Welcome back to the Crossroads! Today, I want to travel to Rome and share with you my three favorite things I experienced during my visit in October. We spent four days exploring the Eternal City, and it wasn’t close to being enough time. Our hotel was within walking distance of many sites and several metro stops, making traveling around the city easy. Our favorite thing to do when visiting foreign countries is to walk around and see things a tour may not show you. The food in Rome is excellent, and it is better to be a few blocks away from tourist stops if you would like to try local cuisine. My best meals were found a few blocks off the main streets and away from big, popular locations. This trip had one drawback; due to the Jubilee next year, multiple sites and streets were closed, closed off, or under construction. I guess I’ll have to go back. Now, let’s take a look at my three favorite things to visit when I vacationed in Rome.

Number one on my list is visiting any of the Roman catacombs. These burial places for Christians had to be outside the city walls. In fact, no person could be buried inside the city walls, not even the emperor, and most citizens were cremated. It is advisable to book a tour because of the distance needed to travel to visit the different catacomb locations. We explored two places, and the experience was very humbling. The picture is from the crypt at the Santa Maria dell’Orazione e Morte. The remains inside the crypt are displayed artistically, and the rooms are themed. One is the Pelvis Room, with wall decorations made from hundreds of pelvic bones. The catacombs are a solemn location, and no pictures are allowed inside. Most of the bodies there had been removed, but some still remain at rest in their tomb.

The second stop on my Roman tour was the Colosseum. My degree is in Ancient Studies, so this was a ‘have to’ stop for me on this trip. Once again, I recommend going with a tour group to bypass the enormous lines to enter the Colosseum gates. The only drawback to tour groups is you might not get as much time to explore specific areas of the ruins. I wanted to spend more time in some places, but between crowds and the tour schedule, I didn’t get to. I want to warn you to be prepared for the site to be very busy. It is one of the most visited locations in Rome, and it is packed. You will also want to book ahead of your visit. The Colosseum has multiple different ticket types, and they sell out quickly.

The last stop on this brief tour is the Vatican. The lines to enter St. Peter’s Basilica can be lengthy, but they move quickly. Be sure to take water and sunscreen if it is a hot and sunny day. The lines are outside in the square, and there aren’t shady places in line. Inside, I enjoyed not being part of a tour group because it allowed us to spend time at each of the sculptures and holy spots within the basilica. The basilica is the resting place of St. Peter and features Michelangelo’s Pieta. I found the sacred location to be bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside. Rome has an embarrassment of riches regarding Catholic churches, and St. Peter’s is the greatest. After visiting the Vatican, we also had tickets for the Vatican Museum. This is another venue where tickets sell out fast, and you need to pre-book your visit. Tour groups go through the museum, but we went on our own here, too. The museum is massive and is like a maze in some areas. It was better to have time to examine and study the various rooms and collections on our own time than be rushed through in a large group. We observed many groups, and they crowded exhibits when they tried to gather around their guide to hear what they were saying. So, another win for being self-guided!

I have a few more stops, but we’ll save those for another day. I want to wish everyone a happy New Year, and I hope you’ll take some time to travel and experience new places in 2025!

See you at the Crossroads,

Brent