some nice 9th century mosaics in the apse, but nothing mind-blowing. Then I re-visited the Gesu and Sant'Ignazio for their incredible trompe l'oeil ceiling paintings, and realized that I love the Gesu's way more than Sant'Ignazio's. I bought a 3-foot long calendar that has a huge picture of the entire ceiling! Very exciting. Further stops included San Luigi dei Francesci for another look at Caravaggio's Matthew cycle, and then the Pantheon, which was...the Pantheon. Can words describe?
We had the art kids over for dinner last night and it was a lot of fun. We went to the Vatican to get gelato, and I swear that place I used to like must be gone, because it's always closed. Then we took, or attempted to take, a group photo in front of St. Peter's, and then finally we got chased out by the Vatican guards at 11 when they closed the piazza. I wish it had been the Swiss guards doing the ejecting, but what can you do?
Today I will attempt--again--to visit the catacombs. If there is more thwarting, I don't know what I'll do.
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