Sunday in Rome with Francis

Sunday,, April 24, 2016

As Tom was feeling a bit under the weather last night and the weather itself was to be stormy this morning, we decided not to set our alarm, since it was likely that we'd forego the Pope's 10:00 Mass in St. Peter's Square.  However, when we got up, it was bone dry and Tom's symptoms had been much improved by a good night's sleep, so we headed to the Vatican with the intention of arriving in plenty of time for his noon blessing. As we approached on the relatively quiet Borgo Santo Spirito, we were amazed to see that, one block over, a wall of people extended out of the square, all along the grand approach boulevard, the via della Conciliazione, almost to the river!  To our  delight, Mass was still in progress, and though we could not enter the piazza, we found a spot in the first row just outside the colonnade with good view of one of the big screens and an occasional one of the altar on the steps of the basilica. 

All weekend, we have seen Boy and Girl Scouts from all over the world, gathered here for special Jubilee Year youth events.  Yesterday, Pope Francis joined them in the piazza and photos of him hearing some of their confessions have appeared in the news.  We have also noted many inflatable tents set up throughout the city to welcome the young pilgrims.  After Mass, the Pope greeted some of the young people, offering them each mementos.  Everyone stayed as the Pope finished receiving throngs of selfie-taking priests and guests, and then boarded the popemobile to be driven through the square.  We were able to see him several times as he passed by, and then we were amazed as the vehicle left the confines of the piazza and drove down the via della Conciliazione, delighting the crowds who'd stood so long and so far from the square.  It was, as these events always are -- especially with Pope Francis -- electric!

After the excitement, we walked along the Tiber to Castel Sant' Angelo, crossed the pedestrian bridge there into the Centro Storico, and made our way to the Pantheon, where more crowds had gathered.  The Pantheon is the only building in Rome that has been in continuous use since ancient times.  It was first a temple honoring a variety of gods, then (and now) a church dedicated to Mary and the Martyrs.  It also holds the tombs of Rafael and two kings of Italy.  It is an architectural marvel, with its shallow dome as wide as it is high, and pierced by a large open oculus in the center.

After a long wait for a bus, we rode to a neighborhood we'd learned about on Italian Notebook, an interesting site we follow about this country we love.  The Coppede Quarter is a small, very quiet area in the northern part of the city named for the architect whose work characterizes it.  Designed in the Liberty Style, the buildings date from the 1920s and almost seem as if they're from another world.  There were reminders of parts of Barcelona, but it could just as easily been Disneyland; in no way did it seem like any other part of Rome we know.  At any rate, we had a pleasant time wandering around the small area, exploring a "private street," and taking lots of photographs without having to jockey for position to get just the right shot.

Coppede is pretty much the only place we have not encountered crowds of people streaming down every via, viale, and vicolo this holiday weekend.  Yesterday, Romans celebrated the anniversary of the birth of the city and tomorrow is Liberation Day, marking the victory of the Resistance over the fascist dictatorship of Mussolini in several major cities.  The throngs we've encountered may be Italians celebrating a national three-day weekend holiday, pilgrims drawn by Jubilee Year events, or an extra-heavy concentration of ordinary tourists.  Suffice it to say, we are not alone!