When in Rome...

Rome is...something else. I went w/the somewhat naive expectation that it was just going to be fantastic to see classical Rome (after all, I'd had such a positive experience at Pompeii); however, it turned out that classical Rome really underwhelmed me. It's not that it wasn't impressive or meaningful; it just wasn't what I thought it would be while I was sitting at home watching it on tv (a la Rick Steves, or the travel geek/guru of your choice). On the flip-side, religious Rome totally overwhelmed me in a positive and unexpected way. Point being that you just can't predict how you're going to react to certain places; it's all about the experience of being there...

So... I arrived in Rome after 1hr on the Circumvesuviana between Sant' Agnello and Naples, and the 2hr train betw Naples and Rome. I lucked out & didn't have to wait very long in Naples for a train. (I guess by that time, I had good train karma or something.) My hostel in Rome was just...sad; I won't go into details beyond that, but trust me. It revealed itself as increasingly sad as the days passed. If it weren't for the fact that I would've had to waste my limited time in Rome searching for another affordable place, I would've just moved someplace else & written off the money I paid there up-front. But, I digress... The good thing about the hostel was its location. I was ~5-7min walk from the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine, which was great. Trevi Fountain was ~10min walk & the Spanish Steps were ~15min walk. (To me Trevi & the Spanish Steps were ridiculously overhyped tourist spots that I could've done w/out. I snapped a few photos at Trevi, but didn't even bother at the Spanish Steps...) Vatican City was ~45min-1hr walk, depending on your speed.

My first afternoon, I just visited the Forum and gawked at the Colosseum from the outside. It's architecturally and historically impressive, but the tourist curiosity outside it (inc. photo ops w/guys Roman solider costumes, a wide array of overpriced "tour guides" shouting/touting their services in several languages, and the bevvy of Indian and African guys selling their wares) is something to be seen.

The next day, I bought the Palatine/Colosseum combo ticket (i.e. visited Palatine Hill & went into the Colosseum), and then went to the "Pope's Church" i.e. the Basilica of St. Giovanni in Laterano, and the Scala Santa. The basilica is impressive in its own right, but the Scala Santa (aka Sacred Stairs) are something else. It's a big Catholic pilgrimmage spot where you can climb a staircase in front of a crucifix, but you can only climb it on your knees while praying at each step. When I was there, the stairs were packed w/the faithful; there was literally no space left and people were standing in line waiting for their opportunity to climb on their knees - including old women who could barely walk to begin with. A powerful sight.

Other than that, I went to a horde of churches and basilicas (because they're beautiful - and FREE), visited the Capucchin crypt containing the remains of ~4000 Capucchin monks (similar in nature to the Kutna Hora ossuary, but more powerful in terms of symbolism), went window shopping in Italian boutiques, visited the Vatican and did the whole Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel thing.

The first time I went to the Vatican, I got there in the morning before 9am & intended to go straight to the Sistine Chapel, but wasn't smart enough to figure out where I needed to go. So... I went inside St. Peter's Basilica & it was mostly like "my own private Vatican". I saw masses going on in three different languages (simultaneously, in different chapels), but there were very few tourists in the basilica at that hour. It was lovely and somewhat surreal. I also went through the Tombs of the Popes, and witnessed the profound emotion people had while praying before the tomb of John Paul II. Eventually, after standing in line for ~1.5hrs, I did make it to the museum and to the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel was "interesting". Yes, Michaelangelo's work is fantastic and awe-inspiring. However, for me, I was more amazed that people kept trying to sneak photos when it's made abundantly clear that no photos are allowed, and that most people focused only on a single panel of the ceiling, rather than really stopping to LOOK at what was there. For me, that single panel of ceiling is nice but not the most impressive or intriguing; it pays to keep your eyes open. I was also in awe of the fact that people were spending <5min or so actually in the chapel, while it took Michaelangelo something like 20yrs of work to paint the ceiling. I kept thinking of the amount of himself (i.e. personal power / life force / what have you) he'd invested in the ceiling; it's really quite humbling.

Now, if you know me, you know I've had some, uh, "differences of opinion" with The Church - and, of course, the Vatican is completely symbolic of The Church; however, I was surprised to find that I really felt a sense of peace inside. It didn't matter that my beliefs differed from those of at least 99% of those present; we were all (or mostly all) there as spiritual people - and it was beautiful in that sense. I walked around the basilica and found tears coming of their own accord. The experience of being there wasn't about our differences; it wasn't about problems or centuries of grievances; it was about finding similarity and appreciating Beauty and Spirit. That was something I could totally get on board with...

I actually went back to the Vatican on my last afternoon. I wanted to buy a rosary there; it was that powerful and I wanted to remember it. My second Vatican experience was decidedly different than my first, though: there were hordes of tourists present and there was actually a LINE to get into the basilica. I wound up buying two rosaries from the Vatican Post Office outside the basilica (having mailed a few post cards from Vatican City the day before & noticed that they had an assortment of affordable options) and then sitting at the base of a column in the rotunda to write in my journal for a bit. Eventually, the line started going down & moving faster, so I decided that I'd go in the basilica one last time. (After all, how many times are you really in Vatican City, anyway?) It turned out to be perfect timing. Once inside, I learned that mass was going to be held at the high altar (though not the papal altar) in 15min. So... I decided to go.

Not being Catholic (and understanding what a big thing mass at the Vatican is), I didn't want to sit front-and-center; instead, I opted to sit in the 2nd-from-the-back row of pews, on the far left. Ironically, I couldn't have picked a better place if I'd tried. From where I was sitting, I had a completely unobstructed view of the processional of priests and altar boys coming in from the sacristy - candles and cross raised high, massive censor swinging and smoke billowing out. It was breathtaking. I've never seen anything quite like it. The tears just started pouring down my cheeks and continued through a good part of mass (in Castillian Spanish). I know the Spanish women near me were a little surprised at first by the tears, but I noticed them all with wet cheeks as the mass progressed; there was just something powerful about the ritual and powerful about being there at that moment.

After the mass, I just had time to walk back across town, grab some food, grab my bags at the hostel and walk to the train station to catch the 2nd-to-last Leonardo Express to the airport. (I spent the night in the airport since I had a 6am international flight...too early for public transit.)

Now, I'm no more Catholic than I ever was; however, I really couldn't have ended my trip in a better way. The resounding theme of my trip was of spiritual journey and recentering, working through "issues", reconciling death and impermanence, and just letting myself be "in the moment" and open to appreciating each new experience again. Attending mass at the high altar of the Vatican was definitely symbolic of that...