Five of Us Riding Nowhere: Peter, Paul and Mary

The Vatican and Pantheon provided the backdrop for discussions about Peter, Paul and Mary. It should be noted that John, Daniel and Dinah know nothing about Peter, Paul and Mary the folk group. They do know something about the apostles and mother of Jesus.

St. Peter’s Basilica is arguably the grandest church in the world. According to tradition, it is built on the exact spot that Peter was crucified – upside down because he felt he was not worthy to be crucified in the same way as Jesus. If that's not a big enough deal, that Charlemagne guy was crowned there in the year 800.

While we’re on the topic of the Vatican, it should be noted that seeing Michaelangelo’s work in the Sistine Chapel in person should be on everyone’s list to do. Absolutely stunning. Raphael was no slouch either. John saw it all while fittingly wearing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt.

Paul was imprisoned right down the road from the Colosseum and Forum in the Mamertine, which is where he is said to have wrote 2 Timothy.

The Pantheon, built in the 2nd Century, was rededicated as a church to Mary and the martyrs in the 7th Century and rounds out the Peter, Paul and Mary journey through Rome.

Completely unrelated, we’re staying right next to the Parco degli Acquedotti. The engineering of Roman acqueducts is amazing, especially considering these were built in the 1st Century. This park was also in the opening scene of the Fellini movie, La Dolce Vita. If you haven't seen the movie, you should at least watch that scene here.

We also discovered that groups of Italians say “cheese” to get everyone to smile for photos, apparently because saying “formaggio” doesn't quite have the same effect.