Rome: Day 4 Nov. 23

Our tour guide was able to get tickets for us to attend the papal audience so Tom and I decided to go and then catch up with our group at lunch.  We knew the way using the Metro and figured we couldn’t get lost.  The audience was scheduled for 10:30 and we arrived about 9:45 but not before many others were already seated.  The audience was held in a giant auditorium (8000-10,000 seating capacity) complete with jumbo screen (but no advertisements).  Groups of pilgrims had come from all over the world and had brought their music with them.  A group from Brazil enthusiastically waved their flag and sang their national anthem to an accompanying band.  An Italian group sang “O Solo Mio.” Others chanted and cheered.  We ended up sitting in front of a young couple from West Virginia who worked at Nazareth Farm.  At least we could understand each other.  Pope Benedict XVI walked in around 10:40 with his Swiss Guards in their colorful uniforms and others in plain clothes.  After a short greeting (in Latin), about seven different priests who were sitting on the stage read the same short passage from the Gospel of Matthew in their native tongue.  Then, from his chair, the pope gave a talk about his trip to Africa.  At least that is what we thought it was about since it was in Italian but we could recognize the word “Africa.”  After that, each of the original priests introduced groups of pilgrims who spoke his language and, as the saying goes, the crowd went wild.  Each named group stood and cheered or sang.  It definitely had the feeling of a rock concert.  After each country’s groups were introduced, the pope greeted them in their native tongue.  The audience ended a bit more than an hour after it had started with the entire group reciting the Our Father (in Latin). 

Papal Auditorium

We left the auditorium and headed to a Sicilian restaurant where our group was meeting for lunch.  This was my favorite meal of all.  We were in a beautiful restaurant, the food was delicious, and the every time a wine bottle was emptied, another appeared in its place.  The owner gave us a short cooking demonstration so we were able to see how our food was going to be prepared.  The menu consisted of salad with prosciutto and parmigiano; two simple pastas-one with a tomato, olive and basil sauce and the other with a pistachio and cream sauce; pork with a bread stuffing, and cannelloni and coffee for dessert.  Good thing we went walking afterwards because it was a bountiful meal.

While we waited for our tour group to arrive, a family from Columbus OH came into the restaurant.

 

In the kitchen with the chef

Delizioso!

Our walk from the west side of the Tiber to the east took us past a rebuilt aqueduct, the Spanish Embassy, a very small church, and finally a neighborhood called Trastevere.

The aqueduct Fonte Acqua Paola was rebuilt by Pope Paul V, a member of the Borghese family.  The aqueduct provided water for the west side of the Tiber where the Vatican is located.

The coat of arms of the Borghese family--the dragon and the eagle--are included in the papal symbol.

The Spanish Embassy with views over the city

The church San Pietro in Montorio includes this tiny temple, or Tempietto, that commemorates the spot of St. Peter's martyrdom.  Its design influenced many other churches-- St. Peter's, for example.

The interior of the Tempietto

Our walk led us downhill to the area called Trastevere, an authentic neighborhood of Rome.  A common sight is laundry hanging on lines strung across the street and that was our experience as well even though by this time there was a light rain.

The center of the neighborhood is the Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere with its accompanying church.

Santa Maria is one of the oldest churches in Rome and the first dedicated to the Virgin Mary.  It was my favorite church of all that we saw.  Its mosaics made the whole interior glitter.

The flock of sheep represents Christ and the 12 Apostles

Above the image of the lambs is a medieval mosaic of Christ and his mother dating from the 8th to 10 centuries.  This is the first time Mary has been portrayed this way.  Early popes surround the two figures.