Italy: Day 3, Part 3

 I know. You've been dying to find out about that little picture at the bottom of the last post. Good news! I've got an explanation. And a much larger picture.

The Cimitero dei Cappuccini or the Cemetery of the Capuchins is not underground nor is there dirt or a single headstone. Instead, the cemetery is a crypt beneath the church of Santa Maria della Conzione dei Cappuccini (also known as the Church of the Immaculate Conception). The bones of about 4,000 deceased Capuchin monks are divided into six room in a visual reminder of what we all become when we reach the end of our time on Earth.

The bones of the crypts were taken from the bodies after they had been buried for about thirty years and allowed to decompose. Once the thirty years had passed, the bodies were exhumed and newly deceased friars would take their places.

 The bones were then placed in intricate designs by bone type. The picture below is from the Crypt of the Skulls. There is also the Crypt of the Resurrection (of Lazarus), the Mass Chapel, the Crypt of the Pelvises, the Crypt of the Leg Bones and Thigh Bones, and the Crypt of the Three Skeletons.

Pictures aren't allowed, so we bought a postcard and then took a picture of it. You can, however, do a quick google search and see all the rooms.  You really can't tell from the picture, but the monks were only about 4 to 5 feet tall back then. I thought they were children at first and then Matt told me that they were old men based on the bone structure.

I admit, walking through the crypts gave me the creeps, but I couldn't look away. I wish I knew the actual process they used to design the crypts. Morbid, I know.

And then, to lighten things up, we went to Zara. I'd say it's like the Banana Republic of Italy (maybe Europe, I wouldn't know). Cute, cute stuff that I would have bought had I Kate Middleton's money.

We then headed back towards our hotel. I mean, it was about six o'clock and Rome was shutting down. And we were exhausted. I mean, think about everything we had already done that day. Serious walking.

We stopped in the basilica that I mentioned before - San Maria delgi Angeli. We saw the outside on our first day in Rome, but couldn't go in. Finally, we got to see the inside. It was absolutely stunning. The marble was green, white, gold, and black. You can see it in the picture. It was absolutely beautiful. I could feel the cold marble floors through the soles of my shoes and on my tired and blistered feet. It was a new, good kind of pain.

Matt and I were two of about twenty other people in the basilica. We felt like we were the only ones there. This church was my favorite simply because it actually felt like a holy place. Though The Vatican was bigger, San Maria delgi Angeli was more of a church to me. If I ever go back to Rome, I'm going back to this place.

We then went back to our hotel and promptly fell asleep. For too long. We woke up, sunburnt and starving about 8:30 p.m. We asked the front desk for a restaurant recommendation. The suggested a nearby place called Babbo's. We ordered the house white, shared some bruschetta with tomatoes and then spaghetti with meat sauce and gnocci with shrimp. Both tasted fresh and real. By that point, I'd say it was our best meal.  We then walked around for awhile and called it a day. We were ready to say goodnight to the crowded streets, rude Italians and tourists, crazy Vespa drivers, and constant cigarette smoke.

Preview to Day 4: The Vatican, lunch on the side of the road, and beautiful Florence.