Caio for now

Today, we had the last guided tour we had scheduled on this grand tour of Italy.  We went to the catacombs and to Saint Paul’s Basilica.  You know you’ve seen one too many churches and basilicas when you shrug your shoulders at something like Saint Paul’s, but it did bring about a rather interesting discussion about the money it takes to build and maintain a something like a giant, ornate and some would say over-embellished basilica, and other things such a church could do with that same money.  Especially when you consider that it is a religion conceived of by a man who had a lot to say about the odds of rich men getting into heaven and what you ought to do to the least among your brothers and sisters.  I can see both sides of the argument, though, because the spaces we traveled to are historical and should be preserved, and when you go to worship, you want to feel that you are in the presence of something greater than yourself.  Still, the coin-operated lights for one of the most beautiful mosaics seemed over the top.  

Then again, I am a Minnesota Lutheran, so you have to consider that I was raised in a little bit of a different tradition.  Nevertheless, it was gorgeous, and we enjoyed seeing the basilica.  The thing that we saw just before that was the catacombs.  These underground burial spaces were just as creepy and dark as I remember.  The narrow passageways and low ceilings took us from tomb to tomb of rich and poor people alike.  Naturally, since the tombs had all been open and unguarded for many years, most of the ornate elements from the tombs of long-dead wealthy people had been taken away.  It turns out that the poor were relatively undisturbed for a long time, as they didn’t have anything of value in the tomb, nor did they have decorations on its outside.  At this point in time, though, most of the bones have been carried off as creepy souvenirs or fake religious relics.  Maybe that’s why catacombs have fallen out of favor as a final resting place in modern times.  

Cas really enjoyed the catacombs, but even though I found the whole thing fascinating, I was exceptionally happy to be on the right side of the ground when it was all over.  I doubt I could be a guide for a tour like that and dip under the ground several times a day.  

After that was all done, we got back to the hotel and joined with Jeff, Reema, Nicci and Jon for one last extravagant Italian lunch.  They do a small first course and a moderate sized second course here, which is very cool.  This time, I stared with a pasta carbonara, wile he had a shrimp cream risotto.  We shared a steak after that.  Perfection.  Jeff and Reema had a salt-baked sea bass, which was presented as a whole fish table-side, then prepared by the waitress who uncovered it from the salt, pulled the skin back and removed the edible part with a spoon.  She was amazing, and I had a bite of the fish- it was pretty spectacular, too.  All that remains is our farewell drink in the hotel lobby in about an hour, then our super-early morning tomorrow.  I am sure I will write a little more from the airport or when we get back to our house (I miss our house!), but for this trip, I believe I have told the whole story.  Caio for now!  

Here are our photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/PR6jn1ZzhDS6cx8q8