Day 01
Christian Rome by Car
During our tour, we will see the following:
- The Queen of All Roads - Via Appia was the first road paved by the Romans. Even today, it is very well preserved. As soon as a law adopted in 451 BC permitted the burial of the dead only outside the city walls, Romans buried their dead along the consular roads. Many of the mausoleums survived destruction, which makes Via Appia one of the most attractive sites in Rome. Christians had to respect this law but did not have the money to construct cemeteries. They had no choice but to create underground cemeteries - the Catacombs.
- In 313 AD, Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity and built the first basilica for Christian meetings - San Giovanni in Laterano, the Mother of All Churches, along with the first baptistry. Many relics have been brought to Rome since then, including the Holy Steps - a staircase from Pontius Pilate's palace - and the manger where Christ was laid in Bethlehem, now kept at Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.
