April 1, 2009

Today we got to see the Pope. There was a Papal audience at 10:30 in St. Peter’s Square. We got really good seats near the center aisle and were very close to the Pope-mobile when it came by. The whole thing took about 1 ½ hours total. First a reading from Mathew was done, in like multiple languages: French, Italian, German, Spanish, Polish, and English. Then the Pope did a little spiel. After his speech, each of the Bishops that read the reading in their respective language announced the various groups that were there today. So, all the big groups were announced and then the Pope would say the summary of his speech is that language. It was pretty cool. Even St. Mary’s was announced and we, of course, cheered. Overall it was an interesting experience.

God must have watching today because he held off the rain until after the whole thing was with and everyone was filing out. So, we all headed back to the hotel to regroup. I was going to go with Allyson and her dad, Mike, to the Colosseo today, but with the rain we decided to go tomorrow. They went, instead, to tour St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum. I went with the group to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. Eldon and I then split from the group to go to The Fountain of Trevi, and to San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains) church. I rode the metro again, tried to figure out how to take it to the airport, and then Eldon and I walked to the supermarket near the hotel.

The Fountain of Trevi is the most beautiful fountain of Rome and symbolizes the Baroque era. The fountain was completed in 1762 and inaugurated by Pope Clement XIII. The scenic effect is guaranteed by the small space of the surrounding square which serves as a theatre. The center statue represents Neptune and the side statues symbolize the abundance and the health that water has always given to the city of Rome.

The Pantheon, during classical antiquity, was a temple dedicated to all gods of pagan Rome. Marco Vipsanio Agrippa built it between 27 and 25 BC to celebrate his victory against the Persians. The original rectangular shape was modified after two fires when Adriano rebuilt it in a circular shape in AD 125. That is why it then became known as the ‘Rotunda’. In 608 AD it became a Christian church.

The Colosseo is the biggest amphitheatre ever built in the antiquity. It was started in 72 AD by the emperor Vespasiano of the Flavia family, that is why it’s also know as the ‘Amphitheatre Flavium.’ With its 50 meters high and its elegant architecture, it had a capacity of 55,000 spectators. Inside there were held gladiator duels and fantastic naval battles.

Most of the time we were walking around Roma today, it was raining. I’m glad Allyson and I didn’t go to the Colosseo because we would have been miserable as everything to see is not covered. I’m going to head there tomorrow morning before my Scavi tour with Eldon and Nikki. Then, the only other thing I really want to see is Saint Cecilia’s church.

I got a ton of pictures today: of the Pope, the audience, the various sights we saw, etc. I cannot wait to get internet to put them on facebook and my blog. I just hope it is not raining tomorrow and that everyone who’s leaving tomorrow travels safely.