How Curiosity paid off
The door to Santa Maria in Cappella (the church right next to where we are staying in Rome) was slightly ajar. Emily went up to it, to peer inside. One of the doormen, Paolo saw us and told us to go inside. He soon joined us with two bags of bones. He put the bags down and in broken english said, "You like... Bones?" At first it seemed like something out of a horror movie. But then Paolo began showing us all around the church. He pulled us over to the altar showing us the marble piece inscribed with latin, marking the date the church was built (1090). He took us to the back to show us where the priest used to stay. He showed us the narrow, spiral stair that led to the gallery space of the church (Which we were allowed to climb). There was also a hole in the floor covered by wood. He pushed aside the pieces of wood to reveal Ancient Roman housing, 7 meters below the church. However, the most exciting part were the roman pieces of pottery. He had 40 yellow trays of broken bits of pottery, from Ancient Roman times up to Medieval.
Finally with our adventure coming to a close, he told he had one more place to take us. He lead us into a building in our courtyard and took us up onto the roof terrace! We could see our whole courtyard, part of the church roof, the tiber and more. I have been fortunate enough to be on many roofs, hills, and Duomos while studying abroad. However, this might be one of my favorite spots. So close to home and the end of one of my best adventures in Rome so far.
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