This morning I woke up and went down to breakfast at the Convent. Breakfast, which I assume is fairly traditional for Italy, is always a large cold hollow white roll, served with butter, honey, and an assortment of marmalades. They also have tiny packages of toast, in case the roll is not enough, juice, and cappuccino. It’s actually quite good. So far I’ve had the orange and strawberry marmalades.
This morning at breakfast there was a monk who is staying here. The sister introduced me, and he said “boof a lo beel.” Puzzled, I responded “no capisco” (I don’t understand.) He smiled, repeated the phrase again, and said “Americana, si? It hit me that he was asking if I know “Buffalo Bill.” I laughed and said, “Si, Buffalo Bill.” Then the sister asked me what a buffalo is, so I struggled to describe it, settling on “similar to a really big cow.” It’s funny that Buffalo Bill is the reference that came to the man’s head when he thought of America. It’s always neat to get a peek into another person’s world like that.
Yesterday I spent in a haze. I couldn’t sleep well the night before due to excitement and/or jet lag, but I set out to see some sights in the morning just the same. First I went by the Arch of Constantine. Constantine had it built to mark his victory in battle against Maxentius. This is the battle that legalized Christianity as the official religion of Rome. Think about what a huge impact it had on the world! Constantine had the arch decorated with art that glorified other Roman emperors. There are images of Marcus of Aurelius, Augustus, and Trajan. It’s funny to think about what a giant influence one little battle had on the course of history, when some major wars really seem to accomplish nothing at all.
Arch of Constantine |
I also went to St Peter-in-Chains church, which supposedly houses the chains that held Peter when he was crucified. It also has a famous statue, Moses, that Michelangelo completed for the tomb of Pope Julius II. It is a pretty awesome statue, and includes Jacob’s wives Leah and Rachel.
The chains that held Peter at St. Peter-in-Chains Church |
After visiting the church I went to the Musei Capitolini, which is right beside Campidoglio. Campidoglio is a city square designed by Michelangelo, which includes his grand staircase (quite a walk, and slippery!) and an ancient statue of Marcus Aurelius in the center. I also went by the Mamertine Prison, where Peter, Paul, and many other Christian prisoners were held I saw the outside of the prison, but the inside was not open for tours.
After museum I found myself nodding off on the double decker tour bus, so I decided it was probably time to return home and take a nap. Even after a long nap yesterday afternoon, I slept great last night, and was ready to get up this morning for more adventures.
This morning I set out to take the bus to the train station (a dry run for my trip tomorrow). Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the correct bus stop. There are bus stops all over the place, but I could not find the one for the 360 bus. I wondered around and got myself lost again, but I ended up in Piazza St. Giovanni. It is a gorgeous church with some really neat artwork nearby. Then I found a metro stop and took the metro to the train station.
Walking from the train station, I visited 2 famous churches. I went to Santa Maria della Vittoria to see Bernini’s statue St. Teresa in Ecstasy. It is really beautifully done, and has an interesting story attached to it. I was not familiar with St. Teresa, but the description in the church was all about how God’s angel caused her to have terrible pain, but she delighted in the pain because it was a pain that came from being close to God.
The other church I went to today was Santa Maria Maggiore. This church is really famous because it has a lot of old mosaics and famous paintings. It reminded me more of the churches that I visited in Mexico. They were having mass when I visited, but I was still encouraged to come in and walk around the back of the sanctuary. The music was really beautiful. They had people at each door collecting money for the Pope’s Charity and a gift shop that sold souvenirs such as jewelry, postcards, rosaries . . . and even shot glasses! (I had a chuckle when I pictures some churches in the U.S. trying to sell shot glasses.)
I had read a lot about how “modest dress” is required when visiting these churches. Apparently women are expected to cover their soldiers and backs, and should not wear shorts or skirts that come above the knee. (This is in no way reflective of the way women actually dress in Italy – spaghetti straps and short skirts seem to be the norm). Santa Maria Maggiore was the first church where I have seen the dress code actually enforced. The men taking money at the door for the Pope’s Charity would actually stop women and direct them towards a box containing white shawls to cover themselves (it also had a donation box for the Pope’s charity). I was wearing a t-shirt and capris, so nobody gave me a hard time, but I found the whole process interesting. Italian women attending mass were wearing sleeveless dresses, and apparently nobody found that offensive. At Santa Mara della Vittoria, the dress code was posted on the door before you entered, so I took a picture. I didn’t see anyone actually enforcing it there. There does not seem to be any type of dress code for men.
Rules for modest dress at Santa Maria della Vittoria |
I finished out my day today with a trip to the National Museum of Rome’s engraving collection. It looked a bit boring at first, but it actually turned out to be quite fascinating. The museum begins with the beginning of written language in Italy, and gives examples of engravings for evidence of all sorts of things in society: social class, the status of women, private and public religious practices, etc. I found the burial engravings and sarcophaguses particularly interesting.
Early Christian burial engraving |
For lunch today I tried some more pizza (better this time!) and finally tasted gelato. I got mango. J I think I’m going to have some more gelato in a minute for dessert. I did (finally) successfully locate the correct bus and bus stop, so I think I’m going to be able to avoid another Roman taxi in the morning. I will spend the evening readying my luggage and my brain for my trip to Florence tomorrow. I am meeting my tour group there to begin a tour of the rest of Italy. Wish me luck!
**I am keeping a different blog for some students I am working with this summer. The information is pretty much the same, but there are more pictures there. If you are interested in the Roman artifacts, I posted a lot: http://nermsfastforward.pbworks.com/w/page/41889021/Roman-History.**
**I am keeping a different blog for some students I am working with this summer. The information is pretty much the same, but there are more pictures there. If you are interested in the Roman artifacts, I posted a lot: http://nermsfastforward.pbworks.com/w/page/41889021/Roman-History.**