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A Morning Walk on the Appia Antica
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Start at the Porta San Sebastiano, the grandest city gate of them all, where you can visit the Museo delle Mura . Climb the stairs for great views. From here, continue straight on along the Via Appia Antica . One of the first sights you’ll come to, on the left at a crossroads, is the small church of Domine Quo Vadis? - this marks the spot where Peter, fleeing persecution, encountered Christ and decided to return to Rome and face his martyrdom like a saint. The church contains a replica of footprints in stone, said to be those of Christ, but it is actually an ancient pagan ex voto .
Quite a bit further ahead, you’ll come to the Catacombs of San Sebastiano. Take the guided tour, and don’t miss the curious fresco of a bowl of fruit and a partridge, which, according to some ancient writers, was the most lascivious of all creatures. Continuing on, past a mobile bar where you can buy snacks and drinks, visit the Circus of Maxentius, an ancient racetrack. Note how amphorae were embedded in the bricks to lighten the construction of the upper grandstands. Last stop will be the 1st-century BC Tomb of Cecilia Metella. The frieze of bulls’ skulls and garlands is beautiful and the cone-shaped sanctum is peaceful.
For lunch, walk back to the Antica Hostaria l’Archeologia (see Antica Hostaria l’Archeologia, Via Appia Antica). After lunch, backtrack a few hundred metres to the bus stop to catch the No. 118 into town.
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