Rainy Rome

Easter weekend began the two week trip known affectionately at NJC as Gritaly. Forty-four students and four supervisors took part in this wonderful adventure. I was very fortunate to be able to experience this journey with my husband, whose skill behind the camera will be obvious in many of the photos we took along the way.

Our first destination was Rome. I had visited the Eternal City in 1977, but that is a long time ago. At that time, I was part of a tour, and was limited in what I could see. This time around, I had a chance to see the "real" Rome – and it was fabulous, even though we nearly drowned under heavy rains on the first two days there.

Inside the Catacombs of San Callisto

Shortly after our arrival on Saturday afternoon we were bused to the Catacombs of San Callisto, where our guide, an Australian priest, led us through the maze below the earth where many popes and martyrs were buried - a good escape from the rain. Unlike the Catacombs I saw in France several years ago, these contained no bones. Human remains have disappeared over time.

There was a street market behind Santa Maria Maggiore

Inside the Basilica

Later in the day, the skies cleared long enough for us to explore the area near our hotel. Most notable was the beautiful Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a few minutes away. This was the first of many impressive churches we visited during our time in Rome.

The facade of Santa Maria Maggiore 

Sunday morning, Easter Sunday, was very wet, and unfortunately for us, we were scheduled to visit several outdoor attractions on foot. At 8:30 a.m., there was a light drizzle but as the morning progressed, we found ourselves in a downpour. I was okay since I had a raincoat on and an umbrella with me, but many of the students were forced to support the local economy, investing in ponchos and umbrellas that were on sale everywhere. We soldiered on anyway, because the Colosseum and the Forum were too spectacular to miss. What's a little water anyway, compared to the conditions the ancients lived in?

Tourists inside the Colosseum

Posing in the rain

The guided part of our tour lasted about two and a half hours. In spite of the weather, I really enjoyed seeing the Colosseum again. I remembered it well from that visit long ago, and was expecting to see many cats among the ruins. Surprisingly, they were all gone - a recent clean-up. Also, the walk through the Forum was an improvement over the last time I was there when we merely looked at the area. This time, we got our feet wet – literally - as we trudged through rivulets of water.

Drowned rats in the Forum

More of the forum area

Of course, as soon as the formal tour ended, so did the rain - at least for a while. The students dispersed, many to the hotel in search of dry clothes, while the staff found shelter in a local restaurant near the Colosseum. I even found time to shop, picking up a wallet to replace the one I had had stolen in Barcelona.

The Victor Emmanuel Monument also known as the typewriter or the wedding cake

The teachers after the rain

In the afternoon, after a change of footwear, we teachers headed out again; the rain continued but it was never as relentless as it had been in the morning. We took the Metro to Piazza del Populo where two identical churches stand on opposite corners. Apparently, one of these was the setting for the film Angels and Demons. 

Piazza del Populo

Inside the Santuario-Basilica Madonna del Miraculo

From there we strolled through old Roman streets past the Spanish Steps to a small sanctuary nearby which housed several Bernini statues. There is so much terrific art and architecture in Rome that a visitor could become blasé. I was determined not to let that happen to me. In fact, even though the day was getting long, I stopped at each of the four corners of Via del Quattro Fontane and Via del Quirinale to photograph the fountains depicting the four seasons.

Bernini statue

One of the fountains at Quattro Fontane

By the end of the day, we had explored a lot of Rome under grey skies. We would see her sunny face the next day.