Catacombs

 We had a rather slow start for the day.  We opted out of going to a morning mass and hung around the apartment.  Our big event of the day was to visit the catacombs of Priscilla operated by the Benedictine sisters.  On a tip from Rick Steves, this set of catacombs is the most historical and less commercial than the larger catacombs.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in the cool tunnels and learned a lot about the early christians in Rome.  Unfortunately, no photos allowed. The 8 miles of tunnel held 44,000 tombs.  The frescos date back to the early third century and provide an enlightened snap shot of the theology and practices of these early Roman Christians.  We also went to one of the oldest churches, St. Mary Major Basilica, which was packed with the year of jubilee faithful passing through the Porta Santa door, (one of four holy doors open once every 25 years). We entered as evening mass was in progress.  We ended the day with sidewalk dinner.