Rome Treansfer takes you to explore the Porta Maggiore

If you are a fan of Ancient Rome traveling, the Porta Maggiore and the tomb of the baker Marcus Vergilius Eurysaces should be on your touristic itinerary. Get-ting to this section of town, located at the southern end of Termini station can be a bit tricky and sketchy. Take advantage of your Rome Transfer's driver to help you transfer to this point quickly and hassle-free. In 52 AD Claudius, the Emperor of Rome, built the Porta Maggiore, originally called the Porta Prenesti-na, as a decorative support the two aqueducts: the Aqua Claudia and the Anio Novus. The Porta Maggiore was later incorporated into the Aurelian walls in 271 AD. The aqueducts transferred water from the springs Caeruleus and Cur-tius to the city of Rome and its inhabitants. The gate has two archways forming three columns. Notice that the stones on the bottom look rough and unfinished. This style is called rusticated, and it is purposefully carved this way, which is much more difficult than carving a smooth rock. The top of the monument bears inscriptions recording Claudius’ construction of the monument and later interventions by Vespasian and Titus. These last two emperors also built the Colosseum. During your transfer, Rome Transfer’s drivers will be delight-ed to take you to the Colosseum.

Go to see the Tomb of the Baker with Rome Transfer

Any citizen of ancient Rome needed to have a tomb. They recorded your pres-ence on earth and perpetuated your memory for generations to come. For an-cient Romans, memory was the afterlife, and you will find inscriptions on tombs calling out to the passerby to come and read them and remember the deceased in the tomb. The freedman Marcus Vergilius Eurysaces built this tomb for him-self and his wife Atistia, at the end of the Republic. Slaves could purchase or be awarded their freedom, and they were subsequently referred to as freedmen. The trapezoidal tomb was built in to the Aurelian walls, and stands about thirty-three feet high. The tomb is composed of three registers. The majority of the tomb’s base is underground. The second level contains thick columns placed closely together and decorated with an unusual capital that mixes volute scrolls and vegetal reliefs. The most notable feature is the twelve tubes of the third level, which are thought to represent the ovens for baking the bread. At the top, a continuous frieze wraps around the monument representing scenes of bread making: receiving grain, kneading the dough, and weighing the bread. From the grandeur of his tomb, it seems like Eurysaces could have supplied bread for everyone!

Eurysaces took pride in his role as a baker and a freedman. This tomb and its prominent placement show the wealth he accumulated throughout his life. He built his tomb in the shape of a giant oven, and his wife’s cremated remains were placed in an urn shaped as a breadbasket!! Originally, Eurysaces and his wife were shown in the center of tomb wearing a toga and palla, (these reliefs are now in the Palazzo dei Conservatori). We can see Eurysaces’ pride in his newly granted citizenship. Wearing a toga was privilege reserved only for free citizens of Rome, and Eurysaces proudly wears this special garment in the fu-nerary reliefs. Rome Transfer’s chauffer service takes pride in their profes-sional appearance and service, and they will happily drive you to all your de-sired destinations from.

The Church of St. Bibiana

Once you have finished admiring the Porta Maggiore and the Tomb of the Baker, ask you driver to take you to the church of St. Bibiana. In 1625-26 Ber-nini restored the church, which had stood vacant for over a century. This was his first architectural project, and you can see the beautiful new Loggia he de-signed as an entrance to the church. Inside is his exquisite statue of the saint, and frescoes by Pietro da Cortona and Agostino Ciampelli, which depict the live and martyrdom of St. Bibiana. After your lovely excursion to Porta Maggiore and the church of S. Bibiana, your Rome Transfer's driver will take you to your next destination anywhere.