It is our first day in Rome and a sunny, warm day. We wanted to see the four main basilicas in Rome during this Jubilee year.
8.84 miles, sunny, 63 degrees, 68% humidity.
Richard’s ReLive video for the day is here: https://www.relive.com/view/vMv8NQAWWP6
We hoped to visit Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four major basilicas of Rome that was very near our hotel.
Unfortunately, since it is a Jubilee Year and since Pope Francis is now buried at Santa Maria Maggiore, the lines were around the block. We hoped to come back to more favorable conditions.
Next we headed off to the Archbasilica Saint John Lateran, another of the four major basilicas and the oldest basilica in the western world, dating from 324. The church is dedicated first to Christ the savior and secondly to John the Evangelist and John the Baptist.
Lateran relates to the name of the ancient Roman family whose palace occupied the site before the church.
The ciborium, a freestanding structure that sits over the altar, was given by Constantine, raided by the Visigoths in the 5th century, and replaced now by a large Gothic structure from the 14th century. The relic of the original wooden altar Saint Peter used is part of the altar; statues of Saints Peter and Paul are above.
The papal cathedra is the throne of the bishop in the early Christian basilica. Here it is in the apse surrounded by decorative marble and below the golden mosaic.
The nave was renovated in the 18th century with statues of the apostles and the papal insignia in the ceiling.
We had hoped to visit St. Peter’s Basilica but that was not meant to be, either. There are required time entry tickets, and the piazza was inaccessible as the chairs were already in place for Wednesday’s mass with the pope.
Walking back, we checked out the Castel Sant’Angelo. No tickets left to visit today.
Heading off to Piazza Navona close to where we planned to have dinner.
Heading to dinner and then back to the hotel.
9 Responses
Really surprised that the lines would be so long on a Tuesday in a low peak tourist season. Hope you have better luck in the next few days. Luckily, there is so much else to see and do. Enjoy your cruise. No more ports so should be a very relaxing next few days.
Dan
It’s been surprising in Rome but a lot is depending on the Jubilee year and I think the excitement of the new pope. We used to walk right into places but now we have learned you must have timed tickets almost everywhere! Like you say, though, there are all kinds of places to see.
We have one more day in Bermuda but otherwise we’re at sea. It’s been relaxing with lots of sleep—naps every day, and we are eating well. We had a crisis on the blog where it quit displaying pictures (argh!) so that was an interesting project and set us back a bit. Hopefully we’re back in business but the ship’s internet is slow so I hope to get caught up before too long.
Wow! That line at Santa Maria Maggiore is unbelievable. Rome looks so crowded in all your photos. I am so sorry you have (again) run into the timed tickets dilemma. At least the weather looks good, and I’m sure you will make the best of it. We are all eagerly awaiting your return. Be forewarned – Karen wants to play cards ASAP, so I hope you don’t have any plans for the rest of November (HA!)
The lines were surprising everywhere, but it is a Jubilee year and that is a big deal. We never made it back to Santa Maria Maggiore when the lines were reasonable, so it will have to wait for a future visit.
We were warmer in Rome than we had been since North Carolina and it was wonderful. There was one day of rain but otherwise usually sunny.
We’ve been playing dominoes on the ship sea days but there are lots of folks playing MJ. They turn one of the big dining rooms into a game room between 10 and 4, and provide some drinks and games. It’s getting more popular each day.
Just caught up on your trip….wow, so many people! Traveling is not the same as when we were there last! So, how many churches did you see…and do you have a top 5….or do they all look the same now?? Have a fun and relaxing time on the cruise…I wonder what style of mahjong they are playing….Hong Kong with 13 tiles in their hand or Taiwanese with 16 tiles? Waiting to play cards with you!! Karen
Traveling is not the same as when we last came, either. I expected crowds in Rome but it has exceeded expectations. I’ll think on your question about my top 5 churches. There are so many beautiful buildings and so much art to see. Each one is different in its own way.
We are enjoying a more leisurely cruise with lots of napping, food, and some down time. Entertainment is up and down but definitely different. The best news is that it’s not so crowded as our last cruise so we can enjoy common areas and more activities. I’ll try to look at the MJ played to see which version they are playing.
Cards sound good. We arrive in Fort Lauderdale Nov. 13 (a week from today) but it remains to be seen how long it will take us to get home. Flights are booked but we’ll see what happens in the next week.
We discussed our 5 favorite churches from this year:
Chartres, France;
St. Paul Outside the Walls, Rome;
St. Michael’s Church, Ashton-under-Lyne, England;
St. David’s Cathedral, St. Davids, Wales;
St. Francis Cathedral, Assisi, Italy
Karen told me today about your comment re: MJ on the ship, so we are both curious as to which version is being played (BTW – I was the “big loser” (again) today!) Setting aside a game room onboard ship is such a good idea!
You say flights are booked in Fort Lauderdale? Which brings to mind that some of us are a little concerned about the possibility you will run into delays, due to the government shutdown – but then you probably know about this. Carole M. thinks you’ll just take the train….we are eagerly awaiting the chance to see your smiling faces again! Wishing you good luck until we meet again…….
I tried to determine what version of MJ was being played, but I don’t know enough to really ask. One lady called it the “standard” version. I mostly saw people playing with racks of tiles. I never watched the game in play, just observed as I walked past. It did seem to be popular with people bringing their own sets.
We’re trying to keep an eye on what will change with our trip home. Delta Airlines has rebooked our reservation, presumably to keep us away from an airport that is facing more cancellations. It’s a guessing game for what might happen between now and Thursday. We did look at trains that might be a backup plan, but the only sure bet is that it will be a long day to get home, if not several days.