Our third day in Rome was Palm Sunday. We had originally planned to attend Mass in French at Trinita dei Monti but after climbing the steps we found the church shuttered and locked. They had changed the Mass time. So we went to our familiar St Ambrosio e Carlo and attended Mass in Italian. After that, we headed down Via del Corso to ancient Rome.
We passed by the Marcus Aurelius column in Piazza Colonna.
After we went by the Victor Emmanuel monument we found ourselves at the Imperial Forum.
This was a first for Teddy.
And also for his sisters.
Looking over towards the Palatine hill where the original Forum is located.
You really get a sense of history around this area.
We dropped into the ancient church of Cosmas and Damian. Like most of the really old churches in Rome, it got a reboot in the 17th century.
There is a beautiful loggia and cloister inside the main entrance.
With some lovely flowers,
Even a fountain.
The inside of the church is quite lovely too. Especially the mosaics which date to the 6th century.
It’s only a short walk from the church to the Colosseum.
There were big crowds there, so we didn’t get too close.
But we did take the obligatory selfie.
Or maybe two selfies.
A bit further on is the triumphal Arch of Constantine. It’s the biggest of the ancient arches in Rome.
Heading back into the main part of Rome, we passed what remains of the Circus Maximus. Chariot races anyone?
It sprinkled on and off on Sunday afternoon, so we had the umbrellas handy. After a walk through a jumble of streets, and after asking for directions more than once, we finally reached our objective.
Torre Argentina and the Roman cat sanctuary. Maria and I discovered it in 2016 and the kids loved it.
Apparently this was the site of Caesar’s assassination in 44 BC. The cats don’t mind being part of history.
A few rain showers didn’t bother them either.
These guys are strays but they are well fed and cared for. Not a bad life for a street cat.
After our visit with the kitties we headed back to our hotel, had another gelato at Venchi and chilled for a while. After we got back there was some heavy rain, even thunder – but we missed it. The final day in Rome promised to be spectacular in the weather department.
