A View of Rome with Alexander

The market in Campo di Fiore was in full swing this morning by the time we made it down there.  The market is about a one minute walk from our door, so we had our cappuccino and cornetto here, with some fruit from the market.

We met our walking tour guide, here in the middle of the Campo, he took us on a tour historical and mysterious, of Rome, including the Colosseum from 10 am until whenever the kids were worn out.  FIVE HOURS LATER, the kids were not tired of Alexander's tour.  Except Rosebud.  Who enjoyed all of it, except when the Professor  elbowed her in the nose accidentally at the Colosseum, but was clearly in need of gelato by the end.

All these incredible sites just blow my mind.  People eat their casual lunches on the steps in the shade of the Colosseum.  Teenagers butt their cigarettes on Corinthian pillars and flirt at the Trevi Fountain as though it is a shopping mall.  Names and initials are scratched into the marble, and, oddly enough, seem a natural extension of the profoundly beautiful statues that make up the fountain.  They represent a long human  history, not separate from real life, not larger than real life, but a stable part of the generations that have come and gone and carved their skill or faith or initials in the monuments of Rome.

Generations of Romans, their parents, grandparents and great, great, greats probably carved their initials in the beautiful marble monuments of Rome.  Brushed casually pasts Rome's Bernini's and Michelangelo's, domes, pillars, Caesars and saints.  It is all theirs and they know it.  They are bound to their past in ways that we can't begin to guess.

But take one step too far, cross one unseen barrier too close to something, I know not what...the teenagers take a step just too far out onto the rocks of the fountain, and the Gendarmeria, acting as the fountain police at this place,  wave their arms and point and shout and blow their official sounding whistles.  Everyone turns to stare disapprovingly at the offending teens and they respond in kind with sheepish respect.

  Inside the Pantheon, conversations and laughter carry on in half a dozen languages as if it is not a sacred place, despite the ten minute reminders, in several languages to please be quiet, this is a sacred place.

Alexander, perceptive of our faith and the kid's curiosity and capacity for history, tailored the tour as we went along.  He has worked as a stunt man for historical battles, and acts as a consultant to historical battle and weaponry for movies and historical documentaries.  Think this worked for the boys?  As well, he was fun, cool and a wealth of knowledge.  Our pace was relaxed, fun and spontaneous.

And knows where to get the best espresso in Roma.  Love this guy.

Did I say we loved this guy?

So.  Back to Father David and the touring group from Illinois.  We move directly from our tour with Alexander to meet Father David. Yes!  We accepted their invitation once again to join their tour, which today included meeting them for Mass at the San Andrea della Fratte church at 4 pm, then touring the Trevi fountain and the Pantheon.  The church where we met Father was where SaintMaximilian  Kolbe said his first Mass.  Father celebrated on the very same altar where this Mass was said, and this is also the site of a miraculous vision that occurred of the Virgin Mary.  While Saint Max was saying Mass, an atheist happened to be visiting the church.  The blessed mother appeared to him, and he converted to the Catholic faith.

Father David's group is celebrating the last night together as a tour group, they leave to go back to Illinois tomorrow.  They invited us to a little trattoria where they were having their last dinner together.  A beautiful and incredibly gracious group to have accepted us and welcomed us into their tour group.  Really special people that we will keep in touch with.

Huckleberry is losing his voice.  Will the miracles NEVER cease?  Truly, a trip led by the Holy Spirit.

A happy and weary family, we meandered  back through the warm Roman (it was 26 degrees here in Rome today) evening to our apartment.  Only one minute into the door, the boys ask, please!  Can't we just hang out at the Campo di Fiore for a little while?

Lydia is done, but we decide that venti minuti on the campo would be a lovely way of ending this evening, the musicians are playing and the street is alive.  Before they even get out the door, she is breathing heavily on the pillow next to me.

I apologize for this long post, and I apologize for it's brevity.  So, so much to share, and not enough time to share it all.

Viva Roma in photos

1) As a matter of fact, yes, I was tired
2) Popemobile
3) A cardinal strolls casually by every five minutes
4) Father David with us
5) Saint Paul's tomb
6)What IS with those outfits
7) PAPA!!
8) These are the 200,000 people BEHIND us

Viva Roma

Ah.  Where do I start.

There is a beautiful thing about travelling with a six year old.  Beautiful thing.  It is the pace.  If you rush a six year old it is not fun.  Not Fun.  There is no point in rushing a six year old.  And it ends up being good for all of us.  So, we meander through our travels.

Even on the way to a Papal audience.  Here is my recommendation for going to a Papal audience with a six year old.  Get up early.  Go get some fruit from the market.  Let her wear her sparkly shoes, because after all, it is the pope.  Stop for some chocolate brioche.  And espresso, but not for the six year old, if you get my meaning.

Then, when you get to the Papal audience and have two and a half hours to wait, make it fun by eating.  And playing tic tac toe and "spot the Cardinal" and then your six year old will be pumped about meeting their Papa.

I will be filing this under "how to have a good trip to Italy with your children."

So don't worry.

It was all worth the sacrifice of patience, calmness and chocolate brioche.

So all our prayer and strategy about how to get the best seat paid off.  Papa drove right by.  He looked Huckleberry right in the eye.

So here are my thoughts while waiting for our audience.  Good seats are good seats, but personally, we are here at the Vatican and shouldn't it all be a good seat?  It is all a good seat.  It is a good life.  Whether I am 20 inches away from Papa or twenty yards or twenty hours by flight.  It is a great seat.

There are no bad seats.  If you play your cards right.

And so, the climactic Papal audience comes to an end, and we are invited to join Father David to Mass in the catacombs.  And, he says, just before Mass, why don't you just stay and tour with us for the afternoon?  The catacombs, St. Paul's outside the walls, St. John Lateran, the Abbey of the Three Fountains, where Saint Paul was beheaded.  His head bounced three times, and in each spot, a spring miraculous came up from the ground, and still bubble today.

All on an air conditioned bus tour with the super nice people from Illinois, and the amazing Italian tour guide.  The catacombs were truly amazing, and today's highlight for the kids for sure.

He has invited us to join them again tomorrow.  I think so.

We took the train to Rome...

this morning.  Most of the way there was dotted with lovely hill towns and the trained snaked along the Tiber River.  Short interludes of graffiti and shanty housing along the river and railway interrupted the fine views, reminding that we are, in fact, living in this world.

Pray for the destitute here and everywhere, it is so easy to forget in the midst of joy and plenty.

Our first site in Rome, less than one minute from the train station was the Roman Baths built by Diocletian.  Through the treacherous and winding streets, filled with suicidal motorists and naive tourists, our cab driver found his way to the Campo di Fiore, where our apartment is.  It is a lively spot, and we are certain not be be disappointed here.

We walked to the Vatican shortly after we arrived to pick up our tickets for tomorrow's audience with Papa Francesco.  It took about 37 hours to get those tickets, free, but including a trip through Vatican security and a lengthy wait.  It will all be worth it.  While in line, we met up with a priest, Father David from Illinois that we met while in Siena (he is the chaplain for a tour group).  He gave us the lowdown on getting to the audience, told us it was the one time in our lives when we didn't need to practice charity, and bouyed us up spiritually for our journey in Rome.

After the chaotic gathering of tickets, we thought we should take a quick peek ( ha ha ha ) at Saint Peter's Basilica, as we were right there.  Um.

Words do not suffice, my friends.   Just going to have to go back for another look before I can even comment.

At any rate, while we were gawking at the sheer weight of it all, dear Father David taps us on the shoulder.  "I was just spending time at adoration here, and God told me I should come and find you,"  apparently, God led him right to us.  "I want to invite you to the catacombs with our tour group tomorrow, I will be saying Mass in the catacombs, and I thought you could join us."

Yes.  Father David.  We will join you.

Dinner at a lovely trattoria, home and in bed early as tomorrow is a very big day.

Up early to get a good seat for the Papal audience, Papal audience, meet Father David's group, bus out to catacombs, attend Mass and have a tour of the catacombs, then meet a tour guide at Saint Paul's outside the walls for a couple of hours of church combing.


Will fill in details tomorrow, with all good fortune.  

Monday's Photo Ops

1) The Roman Ruins
2) San Damiano Cross
3) Relics of Saint Clare, the silver box contains her hair
4) Beautiful viewpoint through one of the original Roman arches
5) San Stefano stone church
6) The nave at the Basilica of Saint Francis, where we are not allowed to take photos

San Francesco and Santa Chiara

As you might have guessed, the popular San Francesco pervades this place.  In the form of relics, of stories, of art and of tacky plastic statues.  But there it is.  Everybody needs to eat, even tacky plastic statues makers, I guess.

We took a walking tour of Assisi today, that was excellent.  From the top of the town, Assisi's Roman roots are evident with the existence of a Roman amphitheatre, which is now the semi urban "greenspace" for a cute little neighbourhhood that sprung up in the 13th century.  This path surrounding the small amphitheatre leads to the oldest church in Assisi, the church of San Stefano.

On to the church of Assisi's patron, San Rufino, and continuing on down the hill to the stunning church of Santa Chiara, considered to be original church in the true Gothic style in Italy.  Here are relics of both Saint Francis and Saint Clare, and the tomb of Saint Clare.  My most treasured part of the visit to this church, however, is the chapel which contains the San Damiano Crucifix, the very same one that Jesus spoke to Saint Francis from, 800 years ago.

After some significant time of hanging out in the lovely hot sun of the afternoon, we tackled the church that was built to honor Saint Francis, the foundation begun the day after his canonization only two years after his death.  The architectural highlight was the fact that in the late 1200's the church crypt was built in a remarkable two year period, for those 1200's guys and all their crude hand tools, that was pretty darn good.

The artistic marvels were the frescoes, dozens of them, done primarily by Giotto and his gang, rebels and revolutionaries in the medieval art world.  Sparky and I could have spent hours and hours and HOURS in the church, reading the graphic novel-like scenes around the church, we do have children with time limits, sugar and budgetary limits (okay, children, one gelato each for every church we visit today) we satisfied ourselves with a couple of hours, marvelling at the life and legacy of Saint Francis.

Tomorrow we are off the the Eternal City, check in then...

A Thousand Words

1) Gelato in Pienza
2) Pienza, birthplace of Pecorino cheese
3) See?
4) See?
5) The temple of Minerva
6) Pink hued stone
7) At the castle
8) Sunset