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ITINERARY 4 - Caracalla Baths, St.Sebastian's gate, Via Appia Antica, Catacombs, Church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Tomb of the Scipios, Circus Maximus. From the Colosseum, by the Via San Gregorio and the Via San Clivo di Scauro we reach the church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, very ancient in origin but almost completely restored from the Middle Ages to modern times. Continuing, we cross over the Piazza Navicella and turn into the Via Santo Stefano Rotondo, where we find the church of Santo Stefano Rotondo, with its characteristic circular form. Erected in the 5th century, it contains a precious mosaic representing Christ superimposed (but not crucified) on the cross. The frescoes along the walls, depicting scenes of martyrdom, are by Pomarancio and Tempesta (16th century). We return to the Piazza San Gregorio, where the church of the same name stands; it dates back to the 6th century, but has been completely transformed during the centuries. And so we reach the area once used for chariot races and mock battles in ancient Rome: the Circus Maximus (2nd century B.C.). In its environs is the Porta Capena, one of the ancient gateways into the city, and, just beyond it, the church of Santa Balbina (5th century). The latter contains a cosmatesque episcopal throne and othe medieval fragments. The church overlooks the famous Baths of Caracalla. This vast architectural complex, built by the emperor Caracalla in the 3rd century, consisted of a series of large halls and is still surrounded by delightful gardens. It contained the various component parts of roman public baths: the Frigidarium, with its large basin; the Tepidarium and the Calidarium, above which was a large dome, as well as gymnasia, libraries and massage-parlours. On leaving the baths we visit the church of San Cesareo in Palatio, situated on the Via di Porta San Sebastiano. Of very ancient origins, the church was restored by Giacomo della Porta in the 16th century. The simple interior contains some cosmatesque features and a fine mosaic in the apse representing God the Father between two angels, by Francesco Zucchi. Continuing along the same road, we come (on the left) to the Tomb of Scipios, a small catacomb hewn in the soft volcanic rock in which the bodies of the noble roman family, the Scipios, were interred. At the end of the road, we come to the Porta San Sebastiano, a gateway in the Aurelian Walls more commonly known as Porta Appia, beyond which the so-called road of the catacombs begins: the Via Appia Antica. It is along this road in fact that we find the labyrinths of passageways dug into the soft volcanic rock and used, in origin, to house the mortal remains of the Christian martyrs, who were buried in little chambers, while the members of Christian families were buried in simple horizontal niches dug into the walls of the galleries. Later the catacombs served as a refuge for Christians, who hid here to escape the persecution, and to pray and meet together. A movement of egalitarian spirit like Christianity could not in fact coexist with the society of the day, based on discrimination between slaves and roman citizens. We now begin to explore the oldest road of the city, opened up to provide a road between Rome and Southern Italy. Close to an intersection (where the Via Ardeatina branches to the right) we come to the church of Domine Quo Vadis?. It derives its name from the question that St.Peter, on his escape from the Mamertine prison, reputedly put to Christ, whom he met as he fled along the Via Appia: "Lord, where are you going?". To which the Lord replied: "I am going to Rome to be crucified a second time".We continue along the Via Appia Antica, turning off to our right to visit the Catacombs of San Callisto (Callixtus); official burial place of the bishops of Rome, they are named after Pope Callixtus who enlarged and reorganized them in the 3rd century. Other catacombs are situated in this area. On the Via Ardeatina are the Fosse Ardeatine, in which the Germans massacred 355 Italians during the last war; a memorial marks the spot where they are buried. In the nearby Via delle Sette Chiese are the catacombs of Santa Domitilla. They are named after Domitilla, the Christian wife of Flavius Clemens, (of the imperial Flavian family), to whom the sepulchre above which they were laid out belonged. We now return to the Via Appia Antica to visit the Catacombs and church of San Sebastiano. The former are laid out on four superimposed levels and contain a bust of the Saint attributed to Bernini. The interior of the church, remodelled in the 17th century, contains the Chapel of the Relics, and the Albani and the St.Sebastian chapels. On the other side of the Via Appia Antica are the Jewish Catacombs and the Catacombs of Praetextatus. In the latter both pagan and Christian sarcophagi are found. A short distance ahead, to the left of Via Appia Antica, are, first, the Circus of Maxentius, built in 308, and then the Tomb of Cecilia Metella. The latter is the best preserved of the mausolea flanking the Appian Way. It is dedicated to Cecilia Metella, the wife of Crassus (68 B.C.).
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