This past week has been great. Attending mass at 7am rocks, but I have come to the realization that going to the station church masses is not very compatible with running a study abroad program. I guess I forgot I had a job there for a sec. Anyway, one door closes, a different one opens.
On Sunday, we took a group of students to Santo Spirito (completed 1590), followed by the Angelus with the Pope. Santo Spirito has an English mass at 9:30 every Sunday, which is always a nice change of pace.
Monday was the first tour of the semester for the students. It started in Piazza del Popolo and ended at the Pantheon, adding stops along the way. The grey, cloudy, and quiet morning was very refreshing.
Overlooking Piazza del Popolo are the Borghese Gardens, one of my favorite places to walk around and escape the noisy city.
Love seeing some green in the cobblestone jungle.
The Spanish Steps lead to the Church of Santissima Trinità dei Monti.
Fun fact: the Spanish Steps aren’t even Spanish. I swear. They’re actually French. They obtained their current title due to the fact that Spanish Embassy was so close by. Feel free to use this fact to impress at the dinner table, my treat.
The Trevi Fountain. Throw one coin in, come back to Rome. Throw two coins in, fall in love with a beautiful Italian. These Roman traditions and legends ultimately make the city 700,000 euro annually. They were actually cleaning it out when I took this photo. Let me tell ya, there is a LOT of coinage in there. It’s genius marketing really. If America had this stuff, they’d probably wouldn’t be $34 trillion in debt.
The Pantheon (126 AD completion) fascinates me. Standing for over 2000 years!!! Wow!! The columns are from Egypt, originally, and I have no idea how they moved them and set them up. I saw this quote from a blog on the Pantheon: “When Michelangelo saw this wonder for the first time, he said that it looked more like the work of angels, not humans.” It’s so true.
On the way back to St. Peter’s, I stopped in at San Agostino. I had no prior knowledge of the minor basilica, but wow am I glad I stopped in. Absolutely stunning.
Much to my surprise, San Agostino has a Caravaggio original. I am a big fan of Caravaggio and when you run into his work on accident, it makes your day! It’s like seeing a celebrity in public and getting a picture. “Madonna dei Pellegrini” or “Madonna of the Pilgrims.” (1604).
I’m going to have to buy another phone for all these pictures. Just like Michael Scott.
Can’t not take a picture of this.
Last one. This stone is set in between the cobblestone of St. Peter’s Square. It marks the exact spot of the assassination attempt on St. Pope John Paul II. The goat.
Fun times in Rome! Cheers!
JPD