Touring the Ancient Ruins of Rome

Aqueducts

 We are, without a doubt, do-it-yourselfers. We do our own car repairs, and by ‘we’ I mean my husband. I don’t know a spark plug from a speedometer. We do our own house repairs. Again, it’s mostly my husband, but I can wield a mean paintbrush and tile trowel. We even do our on educating and that one’s all on me. Being a DIY family means that we have a propensity to want to do it our way with our rules. This certainly carries over to our traveling. Tour guides and travel agents are just not a part of the equation. Usually.

Checking out the sites of Rome

While in Rome, we made an exception and joined the Archeobus Tour as a means of travel to see the catacombs outside of Rome. Other methods of transportation seemed limited or overly expensive, so we surrendered to the tour. As tours go, this one was as flexible as possible. An open air bus picks up passengers at any one of 14 stops and continues along the route, allowing you to board and re-board as many times as you choose in a 48 hour period.

The View of Forums from the Archeobus

Riding through town in the open air, double-decker bus allowed us to see again sites that we had visited earlier in our trip. An audio tour to accompany the ride was provided, but we found it to be difficult to tune into the English speaking channel. Almost immediately upon exiting the center of the city, we found ourselves transported to ancient Rome along the Appian Way. Ruins of tombs, churches and villas dot the single lane road, as you marvel at the ancient stones beneath you.

Pictures were not allowed inside the catacombs, but being that we are not great at following rules…

 Our first stop was the Catacombs of St Callisto, the official cemetery for the Christians of Rome. Tours were conducted in variety of languages, so we purchased our tickets and waited for the English tours to begin. The moist and chilly air in the catacombs added to the mysterious intrigue, as the adults enjoyed the historic tour and the kids delighted in clambering through spooky underground tunnels. The catacombs no longer contain any bones, but the walls are rich in Christian symbolism, which served as a kind of secret language for the early Christians. While the actual inhabitants of the catacombs are shrouded in myth (both Peter and Paul were said to be buried here at one time), the remains provide a serene and spiritual experience for visitors.

Ruins of the Baths of Caracalla

Picturesque Picnic Spot

We boarded the bus again very close to lunchtime. As most of the other passengers were scrambling for a lunch counter, we had happily packed a lunch, so we continued on to the Baths of Caracalla. We found a field littered with tiny flowers and sat down among the sunshine and ruins to enjoy our picnic.

Playing among the ruins of the Baths

 The boys played happily, jumping from fallen pillar to fallen pillar, as we soaked up the atmosphere in the shadows of the once great bathhouse. Along the path the boys found another boy about their age. After trying out their limited Italian, they learned he spoke German, but they communicated for some time in the language of play.

Hallo!  My German friend.

After our tour of the Baths, we crossed the street to view the Circus Maximus before boarding the bus once more to ride to the aqueducts.

Circus Maximus

 As we stood in awe at this most ancient accomplishment, we noticed that the locals were climbing, playing, and sunbathing along the exposed pipes of the aqueduct. So accustomed to the presence of antiquity, the monuments have become a part of their everyday existence.

Running along the aqueduct pipes

 We were hesitant at first, but soon decided to join in and climbed up onto the pipes to walk as far as they would take us. When in Rome, as they say.