Sunday: Before the Tour
Our plan for Sunday morning was to take the metro south of our hotel to St. John Lateran and then to walk back to the hotel, stopping to see churches along the way, including Santa Maria Maggoria. We got to St. John's with no problem and along the way got our first "lagniappe"--we are from New Orleans and that is a word that means something extra. As we are waling from the Metro stop to St. Johns look what we saw.
We made it to St. John Lateran with no problem. It is one of the major basilicas of Rome, and it fact, it, not St. Peter's, is the Pope's church. We were surprised at its size and the fact that tourists were allowed inside during Mass--but given the size, and the fact that we were not near the Mass crowd, I guess it made sense. On the way out we met a seminarian from Croatia, a neat reminder that we are all one Church.
We left St. John's following directions our friendly seminarian gave us and veered left when we should have veered right, so we did not find Santa Maria Maggiore right down the road. Learning to use Google Maps while walking is definitely on the list to do before the next European vacation.
We did run into another surprise, another set of Roman baths. We figured that where there was a museum we'd find someone who could tell us how to get a taxi. While that didn't work, luckily one was dropping someone off and was glad to pick us up. .
We did run into another surprise, another set of Roman baths. We figured that where there was a museum we'd find someone who could tell us how to get a taxi. While that didn't work, luckily one was dropping someone off and was glad to pick us up. .
When we got to Santa Maria we were not disappointed. One thing that really surprised me is how huge those churches were, far grander than anything at home. The other thing I was not expecting was the lack of stained glass. The collage below shows the prettiest stained glass window in Santa Maria. The decor in Romanesque churches involves painting and sculpture, not stained glass
After touring the church, we headed out to the piazza where we found a restaurant for lunch. I think we had pizza and I know I tried Suppli, a fried rice ball filled with cheese. I had seen it on some youtube videos as a "must try" when in Rome, and I agree. Yummy.
After lunch we walked back to the hotel. One of the other churches we wanted to see was locked and jet lag had grabbed us, so we went back to our room for a nap before joining our tour group.
After lunch we walked back to the hotel. One of the other churches we wanted to see was locked and jet lag had grabbed us, so we went back to our room for a nap before joining our tour group.