Lo Amo Roma

"Rome was a poem pressed into service as a city." - Anatole Broyard

We are back from our adventure in Rome - nine days of pizza, pasta, gelato, wine, espresso, walking, climbing, exploring, praying, crying, laughing and living in wonder. Of all the places I've been in the world, Rome is clearly my favourite. The beauty of the city took my breath away. The big attractions did not disappoint. The Vatican Museums, The Sistine Chapel, The Colosseum, St. Peter's Basilica, The Spanish Steps and all the expected tourist attractions were spectacular and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. But the greatest joys came in unexpected places.

Sunday morning found us standing in St. Peter's Square after we heard the Pope would be speaking from his balcony. We went with low expectations but thought we should probably catch a chance to see the Pope - not something we may ever do again. So the rush of emotion I experienced as Benedetto (as the Italians call him) blessed us in several languages, caught me a bit off guard. He spoke and prayed in a half dozen languages - his words in English being the briefest. His message was about the humanity of Jesus. It was a lovely message. He said a number of "Hail Mary" prayers in Italian and lifted his hand in blessing. I cried. A lot.

The following day we did a Vatican tour. The Vatican Museum is spectacular - the art of Raphael, Michelangelo and so many others is beautiful beyond description. St. Peter's Basilica is so large that it was hard to take it all in. I loved it all but it was so overwhelming that I didn't feel a spiritual pull to any of it - that is until I saw Michelangelo's Pieta. I looked at the statue of Mary cradling the body of her grown son in her arms as she would have when he was a baby. I cried. A lot.

The best parts of Rome were in encountering beautiful frescoes on the walls of apartment buildings and walking into neighbourhood churches that didn't look like much from the outside but were spectacular on the inside. I lit candles and prayed. I cried. A lot.

Sitting outside the home of Caesar Augustus and having the tour guide invite me to take a load off my feet by sitting on the ruins of a two-thousand year old pillar gave me a sense of connection to another time that I've never experienced before.

Drinking cafe latte and espresso in the mornings, wonderful Tuscan wines in the evenings and cold beers in the thirsty afternoons, added to the magic of the city.

I love Rome. I can hardly wait to return.