The center and the catacombs

The second day was all about further exploring Rome and the Christian origins in the catacombs around Rome. As usual, we didn't leave the apartment until after 10:00. We headed towards the center to visit more sights like the Pantheon or the Parliament, where there is currently a lot of activity due to the new government. We had a very good ice cream for lunch. Julius had a hard time choosing this time because there were 150 different flavors to choose from. Later, we took the bus further west to the catacombs.

There are over 60 of them in Rome. Christians buried their dead there. In the catacombs we visited, spread over more than 20 hectares, over half a million people were buried in the first 3 centuries after the birth of Christ - up to 31 meters deep on multiple floors. The underground network of these catacombs alone is 20 km long and has a constant temperature of 15 degrees Celsius.

I didn't expect much, but both the guided tour and especially the facts and objects were really impressive. Among them are the first artistic depictions of the Christian cross, baptism, and many other unique testimonies of the early Christian era.

In the evening, we went back to the bustling city center for dinner. This time with wine, antipasti, fish, and spaghetti vongole. Again, very, very good and this time significantly less than €100.