Rome Bible Tour

This year I have many friends visiting Europe during a series of International Conventions being held in various countries in Europe. As a side tour many will be making a detour to Italy. Most will be visiting Rome and I know they will love a visit to this ancient city. Among the basic itinerary of the Trevi fountain, gelato and pizza they will be visiting the Roman Forum and the Coliseum. In this blog I have compiled a few of my favorite things to see and points that helped me put these iconic ruins into perspective.

Living near Rome and daily seeing the ruins of the ancient Caesars palaces has made me try to understand when each Caesar lived and how his reign affected the Christians.

Let’s start with the Julian Claudian Dynasty, it was the first Roman imperial Dynasty consisting of the first five emporors—Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. They ruled the Roman Empire from its formation under Augustus in 27 BC until AD 68, when the Nero, committed suicide. The name “Julio-Claudian dynasty” is a term from the two main branches of the imperial family: Julius Caesar and Claudii Nerones.

Of course, you would probably know Julius Ceasar better from the movie “Cleopatra”, the real life tragic love triangle between Julius Ceasar, Cleopatra and Marc Antony. Julius Ceasars adopted son was actually his great-nephew named Octavius and later known as Augustus. The story of Roman history as pertains to the Bible unfolds like this:

• Augustus 27 BC-14 CE (He reigned during Jesus Birth -Luke 2:1)
• Tiberius 14 CE-37 CE nephew of Augustus and later adopted by him.(Tiberius ruled during Jesus Death -Luke 3:1)
• Caligula 37-41 CE The great grandson of Augustus. (During the ministry of Paul, Caligula proclaimed Herod the Great (Agrippa) King over certain regions including Galilee (Romans 12:1))
• Claudius 41-54 CE Nephew of Tiberius. (During Paul’s life, he ordered all Christians out of Rome causing Aquila and Priscilla to move to Corinth where they met Paul and worked together as tent makers -Acts 18:2 and see Acts 11:28)
• Nero 54-68 CE adopted by his great uncle Claudius. (During the time the Roman armies circled Jerusalem but then withdrew. In the video “Walk By Faith” you will see a brief scene where Nero kills himself and the Roman troops are brought back to Rome)
• Vespassian  (not of the family line, rather he rose the Senatorial rank as the first member of his family) During the next four years four different Emperors tried to rule the Roman Empire but each only lasted a short time. Finally Vespasian succeeded and sent his son Titus to conquer Jerusalem and finish the job started four years earlier. Luke 21:21,24 *see the subheading “Coliseum for more information)

Understanding these Roman Emperors has helped me appreciate various ruins around Rome. For example, near my town of Nettuno, in the seaside town of Anzio, there is the ruins of Nero’s summer home. You can look at the ruins and walk right beside the crumbling palace along the beach. There is no entrance fee and the sunsets here are beautiful as you walk the beach and peer into the inner rooms that are now exposed for view, thanks to the walls that relented to the sea long ago.

There is no longer the opulence that was once here with veneered marble walls, murals, statues and gold. Instead, all you will see are the small red bricks that formed the skeleton of the walls. You will see the room devisions and even where the “spa” once was. The Romans loved a good steam bath and you can see the large pool area complete with underground tunnels that held the fires that kept the water hot. It was said that Nero was here in his summer palace when he had Rome set on fire and blamed the Christians.

Take a drive a couple of hours further south from Anzio along the coast and you will come to the seaside town of Sperlonga. It is near here that Tiberius had his summer home. He loved the caves and would equip them with statues and opulence for his enjoyment. There is a museum here that shows what his summer home was like.

This beautiful stretch of Italian coastline stretching from Naples to Rome leads to the Appian Way as mentioned by Paul at Acts 28:15 “From there the brothers, when they heard the news about us, came as far as the Marketplace of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On catching sight of them, Paul thanked God and took courage.” 

Paul had appealed to Ceasar while still in Jerusalem and now he was being taken to Rome along the Appian Way after arriving by ship to Puteoli (near Naples) . How encouraged he must have been to see his brothers at the Marketplace of Appius who had traveled all the way from Rome to receive him. Other brothers waited at the Three Taverns which was 9 1/2 miles closer to Rome. From the scripture it sounds like they were the same location but actually they are at a distance of nine miles. If you’ve ever hiked nine miles you know it is quite a distance. In fact a 5k marathon is only three miles, so it’s like running three 5k marathons!

Now there is a hotel named Foro Appia that stands on the spot where the Marketplace of Appius once stood in the town of Faiti.. In the days of Paul’s journey it was a two days walk from Rome to the Marketplace but the warm encouragement Paul received from his Roman brothers was priceless. Today it is just an hours drive on the Pontina. It still amazes me that all of this beautiful bible history is right in my backyard, in my own region of Lazio. How often we have traveled this road but seeing the signs that say Via Appia still astound me. Our purpose in driving this road is so much different than Paul’s, we are usually laden with picnic basics and beach blankets as we make the journey that was so arduous and stressful for Paul.

During this two-year imprisonment in Rome, Paul stayed busy writing the letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon and later near the time of his release he wrote his letter to the Hebrews.. During this same time Mark was also in Rome where he wrote his Gospel account.  During Pauls second imprisonment in Rome, in about 65 C.E., Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy and shortly after this Paul was put to death by Nero’s command.

Just a short time passes from Paul’s death in approximately 65 CE to the Jewish revolt in Jerusalem in 66 CE and Jerusalems consequent destruction in 70 CE. That brings us to the Roman Coliseum….

The Coliseum

The Roman Coliseum (officially referred to as the Flavian Ampitheater) was built with the  treasures looted from the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem by Emperor Vespasian (the Flavian Ampitheatre) in 72 CE.  According to a reconstructed inscription found on the site of the Coliseum, “the emperor Vespasian ordered this new amphitheatre to be erected from his general’s share of the booty.” 1,100,000 Jews and proselytes died in the siege, the majority from starvation and pestilence, and another 97,000 were taken prisoner. 

As prisoners of Rome they contributed to the construction of the Coliseum through forced labor. The slaves undertook manual labor such as working in the quarries at Tivoli where the travertine was quarried, along with lifting and transporting the quarried stones 20 miles from Tivoli to Rome, this sport stadium had the capacity for 55,000 spectators. How much better it would have been for them if they would have listened to Jesus warning at Luke 21:20-24 to flee to the mountains. They could have avoided this future of hard labor and deprivation.

Today Tivoli (the city the stones were quarried from) is a beautiful city known for its fountains and the Villa d’Este. The villa was designed by a Cardinal named d’Este who wanted to be pope but his dreams were dashed by his reputation of living an extravagant lifestyle. The Villa is certainly extravagant with its murals and fountains and water works. It’s worth a day trip from Rome. While you are here think about the Jewish captives that had to quarry stone from this town to carry back to Rome for the Coliseum.

Roman Forum

Just outside of the Colosseum you will find the Roman Forum which was Rome’s seat of government in the time of the Ceasars. We know Paul must have been detained as a prisoner here while he awaited his meeting with Ceasar Nero. This is also near the site of Julius Ceasars  assignation at Largo di Torre Argentina. Caligula also was assassinated here in the Roman forum. Being Ceasar was a dangerous business. 

Via Sacra

Down the center of the Roman Forum is the Via Sacra, the route General Titus took along with his Jewish prisoners and loot from the sacking of Jerusalem. He made a triumphal procession down the Via Sacra on returning home after looting Jerusalem

Arch of Titus

As you wander through the ancient ruins of the Roman Forum you will find many monuments that confirm the accuracy of the Bible record. One such monument is the Arch of Titus. Here on the inner arch you will find bas relief carvings depicting the first century looting of Jerusalem as was witnessed by first century Jewish historian Josephus. These carvings show the triumphant Roman armies carrying the wealth of the temple such as the menorah (candle lampstands) and the table of the show bread.

The Temple Of Saturn

One of my favorite things to gaze on in the Roman Forum is in fact the oldest building in the forum. It was dedicated in 497 BCE and was the site that Saturnalia was inaugurated each year. The iconic front porch is the only thing that remains and you can always recognize it’s tall pillars. It is always shocking to me that this piece of Roman history so blatantly shows how the pagan worship of the Ceasars impacted Christianity. Always celebrated on December 25, the ancient Ceasars worshipped the return of the sun during the festival of Saturnalia. Jesus had prophesied that the weeds would be sown in among the wheat.

Miliarium aureum

Near the Temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum you will find a small unassuming looking monument erected by Ceasar Augustus. Referred to as the Miliarium Aureum, It confirms the statement that “All roads lead to Rome”. All roads were considered to begin at this monument and all distances in the Roman Empire were measured by their distance to it. On it were listed all the major cities in the empire and distances to them. 

After walking the Roman Forum and the Coliseum we are usually exhausted with nothing more to give. All that is left is to sit in a little cafe and enjoy a nice Roman meal and wine. Some typical dishes of Rome that shouldn’t be missed are Pasta Carbonara (pasta in a sauce made with egg, pecorino cheese (similiar to parmesan but made of sheep cheese) and Procuitto (similar to bacon). I also love Cacio e Pepe which is also a pasta made with pecorino cheese and cracked black pepper. Roman Style pizza is a very thin crust pizza but unlike the soft chewy crust of the Napoleatan Style pizza, Roman crust is crispy like a cracker. Also to be enjoyed is Roman Style artichokes and Porchetta which is roasted pork with rosemary and a crispy skin. If you venture into the Jewish quarter of Rome you can try Jewish Artichokes that are deep fried and delicious. Of course the gelato is always delicious!

If you have additional days in Rome you can visit Villa Borghese, a museum in a beautiful villa set in the middle of a park. The Villa itself is worth the visit but you will also find works of art from Michelangelo and Bernini, the famous sculpted. Villa Borghese is in the middle of a large park complete with a Laghetto, or small made made lake. I personally love to rent the little canoe’s there for €3 and take a romantic little paddle around the lake.

On every tourist check list the Trevi fountain, the Spanish steps, the Jewish Ghetto and the great strolling and dining neighborhood of Trastvestere. Trastevere is just a stroll across the Tiber River.

The Pantheon is also an interesting stop, it was formerly a pagan Roman Temple commissioned during the reign of Augustus (20 CE) and dedicated in 126 CE but now is the site of a church. Go inside and look up at the dome for a free peek at one of the worlds oldest domes. Almost 2000 years after its construction and it is still one of the worlds largest unreinforced domes.

Day Trips From Rome

Outside of Rome on day trips you can also visit other cities if you have more time. Tivoli is a good day trip where the Jewish prisons quarried stone for the Coleseum and visit the beautiful Villa d’este.

Nemi is the cute town on a crater lake that Caligula had his cruise ships and it is known for its little tiny strawberries that grow on the slopes of the crater. Everything in the town is Strawberry themed.

Ostia Antica is an ancient city similiar to Pompeii but only a 14 mile subway ride out of Rome. So if you can’t get all the way down to Pompeii give this ancient city a try,

An hour and a half north of Rome you can visit Montefiascone and the hot springs of Viterbo for an “off the beaten track” excursion. You can read more about each of these locations by clicking the links to my archived articles.

This concludes my Rome bible tour and the recommended places to visit while in Rome. I hope you enjoy your visit to this iconic city and create some beautiful Italian memories of your own. Or if you are an “armchair” traveler and just want to explore from the comforts of home, I hope I created a good virtual realty for your imagination!

For other great articles about Traveling & Living in Italy, try one from my Archives:

A Morning Run in Nettuno (Published September 10, 2017)

A Visit to Castelli Romani (Published September 13, 2017)

Dinner for Six (Published October 1, 2017)

Italian Cooking School (Published October 8, 2017)

Culinary Tour of Napoli (Published November 17, 2017)

Changing Seasons in Italy (Published November 25, 2017)

Our Trip to Englands Cotswolds (Published January 12, 2018)

Cooking with Pasquale (Published January 28, 2018)

A Tour of the Garden of Ninfa (Published May 7, 2018)

A Trip to Montefiascone (Published May 17, 2018)

San Gimignano, a visit to a Tuscan Hill Town (Published June 9, 2018)

Tuscan Hot Springs of San Filippo & Saturnia (Published June 13, 2018)

Florence in Fall (Published Nov 6, 2018)

Villas, Palaces and Fortresses (published November 25, 2018)

Path of the Gods and Amalfi Coast (published December 4, 2018)

Budapest in December (published December 10, 2018)

Hill Towns of Central Italy (published January 14, 2019)

The Italian Alps in February (Published February 13, 2019)

House Hunters International in Italy (Published April 24, 2019)

A Californian Surfing in Italy (Published May 1, 2019)

Articles about Tiny House “Homesteading” in California:

The Beginning of a Blog (Published May 18, 2017)

The Cherry Tree (Published May 20, 2017)

How to Roast Your Own Coffee Beans (Published May 22, 2017)

Successful Square Foot Gardening (Published May 23, 2017)

Yosemite (Published June 7, 2017)

My Tiny House (Published June 15, 2017)

Making Noyaux (French Bitter Almond Extract from Stone fruit pits) Published August 7, 2017)

Sweet & Spicy Pickles (Published July 21, 2017

Classic Canned Peaches (Published August 6, 2018)

Ricotta from Powdered Milk (Published Aug 5, 2017)