italy 1

The neighborhood

Seamless arrival; first flight on Norwegian Air, other than changing my airport from Newark to Kennedy, flight was fine and cheap for a one-way booking. Apartment is more than advertised and in the first hour I made it my own. Here is a film of the apartment.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OQOoud0KacDwZ7vmBrFwJKGwAtjuUP-I

I feel safe and comfortable in this place. It could be the 4 keys to get in–gate, house, elevator and apartment door. Yes, I feel safe here.

The hill or the steps. Steps are a shortcut so most of the time I do the stairs.
I’ve done 109 flights of stairs since my arrival 5 days ago.

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On Saturday I found a great weekend market down the stairs. Vibrant and busy and stocked with everything imaginable.

The best way to learn the Rome Metro is to get lost on it. I wrote this in real time both on the stations and in the train. Trains do not have signs with destinations and surprisingly no one getting on the train actually knows where they are going. When you stop at a station, signs are few and far between so when the train doors open you really need to step out to see where you are.  Currently on the train and really not sure where I will end up. It’s getting very scenic outside so not sure I will end up at the Termini where all train lines meet. For some reason I am remembering that the Metro is underground–and alas, I am not. Oops  just realized I am not on the Metro, I am on the other train called “the train.” I am pretty sure I am not going to get to Termini since even after researching the stops, I have not passed anything familiar.   Oh wait, here it is: “Termini.” Gotta go.

ITALY 2

BaRS AND BATHROOMS

One of the reasons I selected Rome was that I knew I wouldn’t need a car. When you are out walking through Rome most of the day, there are two necessities: bathrooms and bars. I need only to find the bar to have the bathroom. Previously while visiting Rome, there were great places like Cul du Sac serving rare bottles, and glasses of , though less important, really good wine. They also had great food and cheese/meat boards. Everything you would want to eat with wine.

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What I did not find on previous trips were Irish bars or high end wine tasting places. Most are small and hidden in-between stores selling pocketbooks or old churches. Some are set up similarly to what I have seen in California, Florida and New York with small, medium and large tastes of wine.

So you think i’m in rome

Before I left for Rome the freezer in my basement died. It was small but really useful and I would have been happy with a similar replacement. Mike said he would get on it and promptly ordered from our favorite appliance store. We never really go look at appliances, we just call the store and have it delivered. Mike does the research on reliability and such. Well, to my surprise, we went from a small, compact freezer to one that can fit at least 6 grown men standing up or a dozen or so small children. Lest you think I jest, the freezer towers over Mike, and I can’t reach the top.

So if Mike tells you that I’m not coming home any time soon, please ask him what he’s got in the freezer.

CHURCHES AND MORE CHURCHES

I have always found it comforting to visit churches–they are my place of refuge. In Rome you might find a Michelangelo masterpiece just standing by the front door. I’ve found you need to research the church to find them.

Whether you are going to St. Peter’s Basilica to tour or go to mass, it is unfortunately the same line. At 4:30 the tourists tire and the line diminishes to a 2-3 minute wait. Once inside you proceed to the front and whisper to the guard “massa, per favore” and they escort you through the barriers to the rear of the main altar where you attend the 5 pm mass.

Each time I’ve attended there is a choir. One night there was a choir from Germany who sang beautifully. It is what I consider a “high” mass since there are multiple priests and a sermon.

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The good part about attending any religious service is that priests deliberately speak slowly, so I am learning Italian at the same time. If I don’t understand, I make it up in my head, after all, I’ve been attending church for more than 65 years.

walking home

When I walk home each night I must pass through Vatican City to get to the apartment. It is usually deserted except for a large number of homeless individuals sleeping on the grounds of the holy city.

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The walk to trastevere

My apartment is located just a “tad” north of Trastevere on the west side of the Tiber. Each day I have walked in a different direction and Trastevere was definitely a walkable distance without having go over a bridge on the Tiber. It was a beautiful walk passing parks and homes; lovely and deserted, except for a nun. BTW there are nuns everywhere.

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As I got closer to Trastevere, I walked right up to what I thought was a drop….but no just another set of stairs. There were 20 steps to each flight. Luckily, I only had to walk down.

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So now I have found Trastevere and will return to the local artist markets during my stay. My first visit usually is a scouting trip. I will return soon.

When leaving Trastevere, I crossed over the Tiber. I particularly liked the view which I captured in this photo

who knew: black friday in rome

It was not painful for me to leave NYC during the holidays since I am not a fan of the craziness of Christmas shopping or preparation.

I discovered the same craziness exists in Rome. Some days I get on the Metro or the train and ride to a stop I don’t know to see what’s there. On one of these excursions I saw a sign for a food court, and where there is a food court there is a bathroom. So I jumped on the elevator to the 6th floor to the food court. What I didn’t realize was I was in a gigantic mall on Black Friday. Here are some photos of the craziness and the really nice food mart.

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italy 3

Part of my trip to Italy involved a quest for knowledge of what it was like to live somewhere else. I involve myself in as many rituals common to the city of Rome as I could. This is a section devoted to churches, feast days and candlelit processions.

MY FAVORITE CHURCH SO FAR

While walking home one night–I passed a church that is situated a few steps from the Ponte Sant’Angelo which crosses the Tiber at the entrance of Castel Sant’Angelo–I walked into a mass. There were 6 young women in attendance and a one priest. They were praying in what I thought was Polish–I was incorrect it was Russian. It appeared that the 6 women knew the priest and they all might have travelled to Rome together.

There are churches, chapels and basilicas on every block–and you ask–is there a difference. Well actually there is. A Basilica has a special designation from the Pope: it is a special place of some significance, maybe the home of a relic or the burial place of a saint. A church has a parish or a community intimately involved and a chapel does not. Not sure the differences are relevant for this, but some of you might have interest.

Chiesa di Santi Celso e Giuliano [Church of Saints Celsus and Julian] is a minor basilica that officially opened in 1735. This place had a difficult time coming into its own. The church on this site existed in the 9th century; was taken down; received monies for redesign in 1509 but did not open until 1735.

Just an aside: these saints are not well known, but legend has it that Julian was married to Basilissa; they declared their celibacy and turned their house into a refuge for destitute people. Julian was martyred in the 4th century, along with a young boy named Celsus.

Chiesa di Santi Celso e Giuliano is small and circular. There are 8 small altars in a circle The benches and kneelers are movable and face whichever altar prevails for the service. Here is a video of the inside. https://drive.google.com/open?id=14WOV

the novena

A day or two later I stopped in since there seemed to be activity at a late hour. There were two dishes on the front steps that were burning candles–to me a clear invitation to go in. It was the start of a Novena preceding the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th. They will have a benediction for 9 days ending with a candle-lit procession.

I attended the Novena as often as I could being thankful that only the homily was in Italian and everything else Latin. Catholics are good with Latin; they usually studied it sometime in their schooling.

The end of the Novena is celebrated with a procession which will carry a relic of Mary that goes from one church to another. The end church is the famous Santa Maria sopra Minerva Church. This place is the only extant example of original Gothic architecture in Rome. In front of the church is an Elephant and Obelisk built by Bernini. Inside the church is a famous Michelangelo creation “Risen Christ” statue.

THE PROCESSION

The feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated widely and festively throughout Rome. I have a small church across the street and I awoke to a marching band this morning. All the day until evening the band marched the hills around my apartment.

The video and photos were captured from my terrace overlooking the street.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fNOTTHy8NYI2mHSgBur4VSdb3c-v_O_F

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As the day progressed and I took my daily stroll I realized there were processions all over the city including the one I attended that evening in the heart of Rome which was the official end of the Novena.

To my surprise the procession ended with fireworks.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CwDDzrDBxmcOKuF8cEMLx-EHIBrK2QNS

Musicians of castel sant’angelo

Many musicians play in front of the castle. I have captured some with music or a still.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=15OzBBpDs7yn8AWqYcRz1TUpV-05-4Cn5

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bmgX4aST0s7sdSF0fT5hZXicEt0EnoT7

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Opera da camera di roma

While walking into the Pantheon a young man handed me a brochure about a small venue that provides opera arias each night. I bought a ticket and was delighted with the performance. Three instrumental performers and two opera singers with arias from Rigoletto, Tosca, La Traviata and others. Only about 20 seats in a very small place. Lovely.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1uRSVAC7mUxIS1kHLOsoE6wo3XayNY2V6

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NScibMun6Kbb5Fv6HBfxc_MqA5aZQ4Pg

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I MET A MAN FROM OKLAHOMA

I did meet a young man there from Oklahoma. He has a company there and treated 3 of his employees to a trip to Italy . Sorry I didn’t work for him. Very young, I believe he said 25. We talked for a while while waiting to get in and he mentioned all his friends are right wing religious Trump voters. I asked him his leanings and he said he did not vote. He was religious and believed that he belonged to a kingdom of God outside of here; similar to the Jehovahs’ beliefs. He never involved himself in politics or voting; but he was very clear that the religious right was hoodwinked by Trump. We exchanged phone numbers on his request and I look forward to hearing more on his unconventional views of “kingdom-ship.” His parents were Menonites from PA and OH.

MUSEO LEONARDO DA VINCI

There are two da Vinci museums in Rome. One is close by to the Vatican: Museum Leonardo da Vinci Experience. The other, Museo Leonardo da Vinci, is located in the basement of Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo [currently under renovation] in Piazza del Popolo. This chatter is about the latter venue.

Location: Firstly about the Piazza del Popolo. Some piazzas are tiny as the Piazza di Trevi; this one is spacious and closed off to traffic. The street lights in the piazza are connected to the nearby hospital’s maternity ward. They blink each time a child is born.

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Piazza’s artists: Many artists and musicians in the streets of Rome but in this piazza there was a bubble artist. He worked at creating thousands of bubbles with a soap bucket and a rope-type netting. More fascinating was his collection cup which detailed his dental work as the need for a donation.

The Basilica: Santa Maria del Popolo, under renovation, is probably using the monies from the plastered advertising on their walls from Chinese phone company Huawei. I went back to visit when the basilica was open. As every church in Rome there is art in every form.

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The Museum houses no original art or manuscripts of daVinci. The museum introduces you to the genius of the man. It is chock full of reproductions of his inventions, manuscripts, paintings and sculptures of da Vinci. There are films and other multi-media pieces highlighting da Vinci’s accomplishments and challenges. Some films are about his life and art; and others are about unique pieces as the “Last Supper” and how it differs from all other representations of this religious event by including Judas the Traitor.

Weapons of Destruction: Most of us appreciate the genius of da Vinci for his art and drawings. His genius was also used to weaponize the Italians. There were reproductions of his many inventions of war. They included an armored tank; catapults; crossbar and cannons as well as hand weapons.

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Diving Equipment and Flying Machines

Human anatomy drawings. da Vinci used mirrored writing, some say to keep his hands clean and the ink unsmudged. His drawings of growing fetuses and bone structures of each bone in the body are incredible.

And then there is the “fun” stuff. Musical instruments, bicycles and a small mirrored room.

Pasta making with luca

I selected a pasta making class that was out of town. I’ve been exploring neighborhoods, so outside of centro Rome is enticing. Luca called me in advance to discuss what types of sauce I wanted to make. We decided on Amatriciana and Bolognese. Both are considered to be Roman pastas, though I might believe the Bolognese comes from Bologna.

Our meeting was set for 11:30 am so I left my home early so I would be on time. Took the METRO to the last stop Anagnina. Found my way to ground level heading in the right direction. Found a Tex Bar and stopped in for a whiskey since I was about 1/2 early. Bought a lotto scratch off ticket [lost].

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I then started the 10 minute walk to Luca’s apartment. Outside of centro Rome there are apartments surrounded by small stores and small parks that are unkempt. People coming and going as any other suburb in the world. I was in an ordinary neighborhood.

Luca is a personal chef–he cooks for private events and consults in restaurants. He speaks multiple languages and lived outside of Italy for many years including in the San Francisco area. He met me in front of the apartment building and we proceeded. Small efficiency apartment with access to a small yard. Luca has the pasta machine out as well as the ingredients. We jumped right into measuring the semolina and eggs to begin the pasta process. I’ve made pasta before so looked for differences to enhance my process. Luca was great. We conversed about measuring, size of eggs, amount to make per person, etc. All things that I long to know.

When pasta dough was complete, we wrapped it and proceeded to make the two sauces we had agreed upon. Luca’s bolognese sauce differs from mine but end product was delicious. He used beef from Denmark since he believed it was the best. No pork or veal as I use but I have to admit it was a delicious Bolognese that cut the cooking time by 2 hours. I won’t abandon my 3 hour Bolognese but I will definitely use Luca’s recipe on occasion. We drank some good wine and ate both pastas. I think my friends will be happy that I attended–I learned some new tricks that make it easier to make fresh pasta.

The Amatriciana sauce I had never made before. It consisted of onions, guanciale and tomatoes. It was excellent. Luca had an appointment so we walked to the train together and learned a little bit more about each other. I found a new friend. Hoping Luca will come to US again so I can cook him dinner.

Having an aperitivo

The definition of an aperitivo is a beverage that is alcoholic consumed prior to a meal with the intention of stimulating the appetite. For my friends who have become Amaros fans. Just want to note that they are not aperitifs since they are digestivos meant to drink after the dinner to aid in digestion.

This was a tour that I booked through AirBnB. It was an hour or so meeting some folks in Trastevere for an aperitivo before dinner. Antonis was our guide and we met at a bar called Big Star Pub in Trastevere. This venue is a local pub which has music and tapas. It was a fun meeting. Other guests included 3 women traveling alone from: Russia, Greece, Germany and US. It was fun to exchange our experiences in Rome so far as we had an aperitivo and some supplis [rice balls] and potato patties. I walked the 2 mile trek home with the woman from Russia who was living in Turkey while her family lived in Russia. Interesting conversation and I was happy to have the company as we walked along the Tiber.

TOUR OF THE JEWISH GHETTO

This tour, by far, was the most interesting historically. It was a guided tour of the Jewish Ghetto which for all the times I’ve been to Italy had not toured. AirBnB has many tours that you can book and pay through them. So far I have been delighted with each–both content and process. All the tours I’ve taken have been through that process and it has worked well.

Ben, the tour guide, was a young man from north London, living in Italy for a while. He lived in Jersey City for a bit so understood where I was coming from. There was only one other on the tour–herr name was Lisa from Toronto and Hong Kong. She had taken the train in for the day from Florence to take this tour. It was a 2-hour tour and we met at 1:30 pm. We met at the Piazza di Venezia to start our walk. Here are some pictures from this piazza.

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Moving on to the Jewish Ghetto [established in 1555, but existing since II AD] where there are so many stories of family love. It was in 1555 that the Pope demanded that the Jews be segregated from the rest of the city where walls were built. They lived together loving and cooking while enduring the horrors that were inflicted on them. The temple pictured here was built in 1870 after the reunification of Italy and was paid for by the Pope at the time. The streets are quaint, the restaurants excellent and the walls have been torn down. There is still a large Jewish population living here.

Sad story: There is a man in the world who is trying to remember every Jewish person that was persecuted and died during and after the World War II–some who were in camps and some who weren’t. Upon the death of the person, a plaque is put in front of the house they originally lived documenting their existence. His research is expansive You will see these plaques all over Europe. These were photographed in the Jewish Ghetto.

Funny story. A man wanted to marry a young girl in the Jewish ghetto. The girl’s father was totally against it. The father said if you can build a fountain overnight in front of my house, I will let you marry her. There was a fountain being built around the corner; the lover hired the workers to move the pieces of the fountain in the very small courtyard in front of the house. When the father awoke in the morning, the young gentlemen came and said here is the fountain; and so happy ending the couple were married.

Here are is a picture of the walk that leads up to the Coliseum that I took when I climbed the hill behind Piazza Venezia. They are still excavating historic sights here. Problem with excavating is you are taking down something very very old to get at something that is very very very old. At times there are churches built on top of churches that were destroyed by earthquakes or other natural or war disasters.

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some food

No explanation needed here …. except to notice that the pastries and fattening things are in cases, not in my dish.

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ITALY 5

naples and pompeiI

All the times I have been to Italy I have not visited either Naples or Pompeii [spelling here as the ancient Roman site and not the modern city]. Mike and I tried to visit Pompeii while driving our way to Sicily one trip but we were distracted by a pasta plant [I can’t even explain this, just know it happened] and never reached our destination.

This was a hard decision for me. Since I’ve stopped working I don’t relish ever getting up early. If I do, it’s fine; but the idea of “having to get up” always puts me in a tailspin. I tried to take the fast train but that trip could not be booked; the people advertising the trip knew nothing about it [shrug here]. So I booked the bus trip. You leave at 7:00 am, ride for 3 hours, visit Pompeii, have lunch, visit Naples to take a a different bus ride around the town for 1.5 hours and then ride back to Rome for 3 hours. After some deliberation, I decided I would do this.

It was the first scheduled taxi I booked with FREE NOW, an app for taxis in Rome. I worried whether taxi would get here or not, but came to the rationale that if I missed the bus, I would hop the fast train and meet the bus in Pompeii.

Well, taxi came, I got to the Termini to meet the bus [which turned out to be a large van to my delight] a half hour early. It started to rain. This began the rainiest, stormiest day that I have experienced in Italy. The rain did not stop until we were an hour out of Rome on the way home.

My pictures will attest to this as well as the multiple cloud to ground lightening bolts I experienced.

There is really no good way to explain what Pompeii is like. It was built in 9-8th century BC by the Greeks. It was a city with buildings, basilicas, theaters, houses and markets. After the eruption of Vesuvius [AD79] the city was lost for centuries until unearthed in the most fascinating archaeological endeavor. The city was encased in volcanic ash but structures survived–not all the citizens of Pompeii were that lucky. The city itself is a great study of architecture and how the people at that time lived. Even with the wet map and the broken listening device, I was glad I made the trip.

Before I get to lunch, I’ll say I met some really nice folks. A family from Peru, student studying in Spain and all on vacation in Rome; a woman and her daughter–she was born and bred in England, mother moved back to Russia and a lovely woman from Long Beach CA. On the ride there, no one really spoke–it was early. On the way back I had a great long conversation with the woman from Long Beach–I think we bonded a bit.

We ate in a restaurant near the site. Since it was all included there was a fixed menu. Food was good, a bottle of wine as well.

Everything I know about Naples was captured in Elena Ferrante’s book My Brightest Friend. I always imagine it through her lens.

Here are the pictures I took while riding the bus in Naples. They are not great; I didn’t get a good feel for the city and will need to go back there with my friend Terry who lived in Naples and speaks Italian–she understands the city.

We drove mainly through a rich neighborhood that follows the road around Naples Bay. The listening device told me I should see Capri and the Amalfi Drive and cruise ships in the bay. Of course I couldn’t see any of that because of the torrential rains. I avoided looking at the bay because of the sky to ground lightening bolts.

ROME’S DARK SIDE: GHOSTS & MYSTERIES

I was delighted with my tour of the Jewish Ghetto so I decided I would go out again with Ben. This is Ben’s favorite tour.

Like any other ancient city there are lots of stories of murder and mayhem from centuries ago and sometimes, not that long ago. These stories are not usually in brochures about Rome.

We met in Campo Dei Fiori [Field of Flowers] at 8 pm, just late enough for it to be spooky since many tourists are having dinner. Ben started with the history of executions that took place in Rome. Every piazza in Rome has a church except Campo Dei Fiori. The reason is that they burned people at the stake in this place–they might have been witches or sometimes scientists, but many people were burned in this piazza. The statue in the middle is of Giordano Bruno (1548 – 17 February 1600) who was an Italian philosopher, mathematician, poet, and astrologist to name a few of his areas of expertise–certainly this man was a genius. He raised the possibility that stars were different suns for other planets that might foster life of their own and that the earth revolved around the sun. Giordano predated Galileo. He also insisted that there was no center to the universe. Of course, at the time, the Catholic popes considered this heresy–what probably really put him on the wrong side of the Popes was his disbelief and questioning of the Virgin birth. He was convicted of heresy and after escaping Rome for a number of years was convicted on his return and burned to death in this square for his heretic claims. Many others experienced the same fate as Bruno in this very piazza and were burned at the stake.

The other piazzas that played a part in the murderous history of Rome was Piazza del Popolo and Castel Sant’Angelo. The former was used for hangings and the latter for beheadings.

As we walked Ben told us the story of Giulia Tofana, a woman who owned an apothecary in Rome. The apothecary was in a building that was the model for the Flatiron building in Manhattan. She poisoned her husband with arsenic, lead and belladonna [just a little every day]. She wanted to assist other women who wanted to eliminate their spouses. She is known as one of the most prolific serial killers assisting 600 women to kill their husbands by selling her product. When discovered her records of sales led to many other women whose husbands died of curious circumstance. Many of them were hung in Piazza di Popolo.

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We then passed a strange church–St Maria Dellor Action and Death:
temple of the fallen at work. The front of the church is decorated with stone skulls built into the portico. It also has two curious plaques. This church took anyone who was executed and prayed for them and buried them–no matter what their crime. Today, this church collects and buries the dead homeless people of Rome, so donations are still taken.

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We ended our walk as Castel Sant’Angelo Ponte. This is one of my favorite spots in Rome–you see just about everything here. After a few stories about other gruesome executions that took place here, I walked home. To end this story on an upnote: check out this video of some lively young people dancing to Macarena.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gYRR7JNOpGVRM8A7U6BNIA1CGVZi-DtH

Walks to discovering neighborhoods

I have discovered many neighborhoods–both old and new–but always steps to get there or back again. So while walking in a very modern section of Rome you then encounter some stairways that are centuries old.

i love the night here

I will write on a later post what I loved or hated about Rome but I do love the night here. It is really a busy city until it is not and everyone went home.

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some more food

Although I am a foodie I admit this was not a foodie trip. So many people gave me restaurants to try and lists of great Rome restaurants, but because I just get up and do what I would if I was living in Staten Island, I didn’t get to a lot of restaurants. Not having a companion does negatively affect your restaurant usage. I walk and when I’m hungry I stop, so I eat all great meals but not always in renowned restaurants. I definitely favored a local restaurant, Buona Forchetta, where I knew the wait staff and they forced me to speak Italian and were gracious always to provide me comfort while away from home. If I didn’t show up for a few days, they were concerned I was not well. No matter where I live, restaurants such as these will always be close to my heart.

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ITALY 6

Wrapping it Up

NIGHTTIME WALKS

No explanation needed for these. Just pictures I took while walking around at night.

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I love the Tiber. Walked many of the bridges and loved the reflection of them in the water at night. There are libraries where people take out a book and read it there as well as markets selling souvenirs.

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ITALY WRAP UP

How great to do the wrap up of Italy on the last day of 2019. My desire was to live somewhere else for a while. I have lived in NYC my entire life and although I travelled a lot; I never lived somewhere else. I had selected Rome after consideration of a small house in Sicily or a house in Tuscany. Rome was my decision because I knew I wouldn’t need a car and I could walk almost anywhere. They have a good transit system and prices for AirBnBs were reasonable.

I had been to Rome on every trip to Italy….whether I was going north or south I always made a stop in Rome. I was always comfortable there and never had a car.

So likes and dislikes; I love that the city is ancient and the modern is mixed with centuries old architecture and streets; I love the cobblestone; I love the churches and the art; I love the people and the diversity of the city; I tried to imagine parts of the city as they evolved into what they are now. What was it like when the city was built and the churches were built? How many people were artists and artisans who worked on their backs painting the ceilings and domes of the more than 900 churches there? Each church is a work of art in itself—the number of altars surrounding a single dome or the altars under the multiple smaller domes that cover the small chapels. 

I didn’t like how they have large bins in the street for your trash but they are overstuffed every day and the garbage is on the floor. With all my walks by the river and dark streets, sometimes filled with overflowing trash bins I never encountered a rat which was good since I have such an aversion. But, alas, the inefficient trash collection would not deter me from traveling here again.

I felt alone at times but not lonely; I missed talking since I am not fluent in Italian; I reflected and re-reflected and spoke out loud to myself. I slept well and ate well although I did not go to many restaurants. I ate when I was hungry wherever I was. I went to many museums and music events whether outdoor or indoor. 

I met wonderful people both travelers and Romans. I met folks who were from Missouri, Oklahoma, California and NY city. I met many Irish and northern Englanders, France, Bolivia, Kurdistan, Russia, Greece, Germany, Brazil, China and India. Everyone had a story and it was so good to hear others’ stories.

I visited many churches. Praying was an integral part of my trip. I prayed in Italian, Latin and Spanish. I listened to prayer in Chinese, Swahili and Russian. I sat in churches and just looked at the statues, the domes, the life-size sculptures, the relics, the huge stone angels that are present in every church overlooking the saints or the altar—and wondered about the artists who created these masterpieces. I speak not only of famous artists as daVinci or Michelangelo but of the thousands of artisans who toiled to create art to honor the Lord. I hope I am a kinder gentler person for this trip.

Two sets of photos: Scenes and Churches–and if it works well you should have good music playing. Hope you will enjoy–so glad to have shared my trip with you all and thankful to all who have shared so many kinds words.

rome scenes

https://drive.google.com/open?id=10PFnEDU4KyPM698sEbX-1oXiU8xMHh8o

churches

https://drive.google.com/open?id=15ir9vCBQa320R3Quk3gjSBBLnthjdGK_

Sharing a Rainbow

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