The Daily Column.

One, two, three, Forum.

Rome, Italy - In the ruins of the Roman Forum, ancient marble columns litter the ground like upturned bones, bleached by the centuries poured over them.

The dust here is older than anything we have back home.

Ancient churches and seats of government lay scattered by the weight of time. Many were built in the eighth century. Before Christ.

It's this sense of time that remains staggering as you wander through the shards of history – which are still being discovered on an ongoing basis – that may otherwise be less interesting. My mind simply does not compute everyday life 2,000 years ago.

And this, despite previous travels having carried me to the cradle of humankind.

We also stopped into the church of San Pietro in Vincoli, which reputedly houses the chains in which St. Peter was bound in Jerusalem. It is also home the tomb of Pope Julius II, and a statue of Moses by Michelangelo – which bears a mark akin to a knee surgery scar from when the artist threw a hammer at it in frustration.

Our day ended with a visit to the Capuchin Crypt. From 1528-1870, these monks artfully made extraordinarily ornate mosaics from the bones of 4,000 of their deceased brethren. Frames of pelvises, lamps of mandibles and fully mummified monks stand in intricate patterns in a series of alcoves.

While incredible, it's enough to send a chill up your spine – and maybe theirs.