Roma: Day 4

Day 4: Appia Antica

On this day we decided to travel outside of the city centre and see the famous road on which Spartacus was crucified.  Turns out this road is also an extremely busy road without a sidewalk so we didn't walk down it much.  But we did take a walk along the road to the catacombs which was very pleasant and we decided that this was where the crucifixions took place.

  The catacombs were pretty cool but you have to take a tour guide and they don't let you wander around aimlessly, which is what I wanted to do.  After the catacombs, we headed for Terme Caracalla, one of the largest bathes of the Roman Empire.

The ruins were really cool.  This place was constructed around 2 AD, and it is still standing!  AND you can still see the mosaic tiling, marble columns, and plaster on the walls.  Just incredible.




After the bathes, we continued our Angels & Demons tour with a trip to Piazza de Popolo.  This piazza was really pretty.  It was so open!  But the tour isn't about the piazza, it's about a small earthly chapel called the Chigi Chapel.  The Chapel was really neat, Bernini decorated the entire chapel so the sculptures inside were just incredible.

Next, we traveled to the Ara Pacis.  This monument was built after Augustus' return from defeating the barbarians.  It was built as a dedication to the new peace and united empire that Augustus created.  I found it really cool.