roman walks “the walking of which i speak has nothing in it akin to taking exercise . . . but is itself the enterprise and adventure of the day.” —henry david thoreau Gentle Wayfarer, Welcome to the University of Notre Dame’s Rome Global Gateway, nestled in the heart of the Eternal City. Rome is a city that needs to be walked in order to be truly experienced and understood. Every corner of Rome, every street, has something surprising and precious to reveal. We invite you to approach the city on foot, step by step, walking these nine “Roman walks,” at your own pace. We encourage you to combine their pathways, and to find new ones. Rome generously offers itself to pilgrims and wanderers. In the end, you won’t be able to help calling yourself a Roman. Walk with us . . . Notre Dame International contents introduction the notre dame rome global gateway 7 in via ostilia: the rione celio in the heart of the city 1. a walk along (inside and outside) 15 the aurelian walls: from porta san giovanni to porta san paolo 2. a walk in the neighborhood: 29 san clemente, santi quattro coronati, and santo stefano rotondo 3. exploring the caelian hill: 41 the villa celimontana, santa maria in domnica, santi giovanni e paolo, and san gregorio al celio 4. from the celio through 51 via dei fori imperiali to the campidoglio, and visit to the musei capitolini 5. basilica di san giovanni in laterano, 65 battistero lateranense, and the scala santa 6. basilica di santa croce in gerusalemme 75 and the national museum of musical instruments 7. a walk on the oppian hill: 83 the domus aurea and san pietro in vincoli 8. from the caelian to the esquiline hill: 91 santa maria maggiore and santa prassede 9. the museo storico della liberazione 105 in via tasso: a walk in 1943-44 rome bibliography 115 alphabetical index 119 subject index 123 1 about the author Chiara Sbordoni, a native of Rome’s San Giovanni neighborhood, was a Devers Program in Dante Studies postdoctoral fellow, 2006–07, and visiting assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame from 2007 until 2011, where she taught Italian language and Italian Medieval and Renaissance literature. She is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Leeds within the project “Oral Culture, Manuscript and Print in Early Modern Italy, 1450–1700” (Italian Voices). Her research focuses on linguistic variety in Renaissance theatrical texts and their performances. 2 introduction   Via Labicana Pi azza del Colosseo         Via Labicana Via  Via Capo d'AfricaVia di San Giovanni in Laterano Merulana elio tilia   o del C   Via Os Via Marco Aurelio erceti e del Parc Via Claudi Via Annia Via dei Qu Via dei Santi Quattro al a Vi Clivo di Scauro a n o R o t o n d o ef S t o nt a S Via di V ia d Via ada m ei L d Ar a 3 ella Navicella Via di S a nt'E ra s m o Via dell'A m ba terani   Via Labicana Pi azza del Colosseo         Via Labicana Via  Via Capo d'AfricaVia di San Giovanni in Laterano Merulana elio tilia   o del C   Via Os Via Marco Aurelio erceti e del Parc Via Claudi Via Annia Via dei Qu Via dei Santi Quattro al a Vi Clivo di Scauro a n o R o t o n d o ef S t o nt a S Via di V ia d Via ada m ei L d Ar a ella Navicella Via di S a nt'E ra s m o Via dell'A m ba 4 terani introduction 5 6 introduction the notre dame rome global gateway in via ostilia: the rione celio in the heart of the city The main entrance to the Notre Dame Rome Global Gateway is in Via Ostilia 15, in the Rione Celio (Caelian neighborhood), on the slopes of the Caelian Hill, overlooking the Palatine, Aventine, and Esquiline Hills. The building, dating back to the turn of the twentieth century, originally hosted the pharmaceutical company “Dottor Ravasini.” Newly restored, the building, painted in a warm yellow ochre, typical of the center of Rome, is three storeys tall; its windows open onto Via Ostilia, as well as two side roads: Via dei Santi Quattro and Via Capo d’Africa. The site is in the heart of Rome, enclosed and served by large thoroughfares such as Via Labicana, Via Celio Vibenna, Via dell’Amba Aradam, Piazza di Porta San Giovanni, Via Merulana, and Via Emanuele Filiberto: beneath here run the two lines of the subway (metro lines A and B), with a third under construction (line C). And yet, walking around the building, in the narrow streets where the vehicle traffic is very limited, the site itself is an oasis of peace and quiet. The surrounding neighborhood is lively, and mainly inhabited by Romans (by either birth or adoption). Although there are a number of hotels, given the strategic position and the beauty of the area, it is not populated by hordes of tourists like other neighborhoods in the center of Rome. Here, modern life flows among the fourth- and fifth-century churches, with their seventeenth- and eighteenth-century façades, perfectly integrated into the centuries- old stratification of the city’s history, still visible in the monuments and panoramas. The Caelian neighborhood is one of the pulsing hearts of modern Roman life. For instance, this is a site traditionally devoted to study. In fact, two other international institutions have their campuses in this area: the Pontificia Università Lateranense (Pontifical Lateran University), founded in 1773 by Pope Clement XIV, and the Pontificio Collegio Irlandese (Pontifical Irish College), founded in 1628. Besides these universities, there is San Giovanni-Addolorata, one of the major hospital complexes of the capital, with its physicians and students of medicine. Moreover, the Ospedale 7