The Last of Rome... Alleluia!

Our last day in Rome started at the parish church of Sant'Eusebio.

This small church (by Roman standards) was a designated pilgrimage site

for the Jubilee, hence...

...another Holy Door.

Then on to the Basilica of St. Mary Major

Reliquary of the Holy Crib

More information about St. Mary Major here.

The basilica is associated with the feast of Our Lady of the Snows

which is celebrated on August 5th in the liturgical year.

Last Holy Door

(Anyone keeping count?)

We literally stumbled upon Santa Prassede next...

(Kind of the theme of this whole trip!)

known for it's mosaics...

and the Relic of the Pillar from the Scourging of Christ.

Santuario della Madonna del Perpetuo Soccorso

(Our Lady of Perpetual Help)

In our wanderings, we also had to check out

the local mechanic shop.

Lunch view of St. Mary Major

A little chilly eating on the street that day.

Quirinal Palace

Roman Forum

Back to our hotel and the basilica for a quiet last night.

Smoking cabins in Fuimincino Airport

(people stand in line for a quick smoke and

believe me, it better be quick!)

Good-bye, Italy!

Home Sweet Home

(Yep, these are my crazy people!)

If you're a real glutton for punishment, you can
start the photo trip over again here.

Round 7 of that Crazy Couple in Rome

We started Day 6 at the Basilica of St. John Lateran...

Holy Door

Virtual tour here.

Oldest church in the West, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist

and St. John the Baptist.

Makes you feel kind of insignificant.

Appropriate clothing expected.

Then on to the Scala Sancta.

The Coloseum

A rare and much appreciated find.

San Clemente

Watch out for the beggars!

The sign behind me assures that no

payment is necessary to enter the church.

Santi Quatro Coronati

An evening of relaxation on the roof garden of the hotel.

Click here for the grand finale.

Back in the Eternal City

The view that awaited us on our return trip to Rome on May 1st.

A few blocks away from our hotel we found quite the party scene.

Did I mention it was May Day?

We stayed at the Domus Sessoriana which was originally a monastery

built by Constantine for his mother, St. Helena.

It surrounds  the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem.

Click on the above link if you would like to know more about the

rich history of this church.

A street display for a restaurant we passed on our way to meet

diocesan seminarian, Scott Athey.

Santa Caterina a Magnanapoli

This church, dedicated to St. Catherine of Siena,

was reopened a few years ago.  Perpetual Adoration is

offered for military personnel throughout

the world.

Fabulous view of ceiling.

Ceiling of Chiesa San Silvestro al Quirinale

our 2nd church visit of the day.

Main altar

Back on the street, we continue with Dan's car obsession.

First and only ride on Rome's Metro trains.

(You can see how thrilled I was.)

Scott graciously guided us through Rome's busy streets

to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

Holy Door

Cool virtual tour here.

Mosaic of Pope Francis

Tomb of St. Paul

We ended the day with a tour of the PNAC and this awesome view of St. Peter's Basilica.

(I might have been getting a little tired of the picture taking

at this point.)

Day 6 here.