Last Week in Rome

Today is Monday, October 9, 2006. Traditionally in the United States it is Discovery Day known to many Americans as Columbus Day. Here in Rome our Marianist seminarians begin their classes in their respective seminaries. They take the metro and buses to the seminary and come home in the evening for Vespers and a light supper. This is my last week in Rome before I head out to Manziana to begin my Sabbatical. So I have this week to further explore the sights and sounds of Rome. Today I visited the baths of Caracalla which is just 20 minutes from the General Administration residence. I pass through the Aurelian Walls of the city; there is a long stretch of the brick-faced Aurelian Walls which are preserved along Viale Giotto and Via dei Guerrieri. Built in the 270's(and completed in 5 years) to defend against the bararian invasion of Rome. The walls are 26 ft tall and 13 ft thick. Despite the builder's best plans the fortification yielded to the invasion of the Alaric the Goth in 410 A.D. The ruins of the Baths of Caracalla date back to the 3rd century bathing complex; something like a country club for the ancient Romans. The main bathing block, where Romans took the waters of the caldarium (hot baths) tepidarium, and frigidarium, has great black and white mosaics and brick niches where marble statues used to stand.