Caelian Hill

We sent Olivia off on her class trip to Abruzzo this morning. Josh said it was absolute grid-lock at the school as all the 3rd grade parents had to wait to see their children off on the bus.

I joined a Nancy walk this morning. But before "walking," I rode. I rode my bike to the Caelian Hill (one of the seven hills of Rome) in some type of circuitous fashion. It took about 45 minutes and I was perspiring when I arrived late. The tour started in the ancient roman houses below the Chiesa di Santi Giovanni e Paulo. Years of history were uncovered in excavations which began in 1887 -- and were completed in 1958! More than twenty rooms, many of which are richly decorated with frescoes dating from the 2nd through the 12th century were discovered. There were a variety of building types originating with an insula (apartment block) for artisans and merchants, and then a weathly domus (where many of the wall decorations are seen), which was subsequently converted into an early Christian church. From the mix of pagan and religious frescoes, one can see that early christianity was practiced here. According to tradition, one of the houses belonged to the two martyrs in the 4th century. They were martyred in 361, and buried in secret in their house. This was not only a transgression against the Emperor, but also a violation of Roman burial laws. To prevent disease, all burials had to take place outside the city walls. That they were buried here is a reminder of the importance of relics in Catholicism.

The Case Romane del Celio as they are know have only been open to the public since 2002. The admission also includes a museum room where all types of artifacts discovered during the excavations are now on display. The principal attraction is the collection of Islamic pottery dating from the 12th century which had originally been used to decorate the medieval bell tower of the church (the current one has replicas on it). The visit was a fascinating journey through time.

We then visited the church itself. But not before examining the bell tower and the base which was actually the Temple of Claudius. By walking underneath, one can see the magnitude and the enormity of what once stretched all the way from this Church to the Colosseum.

The first church built on the site of today's Chiesa di Santi Giovanni e Paolo was from

the late 4th century, just after the two martyrs were buried. Pope Leo I restored the Basilica in 450AD. It was then sacked by the Normans in 1084, and subsequently rebuilt in 1150. More recently, the church underwent a Baroque-style transformation in the 18th century.

Nancy took us behind the altar to see a corner of the church with an original medieval fresco of the the apostles. Otherwise, most everything in the basilica was from the 18th century including all the chandeliers. There is marker in the center located just above the "burial site" of the two martyrs.

After visiting SS Giovanni e Paolo, we walked down the hill to see the church of San Gregorio. Unfortunately, it's currently closed for renovations. However, while we stood in the shade of a tree in the neighboring monastery's garden, Nancy went through the history of this particular church and the power it bestowed upon those controlling it over the years since Pope Gregory I in 590AD. Most recently, as evidenced by the baroque facade, it came under the auspices of Cardinal Scipione Borghese. On the other side of the garden are three oratories, as is fitting since Pope Gregory the Great is the patron saint of musicians and singers (think Gregorian chanting) as well as students and teachers The oratories are open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 to 12:30. I'd like to return for a visit.

Kiki and I walked down the street to her Aventino neighborhood for lunch. We sat outside at a sidewalk table and caught up. Then I rode home by going on some other random route which coincidentally also took 45 minutes.

I had to get to the market to stock up. Josh went to RIS to hydrate Avery. I had begun to worry this morning because his diarrhea had lasted a full week now, and I wondered if he may have caught a parasite during our trip to Egypt. We took recommendations for a pediatrician (to see where we could get in first), but in the meantime decided we should get an analysis of Avery's stool. Josh stopped at Bios to pick up a cup and while there spoke to two physicians. He said they couldn't have been nicer and literally said "don't worry now, you have a friend here." It's a great idea to have a lab that's open to the public like Bios. In the States, you MUST see your doctor first who will then order tests and send you to a lab. Here, you can just cut to the chase, and order your own lab-work and even consult with the doctors on-site at the lab. All for only 44 euros. In any case, since we need to get the sample to Bios within 30 minutes, we'll have to wait until tomorrow (in the a.m.). Meanwhile, Avery had toast and bananas for dinner. We'll see how that manifests itself.