This itinerary shows the true essence of Rome, a city born from the stratification of centuries of history, where time has never stopped.
We will start in the square of the Colosseum in front of the ruins of the Ludus Magnus, one of the gyms which hosted the gladiators. From here we continue towards the Basilica of San Clemente, where we can touch with our hands the thousands of years of stratification which gave life to Rome as we know it today. We will discover in fact that the church we see from the street is only the last of three superimposed buildings, which we will visit going down until the underground. As we pass through the splendid mosaics of the medieval basilica to the frescoes of the Early Christian era, up to the mithraeum and the remains of the ancient imperial mint, and witness the very first testimonials of vulgar Italian language, we suddenly see that the so-called “dark age” of the Middle period proves to be on the contrary, quite different. In fact the Middle Ages can be appreciated here afresh in the abundance of its artistic and cultural achievements.
Only a few meters away from the Basilica of San Clemente, is the utterly unmissable monastic complex of Santi Quattro Coronati which still preserves its appearance of an ancient fortress. We will visit the church, the beautiful cloister but above all the Oratorio di San Silvestro, a jewel of medieval art adorned with splendid frescoes from the 13th Century which tells us the stories of Pope Silvester and of the first Roman Christian emperor : Costantino.
However the surroundings hide many more treasures which deserve a visit: do not miss our itinerary Discovering the Celium!
