Today’s post is 1800 words, 36 photos, a 9 minute read. Enjoy!

Hi everyone,

This week join me for our last full day in Rome and the last post in this series. If you missed the previous articles, click here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Let’s get started.

Sunday Services

It was another early departure from the apartment on the last full day of our time in Rome. After riding the Metro from Cavour to Ottaviano, one of the closest stops near the Vatican, we were headed to the Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Rome, for church services in English. We were early, it didn’t start until 9:30 AM so we walked the few blocks to the Tiber River. I took a few photos of one of the many bridges that cross the river. In the second photo, note the elaborate artwork mounted on the bridge. It must be exhausting for the city to keep all the public artwork clean and from crumbling into the street. There are thousands of statutes, frescos, and sculptures, all with some meaning and purpose scattered throughout the city. There is so much that we often look past it because it’s everywhere. Good for them, a city of decorative art, I think unparalleled in the world.

When we walked past St. Peter’s Basilica, the square was nearly empty and the morning light was just right.

We entered the Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia at about 9:20, the pews were nearly full. It was the third Sunday of Lent and there were a lot of English speaking travelers in town. 

Down the street from the church is St. Peter’s.

After the service, we ran into a couple of people we’d met earlier in the week. Arturo is from the Philippines after living in the U.S. in his younger years. He brought his mother and wife to church at Santo Spirito. His mother met the Pope at the Wednesday audience, she was so excited. She lives in Texas. It was fun to talk with him and his family, so engaging and kind.

Then we saw Sister Maria Juan of the Religious Sisters of Mercy. She’s the person that handed us our tickets for the audience with the Pope. That day, we had a fun and interesting chat with her. When we walked near her, she recognized us and we had another good talk. She originally from Idaho and has served with the Religious Sisters of Mercy for several years. For three years, she was at the Newman Center at North Dakota State University in Fargo, one of my alma maters. She’s been in Rome for a few years and hopes to stay for a long time. When we picked up the tickets for the audience, she told us about the service at St. Peter’s Tomb, she asked if we attended. As I reported last week, we went to the Grotto below St. Peter’s thinking that was where the service was being held. Although we ended up in a different place, we were in the chapel where St. Peter’s mortal remains are buried. She was happy we went and wanted to hear all about it. What a lovely person, someone we won’t forget.

After church, we were ready for a coffee and a pastry. We noticed this place across the street from the Metro station. While we were standing outside contemplating if we should go in, a lady with a little girl told us in English that the coffee and pastries were excellent. So in we went, I had a very nice five grain cornetto (similar to a croissant except sweeter and with more flavor) and café Americano. After our nourishment, we were back on the Metro.

First Try at the Capitoline Museums

We stopped off at our AirBnb for a short rest then walked over to the Capitoline Museums. Museums is plural for a reason, there are three main buildings filled with art and archaeological artifacts on a piazza conceived by Michelangelo in 1536. In the middle of this piazza is a statute of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. He ruled from 161 to 180 AD, one of the last who presided over a long period of calm and peace of the Roman Empire.

When we arrived the queue to enter the museum was very long. It was the monthly free entry Sunday when citizens and tourists alike fill the museums managed by the city. We decided to wait until later in the afternoon to check out this museum so headed over to the nearby Victor Emmanuel Monument.

Victor Emmanuel Monument

This monument honors Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy. Built between 1885 and 1935, this monument symbolizes national unity and liberation from foreign domination.

Looking up, we notice the tall and majestic statute of Victor Emmanuel aboard his stead. Later, we would take the elevator to the top terrace and get a closer look.

While on the terrace, we absorbed the panoramic views from this high vantage point. In the top photo, note the many church domes including St. Peter’s Basilica in the distance.  In the second photo, the Piazza Venezia in front of the monument. While there were a lot of people in the areas, it was nothing like the queue at the Capitoline Museums.

Also from the upper terrace, we could get a better look at the two statutes on top of the monument. Both include the winged goddess Victoria, the personification of victory, in a chariot pulled by four horses. One of the statutes celebrates unity and the other freedom of the people, both concepts drawing a direct line to Victor Emmanuel.

Not only did we observe all the architectural features of the monument, we noted the practical reality. This seagull is having a rest on one of the most symbolic buildings in Italy. He/she never moved except to continue the stink-eye stare down. The seagull won! Note the top of Trajan’s Column and the church dome in the background.

Back on the ground, we stood in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that was added to the monument after World War I,

We joined the short queue to enter the museum housed in the monument. The museum is mostly aimed at Italians but foreign tourists can enjoy some of the many exhibits. Like this one:

Garibaldi (1807-1882) was a contributor to the unification of Italy. During the first battle for unification, he was sentenced to death but escaped and spent 14 years in exile in South America. There he was involved several wars including one in Uruguay. When he returned to Italy, he continued the fight for unification, and served in several governmental positions. After his death, he was considered a world leader in ideas and philosophies leading to independence and democracy. He lived quite an exciting life leading to more fame than fortune. And he apparently wore blue jeans!

I vaguely remember Garibaldi’s name from high school world history class. But it was during one semester during my graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that I became acquainted with the Garibaldi sandwich at Paisan’s Restaurant, an Italian restaurant of note. Between classes a group of us would walk down to Paisan’s for nourishment and lots of discussion about the class we just finished and the evening class that would begin in an hour or so. Early in the semester, I ordered the Garibaldi that featured ham, salami, hot spicy cheese, sliced tomatoes, and peppers on French bread. Every succeeding week, I ordered the same thing, a Garibaldi. Hence, my reminiscence when I saw the jeans worn by Garibaldi.

The Victor Emmanuel Monument is built up very close to the Basilica of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli (St. Mary of the Altar in Heaven). To reach this church, visitors (and I assume parishioners) have to climb 124 steps from street level. We did climb the steps but didn’t go into the church proper. Maybe it was because we were out of breath! It’s said to be quite beautiful, click here to see the interior.

The Second Try at the Capitoline Museums

When we returned to the Capitoline Museums, the queue was much shorter. We only had to stand in line for about a 1/2 hour before we were allowed to enter. While there are three buildings in the museum complex, there is only one entry point. 

After clearing the ubiquitous security check, we entered the museum through the grand entrance. We looked for a map or brochure to guide our visit but there were none available even for purchase. There are a dizzying amount of ancient artifacts, paintings, frescoes, sculptures, mosaics, sarcophagi, and statutes on display in the museums. This is a place where a guided tour or audio tour would be helpful to see the most important works within a few hours. One could spend a couple days walking through the museum and reading the many explanations (most also in English) of what is being viewed. That is not possible on free entry day. On non-free days, the entry ticket is 20 € or about $22 USD.

Here’s was a bit of what we saw during our two-hour walk through. One of the first things we saw was the Collossus of Constantine. Constantine the Great, who ruled from 306-337 AD, was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. Apparently, he commissioned a statute of himself and had it installed in a basilica in the Roman Forum. What I saw was a big head, a big foot, and a big right hand (a sign of salvation). 

I enjoyed the paintings the most, here’s one by Caravaggio. It’s simple yet elegant in the expressions on the faces of the subjects. His use of light is stunning.

The Capitoline houses the famous statute of the She-wolf that nursed and sheltered twins Romulus and Remus after they were abandoned. Roman legend has it that Romulus would become the founder and first king of Rome after killing his brother. The She-wolf becomes a symbol of Rome in about the 3rd century BC and continues today.

It was late afternoon when exited the Capitoline Museum. I should mention that both the Capitoline Museum and the Victor Emmanuel Monument are located on Capitoline Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome. At the time of Romulus and Remus, each of the seven hills was home to a different settlement. They began the process to bring them together to form the city of Rome. Capitoline Hill overlooks the Roman Forum that was constructed in the valley between Capitoline and Palatine Hills.

That evening, we had our last dinner in Rome. In the morning, we’d be up early to catch a train to the Rome airport and a regional flight to Catania on the island of Sicily. Next week, I’ll pick the story from there.

Until then, happy travels!

Tom

PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM