Il Papa and The Opera

Today I had three goals.
1. Get to St. Peter's Square by 12pm to witness the Pope bless the crowd.
2. Relax.
3. Attend the opera Mefistofele.
I left the hostel around 10:30am to head to St. Peter's and read for a bit while the crowds were assembling. Before I got too far I decided to check out the grocery store for some fruit which turned into a pear, mandarin oranges, a box of cereal, Nutella and a sunscreen stick (I think it might be chapstick, but it's hard to tell since I don't read Italian very well). Rather than carry around the weight I dropped off my goods and headed for the square. I arrived at just the right time. There was still plenty of space to move about and find a good spot--key for short people--plus I had a chance to read some of Romans while still in Roma. About 10 minutes to 12pm a deep maroon banner with the Pope's seal in gold rolled down from the 3rd story window of the building just to the right of the square to signify from where Il Papa would be speaking. Groups scattered throughout the crowd had banners and scarves/fabric/flags in bright colors to wave for the Pope's attention. Right on cue at 12pm Il Papa emerged and greeted his cheering public. He spoke in Italian briefly and then led a responsive prayer in Latin. He officially blessed all gathered wishing us a blessed Sunday and week. He continued on by making the same brief comments from before in French, English, Spanish, German, Polish and I think one or two other languages I didn't recognize. Each time he changed languages he recognized any groups present he was aware of and they would cheer, jump and generally be excited. All in all, it was very cool and a great way to wind down my time in Roma.

After most of the crowds cleared out I munched my lunch on the steps of the square until it got breezy. Having some time to burn before I could return to the hostel (closed for cleaning), I wandered the mostly closed up streets for a cafe where I could sit and read. I finally found one about 4 blocks from the hostel named Piccolo Diavolo (Little Devil--fitting for a Sunday afternoon post Pope blessing). Nothing like some Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice along with a cappuccino.

A quick drop in at the hostel for a change into my "dressy" clothes which meant my black crinkle skirt (I think I got this one in high school??) and my colorful stained glass looking shirt from Lisa. With my red trekking shoes, it was quite a stylish outfit. I arrived at the Teatro dell'Opera at just the right time to get my seat and have the show begin. Four hours of excellent music, costumes, scenery and atmosphere made for a lovely evening. I'm no opera guru so I'm sure what I call great another would critique. For being quite literally in the last row at the top of the theater (probably 4 or 5 stories up) I thought is was tons of fun and a great way to spend the evening. I felt cultured and like a local for the night. For those of you not acquainted with Mefistofele, check out Wikipedia's short article. This gave me the background I needed to understand what was going on since there were no subtitles :) The Faustian themed Mefistofele is the only completed opera by the Italian composer-librettist Arrigo Boito.

I was finally able to dig into my second dessert--the chocolate mystery! Turns out it was two 1/2" layers of light chocolate cake with a spiced, orange/yellow jelly and a layer of sweet red jelly in-between. The entire treat was covered with a black colored dark chocolate coating. Definitely worth waiting for!!

Blah.

Something I ate yesterday at lunch seems to have turned my insides unhappy. I've spent the day hanging out in bed, sleeping and eating fruit with these light-weight cookies with vanilla sugar on them. I think I'm starting to feel better now. Lack of sleep the last few nights hasn't helped. Hopefully tomorrow will be a good start to a new day.

Feet Don't Fail Me Now

A slow morning was in order after two people joined our room in the middle of the night. I woke up multiple times from the girl flopping and rolling around above me. She hasn't been back all evening, so I'm sure I'm in for another fun night. After breakfast I blogged a bit to try and wake up more. Eventually I got bored which led to my walking. I stopped at a shop near the Vatican that sells the cheapest postcards I have found and then mailed them at the Vatican post office. I meandered along the Tiber River toward the Colosseum and Roman Forum. It took an hour to walk there which wasn't bad considering I had a nice stroll. I was rather tired when I reached the ruins and only had walking ahead of me.
[Temple of Saturn]
The map I had for the Roman Forum and Palatine was hard to read. It was more of a sketch and difficult to follow where the paths led to the interesting sites. After much circling about I had seen most of the sites, a few of which were closed (much to my disappointment) speeding along my visit. [Stadium] The Paltine area was pleasant. Agustus' house was there and the height of the area provided some excellent 360 views of Roma. The Colosseum, however, was quite a sight. Towering high into the sky its imposing form stops you in your tracks upon first sight. Even from a distance you will catch yourself looking twice before moving along. After so much walking I was in the mood for a snack and a place to sit to rest my feet. On the way through town I noticed a small cafe that was filled with sweet treats--right up my alley! If I had turned the way I had planned, I would have missed this shop and the Jewish ghetto I walked through where there were also delicious treats and cozy restaurants. I managed to find the shop--Bar Amore--again on the way back. I picked out a small confection that appeared to be a cookie dipped in chocolate and a cream filled pastry of sorts. The chocolate will remain a mystery until I dig into it tomorrow.

For dinner I cooked up a second batch of my chicken, basil pasta with the addition of a red pepper--most delicious! I think tomorrow will be a lazy day lounging around St. Peter's Square and perhaps a cafe unless I feel so inclined to a day trip to Tivoli for some gorgeous fountain action.

Tour De Roma

My day began with a short 7 min. walk to the Piazza del Popolo and the Chiesa di Santa Maria del Popolo. The church is lined with tiny chaplets along both walls each with a different theme--Jesus, the entombed body of a saint or major public official, work of art from a biblical story. They had started mass shortly after I arrived, so I sat in to see what kind of service it was. Turns out it was a communion one and I got half of Jesus in bread form. Better than no Jesus at all. From here I wandered through a lovely park area called Villa Borghese and lounged on a tree stump. The grass was quite green though a bit damp and there were no flowers to be seen. They seem to only reside at flower shops in town.

The Spanish Steps were next which were apparently named for the Spanish See (papal seat). Without the trademark red flowers they felt a bit bare, but it is still a lively spot for rowdy teenagers and lazy tourists. The sinking ship fountain was very cool. And so began my tour of the fountains of Roma. First stop was the Fontana del Tritone in Piazza Barberini. I checked out the four corners fountain which is literally a fountain on each corner of the intersection. Fontana di Trevi was quite exquisite and large. One could spend a good hour here and not notice time had passed.

After the Trevi fountain I came across some lovely watercolor work by a man named Dumo (Doomo). He was born in France and has spent the last 15 years in Italy. For a small piece--roughly 2"x3"--it takes two days to complete. I'll have to find a way to keep them from getting bent or wet from no until June. A teacher from the US happened to stop at his corner the same time I was there and we had some lively discussion about how the Euro hasn't been very good for the Italian people. With the Lira you could buy enough food for two weeks for about 100,000 Lira. Now with E50 you're lucky to afford a couple meals, a coffee (sort of a requirement in Italian cuisine/culture) and an afternoon snack. I learned something new today about the global economy.

I passed by Adriano's Temple, St. Ignatius Church, Palazzo Venezia, Chiesa del Gesu, Area Sacra ruins, Campo de Fiori with the statue of a monk who was burned at the stake for heresy in that very piazza, Piazza Navona with the Four Rivers fountain and finally the Pantheon. Talk about a gargantuan building. The dome is an amazing architectural feat. If built out of concrete, it would have collapsed ages ago. It's design with the occulus at the top distributes the force of the walls evenly throughout the ceiling while providing light and fresh air. Like most things in Greece and Italy they are being reconstructed during the low tourist season.

To finish my long walking tour I planned to hit a gelateria around the corner from the Pantheon. It was E2.50 for a cup 1.5" in diameter so I opted to hoof it to the Old Bridge gelateria where I could get 4x as much for E2 or less. It was a long walk, but essentially on my way back to the hostel. Definitely worth the effort! I sampled Amaretto, Pineapple and Dark Chocolate. To die for!! I don't know what makes gelato so different from ice cream, but it's wonderful and something I need to investigate for future creation. Much contented I plopped on my bed with some Mika music and relaxed. Dinner was leftovers from yesterday though still quite tasty. I went for a walk in the neighborhood because I was craving some kind of dessert. Most things were closed by 8pm, but I managed to find some cookies and a pastry. Tomorrow will probably be a trip to the Roman Forum to see the ancient ruins.

Vatican City, The Vatican

It seemed only fitting to start my exploration of Roma with the Vatican. I set out around 10am and after walking 2 blocks to the W I found a fruit and veggie market. This must be the one the hostel guy was trying to show me on the map--so much for his directions. Inside I found a rainbow of deliciously fresh foods. The hardest part was choosing what to get without buying more than I could eat in 6 days. I picked up a pound of pasta, onion, zucchini, apples, bananas, red pepper, bread, 6 eggs, and basil. I dumped my goods back at the hostel and headed back out for the Vatican.

Take two took me to St. Peter's Basilica. Just walking around the corner and seeing this monstrous building is awe inspiring. There's a line to get into the basilica so they can scan your bags on the way in. Someone nearby said it was 2 hours. I had nothing better to do, so I jumped in line. Whilst enjoying the sun, I decided to catch up on my bible reading so as to maximize my time. I made it about halfway through II Corinthians when I reached the bag scanner and only in 45 mins. Good thing I committed to the line! There's so much to see inside. Small chapels line the sides each with their own massive frescoes and altars. Everywhere you look there's exquisite marble statues, designed flooring and hordes of people floating around with their touring groups. Since it's spring break there are noisy student groups all over. After winding your way to the main sanctuary you are greeted by a huge, carved wooden canopy that stands above the front altar. Behind that is the second altar with a gorgeous sunburst stained glass on the back wall. Everything is giant sized and dwarfs your existence.

I stopped for a brief while to listen to a mass taking place in one of the side chapels. After a few more pictures I stepped into the chapel reserved exclusively for prayer--no pictures as the guards continually remind you on the way in. Through the velvet gray curtain is a quiet chapel filled with incense and a classically ornate Catholic altar (gold, icons, cabinets for communion, the works). Something about being in Roma and at one of the most well known churches in the world in a small chapel away from the zooming mopeds, police sirens and chatty Italians brings comfort, peace and movements of the Spirit. All I can say is I'm grateful for a quiet, healing moment. From here I caught the Pieta carving (Mary holding JC after the cross) and meandered to the Vatican Post Office. You can't be here and not send at least one piece of mail from the Vatican. It's just plain cool.

Since it was only 12:30pm I decided to check out the Vatican Museum. My reward would be the suggested gelateria just outside that gives large portions. For E15 you can sample the wonders of the Vatican archives. I say sample because the majority of the treasures are hidden away inside the restricted areas of the city. Nevertheless what's visible is quite stunning. Bits of history from 2000BC in Egypt to the early church to the Medieval era to present day modern art pack the rooms leading you up to the Sistene Chapel. You can only walk in one direction and there's no backtracking, so I opted to take my time and savor the walk. Four hours later I reached the Sistene Chapel. I have to say, on first impression, I wasn't all that impressed. Certainly the amount of work, talent and history that went into its creation is stunning and deserving respect and awe. Overall I'd classify the chapel as ADHD. There are so many scenes and pictures going on that it's hard to focus on any one area. Inside there was a sea of people muttering with constant attention from the guards to be quiet and not take pictures--no small feat for multiple groups of 40 teenagers scattered about the room. [This is my one shot of the chapel from the outside stairwell.] The chapel is empty except for the altar against the wall at one end and the organ at the far opposite end. I did find it interesting that the one scene probably most known from the chapel (the divine touch I think they call it where the two hands are about to touch fingers) is on the ceiling about 1/3 of the way out from the altar. Amongst the entire chapel filled with biblical stories and images of biblical characters, this one small (perhaps a section about 6'x 10'--best guess that far away) image is chosen. Lest you think this is the end of the museum, once you leave the chapel you have a long way to walk before you can exit. Most of these things aren't quite as interesting as the rest, though the ceiling paintings are quite nice.

After many hours and lots of miles trod, my gelato delight awaited me. At Old Bridge gelateria you can get 3 huge scoops for E2. I sampled Blood Orange, Caramel and Cream with Pine Nuts. Wow, wow and WOW. All 3 were amazing. I can't wait to go back!!

On the way back to the hostel I stopped in to the grocery store I couldn't find yesterday and picked up some garlic, smoked mozzarella, olive oil and wine. For dinner I whipped up some chicken, basil, zucchini, garlic, onion and olive oil over pasta. Talk about tasty! Along with a glass of a local red wine, I was quite content. I even met two young people from Melbourne, Australia.

All Roads Lead to Rome

Today was a travel day from Napoli to Roma. I wished Hannah safe travels when she left at 5am to head to the train station and then took the rest of the morning slowly. After packing and then polishing off left overs from last nights' dinner, I headed out to Stazione Centrale to buy my ticket to Roma. Apart from the long walk to the metro, things went smoothly. Before I knew it I was on the train and watching the countryside fly by.

Moving toward more central Italy brought a few shifts in scenery. Most of the land where the train runs is farmland. I saw open fields in varying shades of green, herds of sheep lolling and grazing about, brown/black cows sitting in mud, vacant barns/houses, red tiled roofs and mountains hazy with pollution. It was easy to tell when we were close to Roma as the density of housing dramatically increased.

Once at the train station, a quick trip on the metro dropped me off about 400m from the hostel. I was ever so close to the building, but couldn't read the building numbers that were above my head. I stopped in to ask at a building that I thought might be it. Turns out it was across the street in a pink building. Might you add to your directions--"We're on the 5th floor on the NORTH side of the street in a PINK building." to help people find it?? I would. At least this place has an elevator. For that, I cannot complain. It's a bit noisy here, but other than that it's not too bad. I think I was a bit spoiled by the family like atmosphere at 6 Small Rooms in Napoli.

For dinner I wandered E to locate Gusto which supposedly had E8 pizzas. I found it relatively easily after a pleasant walk along the Tiber River. Turns out they have happy hour from 6-9pm and with a E9-12 drink you can eat as much as you like from the buffet of goodies. With a lovely Syrah wine I enjoyed some cheese patties, beef rolled around salad greens with cheese/pine nuts/balsamic vinegar, pizza with basil/meat/cheese, barley salad with carrots/corn/celery/tomatoes/olives, chicken salad with dressing, pastry dough with marinara sauce (the best one I tried!), chunky tomato paste on bread, bread strips with chili oil, and rosemary potatoes. I think that was all of it. The food was delicious and I was stuffed.

My trip back led me through the Piazza del Popolo with its stunning obelisk and back along the Tiber River. After a hot shower, a good night's sleep is definitely in my future.