Get DK Top Ten Travel Guides on your iPhone & iPod Touch!
Exploring Rome’s Early Churches
-
Morning
Start with San Clemente , with its fascinating layers. At the lowest level use a torch (flashlight) to appreciate the beautiful fresco of the head of a bearded man.
Walk one block over to the Via dei Santi Quattro Coronati to glimpse the produce market (see Quattro Coronati); turn left and walk up the hill to Santi Quattro Coronati, a rich and little visited 4th-century church with remarkable frescoes in the chapel (1246). Continue on until you reach San Giovanni in Laterano (see San Giovanni in Laterano and Scala Santa). The cloisters with gorgeously twisted columns and mosaic inlays will make your visit truly memorable.
For an equally memorable lunch, head to Cannavota .
Afternoon
After lunch, it’s time for another of the great basilicas, Santa Maria Maggiore . Check out the ancient column in front and inside use binoculars to examine the 5th-century mosaics lining the upper reaches of the nave. Finally, cut over to Santa Prassede, where you can take in some of Rome’s most radiant Byzantine mosaics and a powerful painting of the Flagellation in the sacristy.
For sustenance after your spiritual journey, continue down the hill, past Santa Maria Maggiore’s grand staircase and enjoy a drink at L’Angolo di Napoli , or stay for a dinner of Neapolitan-style pizza.
Advertisement
-
-
Berlin guide
skrams
-
London guide
pukank
-
Merry in Madrid
travel
-
-
New York festivities
travel
-
Christmas in Vienna
travel
-
Washington, D.C. guide
michae
-
Venice Guide
BillZi
-
![[+]](/images/button-addtoguide.gif)
symbol, to start adding attractions to your
tailor-made travel guide.
If you were signed in, you could write a review here. Register for a free account, or if you're already a member, sign in.