A three-sentence history of Rome: The Roman Empire existed for about 1,000 years. It rose from (approximately) 500 BC to 0, was at its height until 200 AD, and fell until 500 AD. Toward the beginning of its fall, the Aurelian Walls were built around Rome to keep out invaders (not that they managed it well; Attila the Hun still broke through in the early 400s). These walls still encircle downtown and Ancient Rome, as well as Trastevere. Some sections have even been turned into apartments and stores.
We spent our last full day in Rome exploring beyond these walls, primarily to the north of the city. Our first stop was the Catacombe di Priscilla, 13 km (8 mi) of underground catacombs used from 200 to 300 AD. 40,000 bodies were, and many still are, interred there. Our tour through the catacombs covered about half a mile of these low-ceilinged, cell-phone-flashlight-lit underground corridors, where bodies were lain in locker-type cubbies, five or ten high.
We passed thigh bones and still-sealed children's sarcophagi, secret chapels and ancient frescoes. We saw the oldest known portrayal of the Madonna and child (painted between 240 and 260 AD), as well as the oldest known depiction of the three wise men. These catacombs were discovered by accident when someone stumbled across their only entrance in the 16- or 1700s, and the Vatican helped restore the tombs and underground chapels in the 1870s.
Bernini's Daphne and Apollo.
Fun fact: It is creepy af when you're fighting off waves of claustrophobia (and I'm not even claustrophobic), can't see anything (it is literally that dark down there), remember that Italy gets bad earthquakes and that shit would bury you alive in seconds, and then you hear Gregorian chants wafting through the pitch-black corridors of cubby crypts and skeleton remains thanks to the still-used chapels down there. I was clambering to get out by the end.
We walked 30 minutes south of the catacombs to the Borghese gallery, which is most renowned for Bernini's sculpture of Daphne and Apollo. We toured the gardens with paninis in hand, wandered through the museum, and then slowly made our way back through Rome toward Trastevere (on the far south). We peered in leather shops, had way too many espressos each (four, in fact; we couldn't fall asleep until 1:30 AM, so we haven't done that since), and got lost in winding alleys (Ryan says he wasn't actually lost). Our last night in Rome was spent outside Grazie e Graziella, a restaurant in the heart of Trastevere, where we people-watched for hours.
Arco degli acetari.