It’s Allison again. I’m back with a quick update on the day because I have the most to report.
After going to bed at about 11pm last night, we assumed the boys would sleep in a bit this morning. Lol. The boys were up and ready to rock at 6am as always. Thankfully for me, it was Mike’s day to wake up with them, and they ate breakfast, played games, and squirmed around for a few hours before coming in to wake me up as well.
We had planned to visit a castle today. But the boys were a bit cranky and everyone was “tired of adventures” as Beren once said. We decided that the boys would have a chill day together around the apartment while I ventured off on my own for the morning. After grabbing some pastries together, I hugged the guys goodbye and hopped on a bus headed a few stops North. I walked past the impressive Trevi Fountain again, and headed on to the Capuchin Crypt.
The Capuchin Crypt is the burial place of around 4,000 Capuchin friars who died between 1500 – 1870. Upon entering, you are led through a museum of artifacts, paintings, and displays around the Order’s history and certain saints that were a part of it. Then, you turn the corner and find yourself suddenly in the crypt. It was a bit jarring!
The crypt consists of six rooms off of a long hallway. What is unique about this crypt in particular is that the human remains are not hidden or stored away. In fact, they are intricately displayed. Each room is covered in ornate patterns of human bones from floor to ceiling. There are some inferences on which friar may be responsible for these displays and why, but no one is certain. Generally, the display is recognized as a mockery of death. I liked this quote that was posted upon entering:
It is strange to see how artistic form and aesthetic law have almost triumphed over what is inherently horrifying. The fact is, however, that art has arrived here at the point of transforming into richly shaped figures and graceful arabesques what the vanquished see as the peak of horror and what the earth usually enfolds mercifully in the mantle of death.
Ferdinand Greogorovius, 1853
After walking through the eerie and captivating crypt, I took a meandering path back to the apartment, stopping by churches or other places of interest along the way. I made a point to see the Spanish Steps – a place I wanted to visit because of its appearance in the Lizzie McGuire movie. Surprisingly, Mike didn’t share my enthusiasm for Disney Channel-themed sites, so this was the perfect opportunity.
The afternoon was a relaxed one for me and the kids. I was tired from my long walk, and the boys were still not up for adventure. So other than a quick visit to the park and a gelato stop (of course!), we hung around the apartment. Mike had an all-day meeting (which translates to all-evening meeting Rome time), so we handed dinner to him through the door and he popped out for a few minutes at a time when he could.
