Special Events - Roma, Italia 2009

Spagna - the Spanish Steps, at sunset.

Rome, Italy is a truly beautiful city, and a very worthy destination for people of all ages. After having spent four days in Rome, and a couple weeks outside of Rome, I've learned a few things that would, in my mind, be helpful tips for anyone else following in my footsteps:

1. Wear tennis shoes or comfortable shoes. You have to walk—a lot—if you really want to see and enjoy Rome. The metropolitana (Rome's subway lines) only covers the northern parts of the city, and a few ancient ruins.
2. Get a good map of the city; there is an illustrated map that you can find at almost any hotel/touristy area which shows pictures of all the major sights, and has every street marked. Even a GPS won't do so well in certain parts of Rome.
3. Bring a light camera, unless you're a stock photographer. With all the walking, you won't want to lug around a huge digital SLR and a bunch of glass if you don't have to. The memories are what counts - there are thousands of beautiful pictures of every sight in Rome - no need to take more of those pictures! A smaller, lighter camera affords more mobility, meaning you see more places.
4. Don't get caught in one or two ruins—i.e. don't tour the Colosseum or the Forum unless you really, really really want to. It's better to walk to another destination than to get caught in a four hour tour of a place in which you're not that interested.
5. Try the gelato. Seriously. Every chance you get, stop in a gelato shop. There are some especially good ones near the Via Merulana and across the Tiber from Castel Sant' Angelo.
6. If someone approaches telling you they have a special tour, or cool bracelets, or anything, ignore them. Don't even look at them. If you let them hook you in, you'll have to work to break yourself free from their sales pitches. (Also, don't look too 'touristy' if you can avoid it, at least not in the 'touristy' areas where street vendors are hanging around like vultures).
7. Don't get your picture taken with a gladiator or a mummy or any of the 'interesting' people around tourist sites. You'll be asked to pay up afterwards, usually to the tune of €5 or more!
8. Always pack an umbrella (get a little purse umbrella if need be) - rain is very random in Italy, and it can come at a moment's notice. If there are no clouds in the sky, don't carry the umbrella with you, but have one just in case. You can always buy one for €2-5 from a shop on the streets.
9. If you can figure them out, use the buses - they are very convenient if you need to get somewhere fast, or if your feet are worn out.
10. Try to speak a little Italian, even if you don't know much! Usually, even Italians who don't "parle" English will get the idea. The most important words:
    1. Parli inglese? --> "Do you speak English?"
    2. Ciao. --> "Hello."
    3. Grazie! --> "Thanks!"
    4. Prego. --> "Thanks," "You're welcome," and pretty much anything.
    5. Buongiorno/Buonasera/Bunanotte --> "Good morning/evening/night!"
11. Places you must visit: The Colosseum (at least look at it), St. Peter's Square, St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums, Piazza Navona, Via del Corso (walk along the fancy shopping street and end at the Spanish Steps / Spagna), Trevi Fountain (just to see it), St. Paul Outside the Walls (if time allows), Termini (it's like the Italian Penn Station), every Gelateria you see, the Pantheon.
12. Places you could visit if you have time: All the awesome columns and Egyptian obelisks around the city (you could play a game and see who can find them first), the four Major Basilicas (St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran, and St. Peter's), any other Church in the city, the Forum, the Circus Maximus (you can walk around it and act like you're Ben Hur ;-), Castel Sant' Angelo, Catacombs, the Scavi Tour (exclusive tour of the catacombs under St. Peter's - sign up early!), the Scala Sancta ('Sacred Stairs'), the Trastevere (Piazza di Santa Maria especially).
13. When eating, be sure to not ask for ketchup, burgers, salad dressing (they only use vinegar), or candy bars. You're in Roma! Enjoy the fish, the pasta, and the pizza... and most especially, the gelato! Crepes are also a nice way to finish off a meal. Ask for water senza gas (meaning without bubbles) or naturale—unless you'd like to try the gassy water ;-)

Any more tips? Leave 'em in the comments, please.

Two images taken on Saturday at Saint Peter's Basilica - both were stitched together using two images from my Canon PowerShot G11 in Photoshop. Click on the picture link to view the photo page on Flickr, or click the download link below the picture to see the HUGE picture file!

The first shot shows the interior of the main transept of Saint Peter's Basilica, with the main dome, the altar, and the beautiful and organic baldaccino designed by Bernini:

Download this photo (HUGE)

The second photo shows the exterior of the basilica, along with the obelisk and much of Saint Peter's Square:

Download this photo (HUGE)

I was privileged to be able to take a tour of Saint Peter's Basilica with a great seminarian and friend from St. Louis who currently attends the North American College. He showed me many of the small details at the Basilica which would be lost on many visitors, and afforded a pretty awesome view of everything inside. More details will be posted along with hundreds of photos ;-)

Many, many, many more photos will be posted to the Pictures section soon. Continue to follow along as I post stories and images from Rome in the special 'Roma' section on Lifeisaprayer.com.

Went around Rome all day today; got back an hour ago and have been processing pictures since. Still not finished, but getting close. There will be a ton of pictures of St. Peter's Basilica (interior), the Vatican Museums, the Piazza de Navona, and the Pantheon later on... hopefully tomorrow, but maybe later.

The Redemptorist's XXIV General Chapter is being held this year at the Salesianum, a retreat house / hotel/resort / convention center that is owned by the Saletians. The Salesianum is located about 30 minutes west of Rome's city center, and is set between some hilly farming areas and a major highway.

Many beautiful Palm trees surround the Salesianum.

Also on the property is a beautiful field/hillside of olive trees; pictured below is a single olive on one of the trees. I spotted a pretty good variety of flora and fauna while walking around the property.

A lone olive on a branch. Like an olive branch!

Below is one of a group of Peacocks peahens I noticed while walking along the southern border of the property. Apparently Peacocks peahens can fly (I had never seen this before), and they also make a loud squawking noise when agitated. It was an interesting sight to see!

He She says "Top of the mornin' to ya!"

Finally, the property affords a gorgeous vista of the sunset. The two pictures below were taken about twenty minutes apart, and show the final moments of the sunset, then a little bit of Roman dusk:

Beautiful sunset in Roma!

Dusk in Roma - there were livestock grazing in this meadow.

All in all, the property is removed from civilization to the greatest extent possible, and is very comfortable and beautiful. I will be posting many more pictures from my excursions to the Pictures section of this site soon... hopefully tomorrow! Until then, "Arrivederci!"

[Update: Here's an album of pictures from the Salesianum]

[UPDATE: All the pictures from Day 1 have been posted to a gallery.]

Saint Mary Major Basilica.

Fortune smiled upon me today, and I was able to travel to many destinations in Rome, mostly around the Vatican. After walking past Saint Mary Major Basilica (picture above), I walked to the Trevi fountain (a nice place for a pickpocket, I would think), progressed to the Triton fountain, and then hopped on the Italian subway (the Metropolitana, or something like that).

Trevi fountain. Not much room around this area.

One of the subway (metro) stations in Italy - they're pretty nice.

I hopped off at the Ottaviano station, and walked down to St. Peter's Square. After taking a few touristy pictures, I walked with some St. Louis seminarians down to a wonderful little pizzeria (with some excellent 4-cheese pizza!), and then to a gelateria (for REAL italian gelato!).

Mmm... real Italian gelato! I had the Crema Fiorentia and some Biscotto in a cup.

We finally visited the North American College (NAC), which afforded an extremely pleasant view of the entire city of Rome, and most especially the Vatican:

In front of St. Peter's Basilica (photo taken atop the NAC).

Throughout the trip, I took a few pictures of the many occurrences of 'SPQR,' standing for Senatus Populusque Romanus, "The senate and the people of Rome." The inscription appears on almost all public works-related objects in the city. This image was taken in the "Piazza Navona," near Bernini's "Fountain of the four rivers:"

S.P.Q.R. - Get with the program.

To top things off, here are a couple more cool shots of the Vatican (more will be posted as time allows!):

Beautiful fountain in St. Peter's Square

St. Peter's Basilica, as seen from the Tiber river.