Via Appia Antiqua et “sub arboribus”

OK, I haven’t written in a few days because I’ve had this cold, see, and I didn’t really feel like it. But now I feel better and my voice has returned (not just metaphorically -- vocem perdidi for two days and now it’s back), so I can bring things up to date. First, a few Reggie-isms:

If you put this sentence in a bathtub, the dolphin would go right for the verb.

I think it’s a great idea: to stand at the shore of a lake or the top of a mountain naked and praise the Lord of the universe! Bingo bango!

Latin is not a grammar … that’s like saying Mozart is do re mi fa so la ti do … with a few variations.

Any German Shepard on the street knows this.

Zip zip!

So. I’ve seen a couple of cool things with Emily – Castel San’ Angelo, a Cappuchin crypt with all the bones in baroque designs, and, on Sunday, we walked the Via Appia. (The “queen of roads”.) We were supposed to go to Tivoli and Hadrian’s villa, but Reggie’s copy machine broke down so he couldn’t make the packets, and he called off the trip (there’s no point in going if we can’t read Latin!). So some of us decided to take the day to walk the Via Appia, the old road which connected Rome and, in 312BC, Capua, then later to Beneventum and Brundusium. Along the sides of it are rather rich tombs, and as you continue down, the parasol pines and trees become more apparent, the road is surrounded by wheat fields dotted with bright red poppies, and the original paving stones, worn by the feet of travelers, become more apparent.

We took the bus to the church called “Domine, quo vadis?” – legend has it that Peter (yes, the apostle) was fleeing persecution in Rome when he had an apparition of Jesus Christ heading the other way. Peter called out, “Domine, quo vadis?” – Lord, where are you going? Christ answered that he was going to Rome to be crucified a second time. Peter, thoroughly ashamed, turned back towards Rome, where he was crucified for his faith. The church supposedly marks the spot where Christ appeared and owns a plaster cast of His footprints. Uh, yeah. Anyway, we couldn’t see inside because it was Sunday and mass was going on, so we didn’t go in. (But on Sunday, the road is closed to traffic.) Anyway, I was wearing shorts and probably would’ve been kicked out (I’ve been kicked out of more important basilicas for wearing too-short skirts…).

So we visited the catacombs of San Callisto – much bigger than the catacombs of Priscilla, but basically the same – which measure about 13km. We were lead around by a crusty old Irish Catholic priest, which was a lot of fun – much better than the perky Italian woman leading the English tour in front of us. Catacombs, I have to say, are awfully cool. We saw inscriptions from the first few martyred popes, the room of St. Cecilia, and some sarcophagi with remains still remaining (reliquae adhuc manent??). Then we walked along… and walked… and walked… and we saw some tombs, and trees, and some tombs that were mounds, which means we looked at lots of dirt. Thanks, Emily. :)

So today was our first session sub arboribus -- under the trees. Latin conversation under the trees in the garden of Reggie’s monastery. Conloquabamur Latine sub arboribus in horto monestarii Reginaldi. I brought a pizza, everyone brought wine, and, yes, for about an hour we spoke together in Latin. How crazy is that???