Mediterranean October 2013: Fourth Day in Rome - 15 October 2014

A relatively leisurely morning.... no racing to breakfast. After we got our collective act together, we headed down the Via Veneto, past the American Embassy (less than a 2 minute walk from The hotel Savoy, where we are staying.

we were headed toward the church of Santa maria del Vittoria, which was closed yesterday. Another beautiful 17th century church with a chapel dedicated to St. Teresa of Avila (below)

Then we stopped by the Capuchin Convent museum because Bruce wanted to see the crypt with the dead friars. We enetered into a modern and well done exhibit which provided an overview of the Capchin order, a minor order following the Franciscan rule. We eventually entered the crypt, which was on the main level as the exhibit, well above ground... and we discovered 6 large niches whose cilings were decorated by various shapes consisiting of the bones of no longer living monks. Also each niche contained the reamins of at least 3 or 4deceased Capuchins laying on a slab with heads propped up or standing aginst the wall (secured by something) with heads bowed and hands clutching a cross. These skeletons were dressed in the monks brown habit. A couple of these guys were not yet complete skeletons. use your imagination. There is a saying attributed to those guys directed to those of us still on the upside of the grass. " You are what we were. We are what you will be."

We exited the crypt right into the gift shop.

On the way out, I heard a voice... "Sir, did you go to Ithaca College?" I was wearing my IC basebal cap.

"yes, I did..Class of '73."

Well, there were 4 IC female IC students wgoi were spending the fall semester at Ithaca's London Center. So susan and I chatted with them for about 1/2 hour.

After saying farewell to the 4 young ladies from Itaca, we took the #85 bus down to the Victor Emmanuel monument

Then a light lunch in a museum cafeteria before walking over to the Colisseum and back in time, sort of.

Modern gift shop on 2nd level of the Colisseum. What can I say?

From the Colisseum we walked over to the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill. We walked around the Palatine Hall first and found it very interesting and relativley free from the teeming masses. On this hill once sat in all its glory the Imperial Palaces including separate houses for Augustus and his dear, loving and conniving wife, Livia.