From Florence to Rome - then in to the Eternal City

Though we were up at 5.30 and began packing, showering and shaving, we didn't need to leave the hotel until 9.00 so we used the tea and coffee provided and I caught up with my novel.

We checked out at 9.00 and wandered up to the station. Drew had been asking about having a McDonalds for a few days now, so I agreed to us having a McBreakfast in the McDs across the road from the station. The McBreakfast had some options: Drew had the McMuffin Deluxe while I had the plain McMuffin, the breakfast came with a hash brown and drink, Drew opted for a coffee and I had a 250m bottle of Tropicana Orange Juice.

Attached to the McDonalds was a McCafe, I'd not used one of these before but it offered real Italian coffee freshly made on a coffee machine and served in a real cup, what a luxury. I had an Americano and Drew opted for something called a Panespresso (see the photo on the right) - he tells me it tastes as good as it looked.

We crossed back to the station and caught the 11.08 Frecciargento 9413 to Roma Termini. This time we were in coach 5 seats 8C and 7C. The train was 5 minutes arriving and left the same 8 minutes late. A different style from the train on which we travelled to Florence, but still well air-conditioned and comfortable. We arrived at Roma Termini at 12.40, the train having caught up the delay on the journey.

We had planned the route to the hotel in advance using Google Maps, sometimes its route planning works really well. So we were straight off the platform and down into the Metro system. A stop to buy a 3 day metro pass (16.50 each) and we were on to the B line for Rebibbia and as we got to the platform the train arrived. It was three stops from Termini to Bologna metro station and a 7 minute walk from Bologna to the Hotel Delle Province. We arrived and had checked in by 1.10 p.m. – 30 minutes from arrival at Termini to being in the hotel room.

We settled in and checked e-mails/blog etc, but, as with Florence a few days ago, I was keen to get out to see Rome. So we left the hotel at 3.30 and headed back up to the Bologna metro station catching the B line to Termini and changing their for the A line to Ottivano. The advice Trip Advisor gave was to get off at Ottivano and look for signs. But as Drew said when we were on the A train and were travelling with a large number of nuns, following the nun was going to be the best way to arrive at the Vatican. Feeling that this was a bit like Dirk Gentley’s navigation approach – following a car you like the look of – however Drew's approach of nun following worked perfectly and by 4.30 we had arrived at the Vatican City.

This time in the afternoon meant that the square in front of St. Peter’s was comparatively quiet. Indeed when we walked towards the check points to get into the Cathedral we had three people in front of us – it was clear from the way the barriers were laid out that at other times there might be 300 or more waiting. It also appears all the formal tour trips of St. Peter’s happen in the morning. So we were in the basilica in no time at all. There is so much to see in St. Peter’s that it is best, if you want to share what we saw to look at the Vatican City photos on my Flickr – Drew was really impressed and snap happy in St. Peter’s. His excuse is that he gets a quieter time each afternoon if I have plenty of photos to entitle and load to Flickr!

What can you say about St. Peter’s? Built on the money raised across Europe through the practice, now frowned on  by the Church, of selling indulgences. In this Church all that glitters really is gold, and while first and foremost it is a place of prayer and pilgrimage – it is also evidence of the richness and power wielded by popes over the century. So it challenges me. I grew up as a Catholic worshiping mainly in a wood hut in Bonymaen that had peeling wallpaper and was used for bingo during the week. Indeed the same building is a boxing club now. So Church was not for me about pomp or ceremony (we only know about five hymns – when I say we I mean me, I was learning the piano, so played the Church harmonium, so the congregation could only sing the ones I had learnt – and I wasn’t very good! Always the priest was in a hurry as the Bonymaen mass fitted between his other two in Danygraig, where he was based. So seeing something like St. Peter’s is a world away for my experience of Church. But the truth is that both the shack in Bonymaen and the basilica I’m in now are put to shadow by the simplicity of the man who was God among us and gave his life for love of all. So in that spirit I spent time in St. Peter's being open to prayer.

I was moved by the shrine to the Blessed Pope John Paul the Second. I had the awesome experience of meeting him in Cardiff 30 years ago and remember his words, “I the Pope from Rome come to you the young people of England and Wales because we share our faith in the Lord Jesus”. It is that catholicity, that universality of the Church that keeps me a Catholic, even though I respect and share the worship of my fellow Christians. I also remember John Paul’s words to me: “One with a loud voice, keep it up” – those who know me, know I took his words to heart!

As we walked through the basilica and I stopped to pray I saw there was the opportunity for confession in many languages. I asked Drew if he minded me taking some time out to go to confession as I was here, and he said he was happy taking photos and, to use his words; “About time you had someone give you a good talking too!!”

 The queues were large, but the Maltese priest who was hearing confessions in Maltese, English and Italian was direct and forceful in his style. Being invited to be open and honest about your sins and failings is always good for me, doing it when someone is challenging you to think more and more deeply is good for the heart and soul. He gave me the largest penance I’ve ever received (Drew again: “No surprise there then!”) and having prayed the penance I went back to meet Drew who was still snapping photos.

We were in St. Peter’s for 2 hours, and on leaving at 6.30 I realised that we had forgotten lunch – readers of this blog will know that is not like us at all, plus I need to take a tablet three times a day (with or after food) for my diabetes. So we quickly stopped at a roadside stall and bought a Panini, bottle of water for me, and a coke for Drew. The Panini was nice, but the drinks were lovely and cold, just what we needed on a hot day like today.

We walked on down the Via della Conciliazione, taking photos of Churches as we went past, on to Castel Sant'Angelo, which had been a papal palace before the Vatican and is reputed to still have a secret passage from the Vatican in case the pope needs to leave in hurry, we then walked along the Tiber and came to some other lovely buildings, details in my photos on flickr. We crossed the Tiber and came to the Mausoleum of the Emperor Augustus, amazing to be walking not only in Church history, but in the history that so influenced out culture, even this very month is named for this Augustus who was buried here.

From there we walked along the Via del Corso, one of the Rome shopping streets and up to the Piazza Del Popolo (People’s square) which was both surprising (we had no idea we were going there) and impressive. The square, and the Church at one side of it, was originally built when the crusaders conquered Jerusalem during the first crusade in 1099. The square has been added to and enhanced over the generations since.

So it was 8.15 and we had been up for almost 15 hours, we almost fell into the nearest restaurant outside the piazza; it was called All' Orsetto (The Bear), it was good to drink lots of cold water and order dinner.

Drew started with Bruschetto con aglio e pomodoro while I had the Antipasto della casa. The bruschetto speaks for itself, but the antipasto was a mix of three meats, mozzarella, aubergine and olives, it tasted very nice, though after the long time walking in the heat of Rome most things would have tasted nice.

Drew opted for his favourite Penne all'Arrabbiata and said it was a tasty version I went with Spaghetti alla Carbonara (that’s bacon, egg and pecorino) I’m pleased to say that the skills of eating spaghetti that I was taught by the mother of one of my school friends (Mario Cavalluci) in the 1970’s has not been lost.

Drew had Piccatina al Limone for his secondo piatti, the lemon overpowered the meat, so he wasn’t very pleased with this, still he eat most of it. I had hoped to have Trippa, a local speciality using Tripe, but it was not available. I therefore went for something the waitress recommend; Spezzatino di Vitello con Piselli. This is a veal stew with peas, the veal had been socked for hours in the stock, and gave its flavour to the peas. We had eaten enough by this time, so after a espresso each we left. 

Catching the A metro from Flamino changing at Termini and catching the B back to Bologna, we arrived at the hotel at 11.00 p.m. thoroughly exhausted, but really pleased by the wonderful things we had seen, and the fun we have had seeing them.