In the Tire Ruts of Paul & the Early Church...Appia Way

 In an effort to add a bit of variety to our touring,  we thought getting out of the city on a bike tour would help a bit, though I didn't know at the time, just how far out of the city we'd go!  We hooked up with Bruno, our guide, & a handful of other English speakers and headed off to get beyond the city.  We weren't sure what to expect from the kids - the route was 20 miles in total - and yet they surprised us by basically having no problems with this distance on a bike!  The scary part was biking through Rome's traffic & being in the midst of it all on our path out to the Appian Way.  Motorcycles, smart cars, coopers & every imaginable Fiat zoomed its way in and around us & it was more than once that I thought we had made a mistake.  It was a challenge for the parents of these three to hold our breath for sooooo long!

 Pictured here is the original wall of the city; built long before Christ, though, at the moment, I'd be making it up if I tried to give an exact date.  It's really, really old; how's that for specific?  Way BC.  Much of this wall remains intact on the southern side.  We came through the small arch (along with all the cars and trucks!), which meant that we had officially left the city of Rome, and continued south until we connected with the Via Appia, which led us to the catacombs of popes, martyrs and the Christians of the early church.

When Paul walked to Rome, this was the road he traveled.

A bit humbling & surreal to bike here ourselves, to say the least.  The land in this area is all owned by the Vatican State.  Our guide, Bruno, is thankful that they do; he said all of it would have become developed & built right over with housing in the 60's & 70's when the government had little regard for preserving anything.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

There were lovely gardens throughout the grounds of this catacomb site, which date back to the 2nd century, the catacombs that is.  We parked our bikes, wiped sweaty brows & descended into an labyrinth of burial tunnels & natural air conditioning - year round the temperature remains a constant 59 degrees, which was met with great relief as it was another hot Roman day.

Peter and Paul were both originally buried here, as well as the next 7 popes; there were also 16 martyrs and thousands of the early Christians, as burial inside the walls of Rome was forbidden by law.  At the time, Christians didn't have their own cemeteries.  There were several families with large plots of land outside the city who converted to Christianity and subsequently the digging of catacombs commenced.  In addition to burial, there were also larger rooms dug out where Christians could hold church services & gather for other purposes.  As early as 313 however, this became less necessary as Constantine's Edict of Milan legalized Christianity, making it the religion of the State.  In about 800 the bodies of the Popes & Martyrs were moved to the basilicas inside the city for safekeeping, as vandals had become a concerning issue.  By the Middle Ages, they were largely forgotten.  Since the 19th century some 30 catacombs have been excavated.  The San Sebastiano had been the most frequented as a pilgrimage site throughout the ages as it was Peter & Paul's original burial site.  There was potential for these tunnels to feel a bit creepy as we meandered through with the guide, but really, it seemed more peaceful than anything; every cut-out in the wall simply represented a life that proclaimed Christ, thereby inspiring more reverence than fear.

This is the tomb of the martyr St. Cecilia.  A sculpture was laid in the place where her body lay & is said to have been sculpted exactly as they found her.  This picture doesn't show it well, but 3 of her fingers are extended in such a way that was a common sign among early Christians signifying the Trinity.

We biked past many ruins, most with a BC dates.  It could not have been a more beautiful day for a bike ride!!

And of course, in addition to the Colosseum & other extraordinary engineering feats, what would the ancient world of Rome have been without their super impressive, massive aqueducts?!  And it blows the mind (or at least mine) that they're still standing!!!   Surprisingly, the green in the foreground is actually golf course - this gave all 3 Wright boys a very big smile!  We're not here long enough for them to play, but they were thinking about it.  It's also a very popular area with numerous trails for runners; it killed Chris a little that he wouldn't be able to get a run in here, but biking's not a bad alternative!

We continued on our path, stopping for cheese & wine at a 16th century farm that was still in operation!  No pictures there however, because we were involved in many conversations with our fellow bikers.  We met a delightful couple from Brighton, England who sincerely asked us to keep in touch & to be sure to plan to stay with them on our next trip through England.  Everyone was thoroughly impressed with the kids who never complained once about the distance of the ride & were able to keep up independently.  This didn't mean it wasn't hard for them at parts, it was, but they were troopers & kept at it.  Up to this point we haven't really been a "biking family" back in Colorado, though many are. Camden was determined to follow right behind our guide, Bruno (in the blue shirt) & Chris & I were relieved to let him be someone else's problem & captive audience for awhile.  Bruno laughed with us at the end & said he would remember Camden's name as he was sure he would be doing something "big" in our country when he grows up; "maybe lead journalist or lawyer...he talks so much, he will get someone into or out of anything, I think!  I never hear a boy who is 7 talk to adults so much; your boy has much confidence; this is good, no?"

20 miles on a bike through and out of Rome is appropriately concluded with gelato of course!!!

This experience was a highlight for sure & one I know our family will always remember when we think of our time here.  Maybe Rome will be the catalyst for making us a bikers in Colorado!

Loved that on our return to the city we just casually passed the Colosseum again, as if we do it all the time!  As a landmark, it definitely holds one's gaze & we consider ourselves so fortunate to have seen it!