Sunday in Roma

Sunday, March 29, 2009 Sunday in Roma
Thought I would take a moment to talk about walking about in Rome. We wear 3-4 layers of clothing plus our outside wind proof coats so that as we get warm we can shed inner shirts that will fit into the small back packs we carry under our outside coats. A sun hat, city maps, Rick Steves Guide book, water bottle, rain poncho and a bag of nuts to snack on all fit into these small lightweight packs. We purchased new purses, that have a backpack like straps, when we were in Provence…. we do wear them on the outside as we have our Cameras (also on a neck strap) and little necessary items that we might need during the day. When wearing a purse, cross it over your front and keep your hands on it at all times. If the weather is colder we also have a second heavier sweatshirt to warm us up. Shoes… the same sandals day after day… just the number of pairs of socks we wear changes with the weather. Another piece of clothing that rarely changes is that we always wear jeans… except when dressing up on Sundays.
The above may not be of interest to everyone but anyone thinking of travel may want to remember some of the things that have worked for us.
This morning we walked the four blocks down the street to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of Roma earliest and best preserved churches, it was built in 432 AD. We made it just in time for Sunday High Mass. A full men’s choir of rich baritone voices sang out as almost 30 priests came down the center aisle. Up near the altar were 3 more dressed in Cardinal Red…..
Who they were we are not sure but know that they are high up in the church.
We were surprised to notice that during the Mass some people were going to confession, they had many confessionals located along the sides of the church each one telling the language that you could use. Another thing that I have noticed, in most all of the large Basilicas they have chairs and no kneelers. I guess this is to make it easier to open up the floor for people to walk around and view the churches.
After Mass we went to the Internet shop so we could check our emails and send a note to our husbands. While there we thought if we go back to our rooms we could download the last 3 days of blogs and get them out on the Internet. Off we went to the rooms and then back to the Internet shop to post from our Jump Drives.
Where to go next….. decided to try and use the Metro (subway), being Sunday we were hoping that it wouldn’t be as crowded as during the week and it’s only 1 euro to travel one way to almost anywhere in the city.
It was somewhat crowded when we first got on but soon thinned out. For some reason people look at me and give up their seats…. Asked Martha if I look frail or what…. She said they notice that I have trouble standing still when the vehicle is moving. Martha feels more comfortable when I am seated so she doesn’t have to worry about me. But then I always feel better when she also gets a seat.
Our destination was the Basilica San Paolo Fuori le Mura or better know as St. Paul’s Outside the Walls. This was the last major construction project of Imperial Rome in 380 AD and the largest church in Christiandom
Until St. Peter’s. The church is built upon the supposed grave of St. Paul, who’s body is buried under the main altar. This church along with Santa Maria Maggiore and San Giovanni in Laterano are both a part of the Vatican rather than Italy even though neither church lies within the Vatican city boundaries. A special feature is this church has oval framed mosaic portraits of 265 popes, from St. Peter to the present Pope Benedict XVI going all around the top of the church walls creating a border of Popes. We noticed that they have only 17 empty ovals…. What will happen when these are filled??????
Back on the Metro again to return to the main Termini Station. After reading Rick Steves book we found that we had neglected to view some special items at Santa Maria Maggiore. So back we went to go down under the main altar to view what is said to be fragments from the Manager….are they the real thing…. To us who viewed and prayed before the shrine…who are we to say there not real….
To the left of the main altar lies a tomb marked “Ioannes Laurentins Bernini” Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) who brought honor to art and the city, here humbly rests. Next to it is another plaque to the “Familia Bernini”….a simple memorial for the man who grew up in this neighborhood, then went on to remake Rome in the ornate Baroque Style…You see the works of Bernini all over Roma… he was a sculptor, architect, artist and civic engineer who laid out St. Peters Square and he designed and renovated Rome’s fountains in Piazza Navona, Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) and more…..
Back to our room for computer time (typing our blogs) and time to review our pictures before packing for our trip to Sorrento tomorrow.