The Pilgrimage, Days 1-3

Okay, you were warned that this was coming. Be prepared for way too many photos laced between my usual fractured prose as I try to chronicle my recent trip to Italy and Bosnia. In the way of recap, this trip was supposed to happen October 2023 and involved a trip to Israel and Italy. You may have heard about a fairly robust disagreement in Israel around that time. The war caused a last-minute postponement of the planned trip. Since it wasn’t much better this year, the travel agency substituted a trip to a sacred site in Bosnia for Israel. To be perfectly honest I wasn’t that excited about this trip but owed my Favorite Panamanian for my dream trip to Ireland and Scotland earlier this year. It turned out to be a fantastic trip that I thoroughly enjoyed. We were part of a church group emanating from our former church in Charlton. They turned out to be a special bunch which made the trip so much fun. It included Father Bob, our beloved former parish priest who at 88 was still spry and entertaining. So here goes, in this post I’ll cover the first three days of the trip after our arrival in Italy.

At St Paul's

Day 1 – Sleepwalking Basilicas

We were scheduled on an evening flight out of Boston direct to Rome. There were a couple of delays so our 5:30 departure didn’t take place until 9pm. That allowed a dinner with the last burger I ate for two weeks, a long time filled with pasta and pizza. We didn’t sleep on the flight and we ran into dawn as we crossed the Irish coast. Later, as we flew over the Alps I snuck a look out the window (which were supposed to be closed) and saw a very cool sight. There was a thick blanket of clouds with only the Matterhorn peak sticking out. It felt very Paramount (yep, still a movie nut). Our first glimpse of the Italian countryside was surprising as everything was agricultural and very green. The Rome airport was also surprising as I expected something much larger and modern. We were bused to the terminal from the plane. At the terminal we met Flavia, our blonde, blue eyed guide for the time in Italy. She was a native Roman and was fantastic.

First View of Italy

Wife About to Step into Italy

Our First Stop

On our way into Rome from the airport we passed over the legendary Tiber River for the first time. I was surprised how small it was compared to my expectations. Our first stop was the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. This is one of the four major basilicas of Rome about and we were scheduled to visit all four The basilica was founded 1800 years ago by the Emperor Constantine I over the burial place of Paul of Tarsus, where it was said that, after his execution, followers erected a memorial. Most of his body is still supposed to be there. His head is at another basilica (these are the things you learn on a pilgrimage). Oh yeah, this was also a pilgrimage (see church group reference above). I am now a certified pilgrim. About that head, I learned that when Nero beheaded Paul, his head bounced three times after it was cut off. For that reason, three fountains were eventually erected at the execution place. See, pilgrims learn the cool stuff.

Typical Roman Trees

Basilica of St Paul

Flavia

St Paul

Holy Doors, Only Opened Every 25 Years

Entry Hall

We had our first meal at the basilica gift shop, a small pizza. I also learned the proper way to pay from the funny waiter. I tried handing the cash directly to him and he gave me an exasperated look before vigorously grabbing the money. I was supposed to lay the money in a tray on the counter. When the next customer did it correctly, he looked at me and smiled and we shared a laugh together. My education continued. The basilica is called outside the walls because, well, it’s located outside the walls of ancient Rome. Burials were not allowed inside the walls during that time. Flavia was getting her introduction into trying to keep track of our very independent group. I told her about the American expression of herding cats. While we were there, a group of highly decorated Mexican women showed up and started dancing. They were also on a pilgrimage (lot of that going around) and the dance was a demonstration of how they pray in their town. My Favorite Panamanian, since it involved praying and dancing, loved it.

Main Hall

Portraits of Every Pope

Remains of St Paul

After leaving this basilica we headed into Rome for another of the four major basilicas, Saint Mary Maggiore, located on the Esquiline Hill. I was a little frustrated as we passed by several obviously ancient ruins but Flavia was decisively engaged with answering questions from an energized Father Bob, who was very excited to be back in Rome where he went to college. We went through the aforementioned ancient walls of Rome, something that happened a lot. The Roman traffic was every bit as crazy as advertised but somehow kept moving. At every traffic light a herd of scooters wove through the larger vehicles to be first at the light. Rome was a little disappointing in only one regard, the pervasive graffiti. It seemed like every single building, including historical ones, were covered with graffiti as high as you could reach. It felt if you stayed in one place too long you would be painted. It was a shame that the beautiful city was encumbered by this unsightly mess.

Obelisk Outside St Mary's

Outside St Mary's

Looking the Other Way

St Mary's Holy Door

Main Hall

The basilica of Saint Mary was erected 1700 years ago to mark the canonization of Jesus’ mother. Legend has it an early Christian Roman nobleman dreamed about Mary who told him she would mark where the basilica should be built. That night, at the height of Roman summer, snow covered an area on the hill where the basilica was eventually built. Underneath the altar the purported crib of Jesus from the manger is located. There is also a Sistine Chapel within.  There was a large obelisk located outside which seemed like a requirement for every important building in Rome. A very simple tomb was located inside the basilica. It marked the final resting place of the famous sculptor and architect, Bernini. After creating so many fabulous statues and buildings, it was interesting that he chose such a simple tomb.

Scenes Inside St Mary's

Chapel Where we Had Mass

Remains of the Manger

Bernini's Simple Tomb

While we were on our pilgrimage we attended mass every day. Father Bob was usually recruited to oversee the mass, and it was cool that we had one in one of the chapels within the basilica. After the basilica, we headed for our hotel which was nice, despite the omnipresent graffiti it was decorated with. At this point we’d been awake for over thirty hours, but we still had our first dinner awaiting us. Flavia had us walk a short distance down the street from the hotel to a small restaurant. The food was excellent and kept coming. I was reminded fondly of Soxfather’s mom who was famous for doing the same thing. It’s an Italian thing. In a major development, which thoroughly shocked my Favorite Panamanian, I started drinking wine at dinner. A dedicated beer drinker I told her that I had decided to drink wine in Rome. When she asked why, I told her, “When in Rome”. You are authorized to groan at this point.

Father Bob Conducting Mass

Our Hotel

First Dinner in Rome

Day 2 – Rainy Big Guy

We had an early wakeup call this day because we were scheduled for arguably the biggest event of our trip, an audience with the Pope. Flavia had us get up early so we could be near the head of the line at the Vatican for the weekly Wednesday audience in St Peter’s Square. We drove through a pre-dawn Rome, crossed the Tiber and parked outside the walls of the Vatican (a spot which I’d last seen in a Mission Impossible movie when Tom Cruise broke into the Vatican). I was doubting Flavia when we arrived at the entry point and dove into a literal sea of people. It turns out, the Square is immense, and we were still able to get great seats. I was truly impressed walking into the iconic location, scene of so much history.

Line to Get In

Wife is Ready

First View of St Peter's Square

A Very Happy Catholic

We had seats right next to the path the Popemobile would pass by as the huge square steadily filled with people. About twenty minutes before the Pope was scheduled to show, a group of American ladies boldly walked right in front of our seats to take up position at the barricade. My Favorite Panamanian spent the ensuing twenty minutes lecturing them on their rudeness. They eventually bonded and my wife was given a spot right at the barricade. The Pope appeared right on schedule and I was able to watch his progress on a nearby huge tv screen. I was touched with how authentic the Pope was. He stopped frequently to pick up babies from the audience and bless them personally in his arms. He eventually reached out position and passed barely five feet from us. So close, I was able to make eye contact with him, which was kind of cool. My wife was beside herself with joy being so close to the pontiff.

Waiting for His Arrival

And There He Is!

Eye Contact

Wife Very Excited

The papal service that followed was special. Everything was done in French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Italian, and Arabic (so it took a while). There was a light rain falling at times which my precipitation-averse spouse never minded (it took a Pope to make that happen). It made me reflect on the state of the world. Here were all these people from across the globe united and happily celebrating together. Maybe there is hope. After receiving our blessing from the Pope we moved over to the Vatican parish church where Father Bob delivered our daily mass (again, pretty cool).

Papal Service

Where we Had Mass

This was followed by lunch and shopping. My Favorite Panamanian was in seventh heaven to be surrounded by religious souvenir ships. Lunch was a true adventure as we walked into a small restaurant, Trattoria Marcelo, just outside the Vatican walls. The adventure came from the proprietors. It was obviously a family run business and the son and father spent the entire time we were there yelling at each other across the seating area. I genuinely thought they were coming to come to blows at a couple points. The rain picked up seriously following lunch which washed out our scheduled trips to the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. Since there was no Pope involved, my wife agreed with the cancellation.

Lunch Time

Let the Shopping Commence

Walking Through Rain to Bus

Wall That Tom Climbed

I misjudged the time we were told to assemble in the hotel lobby for dinner but there just so happened to be a bar located adjacent to the lobby. Go figure. I had my first Italian beer there, a Peroni, which was pretty good. I still stuck to wine at dinner though. During our wait in the bar my Favorite Panamanian convinced the bartender to create a special drink for her that turned out to be pretty potent. That resulted in a noticeable increase in her talkativeness. She’s never short of conversational ability, which made it funny to have her apologizing to the group for talking so much. I, unadvisedly, commented that, “Yeah, that’s so out of character” which earned me a spousal dagger look. Another very fun dinner with our group. For the second dinner in a row, we had bacon laced pasta (count me a fan of this).

Crossing the Tiber

The Baths of Cafracalla

Streets Passing Through the Ancient Walls

That First Beer

Day 2 Dinner

Day 3 – Underground Streets and Heady Basilica

The day dawned with continued heavy rain which was problematic since we were scheduled for some outdoor activities. While on the bus, the group entreated Father Bob to say a prayer for better weather. He complied and we were a little in awe over the rest of our trip. Despite being a rainy part of the year, we didn’t see another rain drop for the rest of our trip. I was excited about the morning schedule since it was heavily slated for visits to ancient Rome sites. Our first stop was the minor Basilica of Saint Clement. This place, a short walk from the Colosseum, was fascinating. It had an opening to two levels below the street which had excavated streets of ancient Rome. There was a temple of Mithras and numerous artifacts from pre-Christian Rome. I was so in my element actually walking in an ancient Roman neighborhood, including a mint. There was an interesting small chapel dedicated to the Russian patron saint, Cyril. Apparently Saint Cyril transported the body of martyred St Clement back to Rome from the Black Sea to earn that.

First View of the SPQR

St Clément's

Underground

Ancient Frescoes

St Cyril's Chapel

Ancient Roman Street

Temple of Mithras

Inside the Mint

St Clément's Celling

Emerging into prayer induced sunshine, we walked down to the Colosseum. We had a small snack break where I sat over the ruins of a gladiatorial training school, way cool. I was stoked to be at the iconic symbol of ancient Rome. The Colosseum was impressive. We were left on our own for a couple hours so I made the most of it by charging around the area with a very tolerant wife. She could tell how excited I was. We took in the Arch of Constantine and the nearby Basilica of Saint Francis. I was hoping to walk through the ancient Roman Forum but the line to get in was too long. I walked to a nearby vantage point so I could see this famous center of ancient Rome.

Gladiator School

Colosseum!!!!

S.P.Q.R. Still in Use

The Gladiator Training Ring

Inside St Francis'

Arch of Constantine

The Forum!

Following lunch we headed to our next major basilica, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, built by Constantine (that guy got around). This was the former home of the Pope before the Vatican. It included the tombs of six or more popes. It was an impressive building. It includes the heads of both Saint Peter and Saint Paul (remember the missing head from the first basilica). The place was huge and even impressed Saint Francis. He famously reacted to seeing it the first time and there is an impressive statue of him nearby capturing that moment. The basilica had immense doors which I was fascinated to learn were the original doors from the Roman Senate. I stopped and imagined Julius Caesar walking through them. Yep, I’m a geek about ancient Rome. There was another obelisk, this one from even more ancient Egypt in the courtyard.

St Francis Statue

Outside St John's

Flavia Briefing Us

Wife with Father Bob

Famous Statue of Constantine

Former Senate Doors

Inside St John's

The Two Heads

Egyptian Obelisk

We then walked down the street to Basilica of Saint Croce of Gerusalem. This was a fascinating place dedicated to relics from the Passion of the Christ. It was built by the mother of Constantine, Saint Helena. She claimed to have recovered the following relics which are housed there: two thorns from the crown Jesus wore on the cross, a nail from the crucifixion, the sign nailed to the cross, and a piece of the cross itself. There is also the supposed finger bone of the Apostle Saint Thomas (for all you doubters out there).

St Croce

The Reliquary

The Relics

The Finger

The Nail

The Thornes

Piece of the Cross

The Sign

The Finger

Fun Dinner

The Restaurant

We walked down the street from the hotel later to attend our daily mass at the local Italian parish church. I didn’t understand a single word of the service but I’m, told it counts. Somehow my Favorite Panamanian attempted to communicate with an Italian lady after the service. The distraught woman claimed to have no money for food and wanted my wife to talk with the parish priest. It’s what she does. We walked next to our dinner location. The location looked kind of sketchy but was a lot of fun. The restaurant was famous for hosting various writers during their time in Rome which reminded me of my daughter. I sent some more wine downrange which at this point was a certifiable trend. Another great day.

One movie fell in the A-Z watch, a definite keeper: Memento, just love this crazy noir film that could be classified as a tragi-comedy, arguably Nolan’s best movie.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother-in-law (whom I miss more than I can ever explain); Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course