This Month's Issue Of "Italy With Us", Table of Contents:

* Apostolic Influence in Italy 

* An Italian "New Year"

* Off the Beaten Track: Magliano, a small town in Tuscany 

* A guide to survival: Getting around Italy -              (Part 2: Shopping and Getting Around) 

* Recipe: Eating Italian 

* Why I Love Italy:  The Story of an 82 yr young Italian-American Lady 
         ( I love the part about her using her Computer 
             to be internationally Internet Connected) 

The full Newsletter can be found at:
Italy With Us - Ezine, page 1  
http://www.italywithus.biz/ezine/Dec02/index.htm

I was suprised to be fascinated by portions of the "Apostolic Influence in Italy", which is reproduced only in a small part below.

Apostolic Influence in Italy

By Helen Donegan  

Italy has many connections to the apostles and early disciples of Jesus Christ. Of particular interest at Christmas - believers or not. Some of the stories behind the first Christians in Italy are fascinating and the places connected to them are often well worth a visit for a multiple of reasons, not just religious. 

The first surprise for some will be, according to Catholic legend, eight of the 12 Apostles are buried in Italy. Add to these the two evangelists, Mark buried in Venice and Luke buried in Padova.... We now have a very large base to start our search in Italy for connections with the New Testament, the apostles and the early Christians. 

The fisherman Simon Peter (known as Peter) was the leader of the apostles. After Christ's death, Peter travelled extensively before arriving in Italy. In the middle of the 1st century, the Christians of Rome were considered part of the city's Jewish community. They enjoyed the extensive privileges bestowed on the Jews by the Romans. This came to an end in 64A.D, after the fire in Rome, when Nero who blamed the Christians for the damage, initiated his persecution of Christians. 

Acts 12 tells us that Peter was arrested under the orders of Herod Agrippa and was then imprisoned in Rome at Mamertime prison (Gemonium or the Tullian Keep), near the Capitoline Hill, for 9 months. This was Peter's second time in prison... 

Further along the Via Appia, at the place where the chapel Domine, Quo Vadis? stands, Peter met Jesus coming into the city. "Where are you going, Lord?" Peter asked. When Jesus told him he was going to join those suffering in the city, the apostle returned to accept the same fate.

Inside the chapel of Domine, Quo Vadis you will see what is said to be a copy of the footprint of Christ... 

Nero Claudius Caesar (37-68) was an unparalleled tyrant. He ordered a barbarous persecution of Christians , after Nero, himself, was blamed for the great fire of Rome. He wanted to find a scapegoat and detract from the rumours that spread the word that he had started the fire. In his circus games and races were held and Christians were slaughtered to amuse Romans. Nero's Circus was actually built during Caligula's reign and was situated in the area where the Vatican square and gardens are today. 

A great stone obelisk stood in the centre of Circus Nero. In 37 A.D. this had been dragged to Rome from Alexandria, Egypt by the imperial legions of Caligula....In 1586, eighty years after work on the "new" basilica of St. Peter had begun, Sixtus V ordered that it be moved to the center of the piazza of St. Peter. It was to be the center piece of Bernini's encircling colonnade.... 

Traditionally it is thought the that Peter was martyred in 67 AD at Nero's Circus. He asked to be crucified with his head downward since he was not worthy to suffer as Jesus had. The Roman soldiers would not have found this unusual because slaves were crucified in the same manner. Later, around 320-329, the Emperor Constantine built over his tomb the first church in his honour. It was demolished in the sixteenth century to give rise to the present basilica. 

Throughout the Roman Empire Christianity expanded steadily for the next centuries . Their conflict with the Roman Empire, which brought on them continual persecution , was chiefly a result of the Christian refusal to offer divine honours to the emperors. But Christianity penetrated the army and the royal household, in spite of the constant danger of detection and persecution. There were many periods in the first three centuries when Christians worshiped openly, even in Rome, where the catacombs housed not only graves but also churches...,