We were up early today, getting ready to meet Carla, our Rome guide, at the apartment at 8:30. She told us that we are staying in one of the oldest, most unchanged parts of the city. Our street name, Via In Selci, refers to the large Roman paving stones. There are 2 active monasteries in our block.

We spent 5 solid hours of educational time with Carla. We walked through the remains of Trajan's bath complex then Nero's "house", which covered 3 of the 7 seven hills of Rome, on our way to the church of San Clemente. This church is unique among the many churches of Rome in that it displays vertically 4 different epochs in time. Lower most are the ashes and burned remains of Nero's Rome. Next, there is a building currently suspected of being the Roman mint in the 2nd century. This level also includes a narrow alleyway and a Mithras temple. The 3rd level is a 4th century Christian basilica that contains the relics of St Cyril (who along with St Methodius created the Cyrillic alphabet) and is therefore a Russian pilgrimage site. The uppermost level at current street level is a 12th century basilica, still in use. Unfortunately , the beautiful 12th century mosaics were obscured by scaffolding.

Our next stop was the Colosseum, the only Roman amphitheater which bears that name (the name derives from the word colossal). It's the biggest, but not the first. That honor goes to ...... Pompeii!

Our journey with Carla finished up with a long explorations of Palatine Hill, the Forum and the numerous other ruins that are visible there today.

After some lunch and recuperation, we visited the church of Santa Prassede (8th century Byzantine mosaics) and The Church of Santa Maria Maggiore (5th and 15th century mosaics AND "remains of Jesus's cradle")

Dinner at Brocoletti. Buffalo mozzarella/tomatoes/basil/olive oil/balsamic vinegar ("just like home") and great homemade pasta.

Walked - 6.8 miles