Rome, Round Two

I could not help but have a sinking feeling in my stomach as the plane landed in the Rome airport and Tessie and I got ready to face the music and find our way to the convent we were staying at. The airport at Rome is much older, dingier and dirtier than the shiny marble Barcelona airport, and I was already imagining the equally old, dingy and dirty buses and trains and trams we would be dealing with in just a few minutes. As we got on the train, looked for the bus stop, found the right bus and got on, I kept waiting for it to get bad and for us to get lost and uncomfortable. Then, suddenly, we were at our convent and it only took two hours to get there, and we were never really lost even once!

Rose Garden at the Convent of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family

This experience was echoed by all my other experiences as I got a second chance at Rome; I found that knowing the ropes and having someone to share the little burdens of travelling made all the difference. Rome, Revisited was absolutely charming! Our convent turned out to be a full-blown hotel type operation with automated window shutters and American plug converters on the outlets at the end of a nice shady pathway lined with rosebushes. We went out and had lunch at a little roadside café in the Monte Verde area around our convent, and met up with Keith for a lovely evening strolling the streets of Rome’s historic district. Rome when it’s relatively quiet on a spring evening is quite different from Rome under the blazing daytime sun filled with tourists. Visiting little churches, getting a cappuccino, and watching the entertainers in Piazza Navona followed by a delicious dinner at L’Archetto, home to 50 different pasta dishes… we enjoyed every moment. Especially L’Archetto. Though it takes about thirty minutes to decide what to order, because it’s all so delicious, when the pasta does come in a steaming savory heap cooked to perfection the thirty minutes it takes to eat it are heavenly. If you are ever in Rome and you want a big plate of insanely delicious spaghetti served with cheap sparkling wine and soft bread, this is your place, and I am somewhere in the world envying you. We finished off with gelato and a visit to the Trevi fountain, which though crowded is still magical at night. The fountain is lit up, and the light plays on the water making it seem clearer and purer than in the daytime and throwing beautiful water-reflections over everything. Visinting Rome last week I basically refused to throw a coin in the fountain since I was not sure I wanted to return, but this time I threw in my little coins and took cutesy pictures and generally made my peace with Rome.

At L'Archetto

Trevi Fountain

When you only have two days in Rome, what do you go to see? It seems like quite a dilemma but for us the answer was pretty clear: St. Peter’s Basilica. We were able to drift around in the gargantuan cathedral for about four hours Friday morning, staring at the ceiling in awe at the scale of the place. Talk about imposing! Being outside makes you feel about six inches tall while being inside somehow makes you feel even smaller, and it can’t help but inspire awe. The thing I most loved about it, though, was the unity of the place. For such a huge place to have such consistency and harmony in its interior design and décor both aesthetically and thematically is a pretty great feat. The mosaics were beautiful, as well; what looks like a painting turns out to be made up of tiny bits of perfectly placed glass on closer inspection. So much detail, so many tall angular columns and larger than life marble statues, and what seems like miles of gold-scrolled ceiling... four hours was not nearly enough time to explore the whole Basilica. Though I will admit that after four hours it all started to run together anyways and I became primarily preoccupied with the thought of a warm yummy Panini for lunch. And a giant cone of cold, smooth gelato from the best gelato shop in Rome, Old Bridge across from the Vatican walls.

I would imagine that every Catholic who visits Rome would want to come away with some religious type items, rosaries etc., bought and blessed in Rome, and Tessie and I were no different. Our plan was to stop at some of the numerous trinket shops across from the Vatican and purchase some religious items, then go search out a priest in St Peter’s Square, were there were bound to be plenty, and ask one of them to kindly bless our things. That way, we could bring back items blessed in the Vatican, which though not blessed by the Pope himself or anything would still be special and a nice reminder of our visit to Rome. Hey, you can’t have everything in this life, and any priest that would be kind enough to bless our items would be perfect in our book! Blessed is blessed, after all.

Inside St. Peter's

So we wandered around St. Peter’s square for a while, scouting out our prospects in search of a priest who spoke English and who didn’t look busy so that we could ask for a blessing without imposing. The square was full of priests, partly because the Beatification of John Paul II was to take place in a few days and pilgrims were already arriving, but none of them seemed to fit the criterion. That one strode across the square looking busy, the other one was speaking rapidly in Italian, those two were actually seminarians so that’s a no go. Finally, my eyes lighted on one distinguished and kind looking older priest in conversation with a tall curly haired man. He was clearly a priest, and I could hear him speaking in American English, so we decided this was our man. We didn’t want to interrupt, and Keith saw a few other possible prospects but I had my heart set on this one. After standing nearby for a few minutes I decided to take the plunge and ask for his blessing, thinking that he wouldn’t mind the interruption since it was for a good reason and he would probably be happy to bless three young pilgrims. We approached, and I apologized for the interruption and asked if he would kindly bless some items for us. He immediately did so, with a humble air, and I felt a sense of accomplishment that we had achieved our goal so easily. Then, it happened. The curly haired man had been looking at us strangely, and after the blessing was finished he said with a smile, “I don’t think you know to whom you are speaking.”

Needless to say we were aghast. We had, apparently, in our search for a friendly simple priest from whom we could ask for a blessing, stumbled upon someone very important instead! Cardinal Stafford, former Archbishop of Denver and currently Retired Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary, to be exact. One of the highest-ranking English-speaking priests in the Church. And the curly-haired man was one of the head editors for Inside the Vatican. We were at a bit of a loss, but the Cardinal was very cordial and asked us about ourselves, making conversation for a few minutes. We walked away feeling a bit embarrassed, and laughing at the fact that we chose probably the most distinguished priest in the Square to approach despite our best efforts not to impose on someone busy or high-ranking. It was, however, a neat experience and we were happy to have met the kindly Cardinal and to have made such a great memory.

Piazza Navona in the Evening

Overall, I found on my second visit to Rome that it found its way into my heart. The fact that I had such a hard time my first several days there made it in a strange way dearer to me. I felt that I had earned my place here, had encountered the grit and difficulties and learned to look beyond them to the beauty of the place. The crazy driving, pushy loud Italians, cheap trinkets and depressing buses are just pieces of the larger and wonderful puzzle that is the whole of Rome. It’s a unique place with a unique charm. Filled with such a curious mix of people from all around the world, busy and hectic yet with moments of peace, the winding streets at times stressful and hot yet cool and lovely in the mornings and evenings. And definitely a place worth getting to know and taking the time to understand. I’m glad I was able to, in the end.

Now we are returning Athens on the ferry, and tomorrow Tessie and I will part ways as she returns to the States and I made my way back to Germany. A twenty-one hour ferry ride alone will be an experience, for sure! However, ferries are a great place to write, so I’ve found, and I should be able to post soon about my time in Athens and the beautiful, rugged island of Santorini. I’m really looking forward to getting back to Germany to my home away from home with the Senks. Some R&R is in order after four weeks on the go! Wish me bon voyage, all!