It's more fun with two - Pooh
Angels and Demons in ROME
We walked towards our hotel; Hotel Panda, conveniently located a three minutes walk away from the square, on Via Santa Croce. Small alleyways branches off the main pedestrian paths.
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SPANISH STEPS
We pulled our luggages down from the Leonardo Express train and trudged into the main square of Spanish Steps. It then hit me that I was in Rome, after all these years. Our dream destination accomplished. Adrenalin coursed through me as we pushed our way through the subway exit and the Spanish Steps unfolded before us. Jeny and I were completely speechless and we starred to each other with big smiles. Here was we stood, 10 years ago! Ah, at that moment, I felt irrevocably in love with Rome.
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VIA CONDOTTI
Rome's Shopping Street |
It was so amazing to how every corner we walked through and there were some famous pieces of architecture just... hanging out in the middle of the bustle. All of the little details and textures were just mind blowing. The history here is in layers and I was looking forward to digging through those in history books.
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According to legend, the city of Rome was founded by the twins Romulus and Remus in 753 BC. Rome is also identified with the Roman Catholic Church and has been the episcopal seat of the Popes since the 1st century AD. The State of the Vatican City, the sovereign territory of the Holy See and smallest nation in the world, is an enclave of Rome. Rome, Caput mundi ("capital of the world"), Limen Apostolorum ("threshold of the Apostles"), la città dei sette colli ("the city of the seven hills") or the Eternal City is thoroughly modern and cosmopolitan. Central Rome remains essentially Renaissance and Baroque in character. The Historic Central Rome is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site by virtue of its three thousand years of accumulated history and art.
Let's follow my footsteps in exploring the Central Rome as I followed the Path of Illumination. |
The Colosseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre however was spectacular. I was pretty surprised and impressed by how well in tack it is considering that it was begun in AD 72 and built with the cheapest materials available during those days -- brick. We walked into one of the oldest fighting grounds in history. Where gladiators fought. Where gladiators died. And where emperors used these 'games' as a means of political influence. What we saw was the underground of the battlefield comprising many rooms and hallways that provided housing for the animals and secret passages for the gladiators.
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IL COLOSEO
The Colosseum |
It's amazing to imagine walking the road that once was walked by Julius Caesar. Followed the steps of Caesar, here we were, in the Roman Forum. The Roman Forum is the original building built by Romulus according to the legend in 753 BC. It took place as the political, religious, legal and administrative center of the ancient Rome (and, by extension, of the Empire). Today, it's partially destroyed and we could only walk its ruins.
Trevi Fountain features Neptune standing on a chariot drawn by winged steeds. During our stays, we visited this fanciful Baroque fountain several times. It's a great spot for doing people watching. We followed the custom of throwing a coin into the fountain with our backs facing it to ensure our return to Rome. A second toss grants us a wish. The fountain at night while everything was lit up was so beautiful. It's just like we seen in all the movies. The bright white from the sculptures against the aqua blue of the waters is absolutely breathtaking.
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FONTANA de TREVI
Trevi Fountain |
PIAZZA DEL CAMPIDOGLIO
Campidoglio Square
Campidoglio Square
Considered as the most beautiful piazza in Rome, it is best to approach it via Michelangelo's graceful staircase that leads up from busy Piazza d'Aracoeli. Nearby is Monument of Victor Emannuel II (better known as the Wedding Cake) which is built purely out of marble. It's quite grand but the Italians think it's pompous and too big.
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The chief attraction of this church is the double meridian in the transept, one tracing the polar star and the other telling the precise time of the sun's zenith: sunlight enters through a hole to the right of the window above the entrance to the church's right wing. The sun dial was used to regulate Rome's clock until 1846. So far, it is one of my favorite church in Rome. There was Pope John Paul II portraits exhibition being held during our visit. It was so touching to see the expression of the Pope on the paintings.
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We got our Papal Audience invitation through this American Parish Catholic Church. I have set appointment to meet the guy who will hand over the invitations before the evening English mass. So here we were, rushing the Rome's traffic to locate the church. I wouldn't let this opportunity passed just because we couldn't figure out the location of the church. We were late about 5 minutes for the mass but luckily the attendant guy still waited for us. Well... we kept the precious invitation very tightly... these were our "passports" to attend the Papal Audience being held tomorrow morning. During the mass, we repeatedly thank God for the abundance blessings we had in our life.
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SANTA SUSANA
American Parish Catholic Church |
GALLERIE BORGHESE
Borghese Gallery Villa Borghese was previously owned by Cardinal Borghese who in the 1500s built gardens and buildings to house his extensive art collections. Bernini designed much of it and his marble carving fill the place as well as paintings. The gallery housed more of Bernini's works, along with Caravaggio's paintings. We were even more impressed by Bernini's work after touring the gallery -- some say the best in Rome. and very popular. Tickets to the gallery were timed and difficult to get, needed to book far in advance.
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MUSEI VATICANI
The Vatican Museum |
It took more than two hours in queuing for the ticket to The Vatican Museum. The museum is truly incredible, the beauty and splendor of it all surpassed my efforts in getting the entrance ticket. Beautiful tapestries, mosaics, ancient Roman statues and paintings crazily decorated and adorned the maze of long hallways, rooms and former papal apartments. I enjoyed especially the Hall of Cartography. It's a big wall that leads up to the Sistine Chapel and its walls are adorned with maps of various cities in Italy. Not to mention the Raphael Saloon where we spent quite a long time there.
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CAPELLA DE SISTINE
The Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel was also breathtaking with its roof covered in Michelangelo's "Last Judgement" and "Creations" paintings. I was in complete awe to see the famous paintings of two index fingers barely touching one another; and my neck was a bit sore from all the gawking I did. The detail of artwork was just amazing and inspired me to learn more about the art and history behind the works of the many artists.
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Meeting The Pope at The VATICAN CITY
PAPAL AUDIENCE
Meeting The Pope It was an early rising morning to go and meet the Pope. It didn't take too long to get to the security line to St. Peter's Square. We run as fast as we could to get the big seats and still had about two hours to kill in the blazing sunshine. |
At 10am the cheering began and the Pope came out in his Pope-mobile, waving and smiling at the crowd. I was really taken back by the screaming factor. There were also groups there with colored scarves that they waved around and people were chanting "benedictto... benedictto...". The Pope gave speech in several languages and there were shout outs made to at least a hundred different groups of pilgrims. |
We left the Vatican City with some good pictures of us (Jeny and I, not me and Pope). We both felt blessed. What a religious experience!
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We stayed closer to the stage after the ceremony finished. We waited about one hour until the Pope finished with his blessings to the newly-wed and special invited persons and drove around. We were so close that we could touched his hands. He smiled at me and Jeny since we both standing high on our chairs to cheer him. I found out a little unknown fact: the Pope is not nearly as scary looking in person, he is actually quite a cute old man who dressed very well (Prada shoes!).
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Following The Path of Illumination
We followed Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, as he tries to stop the Illuminati, a legendary secret society, from destroying Vatican City with the newly discovered power of antimatter. CERN director Maximilian Kohler discovers one of the facility's physicists, Leonardo Vetra, murdered. His chest is branded with an ambigrammatic of the word "Illuminati". It is ascertained that the Illuminati have stolen a canister containing antimatter — a substance with destructive potential comparable to a small nuclear weapon. The canister is somewhere in Vatican City, with a security camera in front of it, as its digital clock counts down to the explosion after 24 hours.
Robert Langdon, an expert on the Illuminati, attempts to retrace the steps of the "Path of Illumination", aspirants to the order were required to follow a series of subtle clues left in various landmarks in and around Rome. The Path leads Langdon to four locations in Rome, each associated with one of the primordial elements: 'Earth', 'Air', 'Fire', and 'Water'.
Langdon rushes to the Pantheon based on the only clue he has, four lines from a poem by Milton: From Santi's earthly tomb with demon' hole, 'Cross Rome the mystic elements unfold The path of light is laid, the sacred test, Let the angels guide you on your lofty quest. |
He is correct in determining that Santi is an alternate name for the Renaissance artist Raphael Sanzio, whose tomb is indeed in the Pantheon, but the oculus is not the demon's hole. Milton and those of his time considered the oculus a marvel of invention, nothing demonic about it at all.
The famous Pantheon was used as a temple in ancient Rome. Not too big, but impressive nonetheless. Its enormous dome is open in the center for the rain to fall inside. Two Italian emperors and painter Raphael are buried here.
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PANTHEON
Temple for All the Gods |
Langdon is granted access to the Vatican Secret Archives to examine Galileo Galilei's banned book, and following clues with Vittoria, Inspector General Ernesto Olivetti, and Lieutenant Valenti of the Vatican Gendarmerie Corps, arrive at Chigi Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo. There they find Cardinal Ebner dead, suffocated with soil and branded with an ambigrammatic word "Earth".
Piazza del Popolo is a very popular and crowded place just over the river Tiber from the Vatican City. In the center of this vast piazza is the 300-years-old Egyptian obelisk which surrounded by steps. We also could find church St. Maria del Popolo (Chigi Chapel) and the twin churches St. Maria del Miracoli and St. Maria del Montesanto which have been done to death in Dan Brown's 'Angels and Demons'.
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They verify the second altar's location is Saint Peter's Square, but are unable to save Cardinal Lamassé, his lungs punctured and his body branded with an ambigrammatic word, "Air".
PIAZZA SAN PIETRO St. Peter's Square St. Peter's Square is a key shaped and 100% geometrically planned for perfect lines, angles and vistas. The key (meaning key to the church) is symbol of the Vatican City and is shown on all official insignia and flags. It is strongly argued that St. Peter was crucified upside down here at this site, thus, denoting the name of St. Peter's Square. Around 300 AD, the Roman Catholic Church began to transition this location as its home base, but the only true remnant that exists of the Roman Circus is the Egyptian obelisk. |
After finding the bodies of the first two Preferiti, Langdon hurries to the Santa Maria della Vittoria Basilica and finds the Preferiti's abductor in the act of setting the third cardinal on "Fire" but they are unable to save Cardinal Guidera from being burned to death. The kidnapper is an unnamed assassin who is working under the orders of the Illuminati master "Janus", whose true identity is unknown. Commander Olivetti is killed and the assassin kidnaps Vittoria. Langdon escapes.
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SANTA MARIA DELLA VITTORIA
I am a big fans of Bernini, and visiting this church is a must for me. I found one of Bernini's most extravagant and scandalous sculptures here. In the last chapel on the left, the Ecstasy of St. Teresa depicts a Carmelite nun's floating in ecstasy on a cloud while a teasing angel pierces her repeatedly with a golden narrow. Whatever Teresa's up to, it's a stunning, illuminating, remarkable, as shocking yet so believable work; bathed in natural light filtering through a concealed window.
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Langdon and two Carabinieri officers race to the "Water" altar, the Fountain of the Four Rivers, where the assassin murders the officers and drop a bound and weighted Cardinal Baggia into the fountain.
PIAZZA NAVONA e CAMPO dei FIORIE Field of Flowers We visited the oval Piazza Navona where the Romans used to have chariot races. We took seats outdoor at Tre Scalini Cafe for people watching; munching its specialty tartufo (a rich chocolate concoction named for its resemblance to the knobby truffle) -- against the background of Bernini's Baroque "Fountain of the Four Rivers"; Barromini's facade of the Chiesa Di Sant'Agnese in Agone, streets artists, tourists, pigeons and Roman residents of all shapes and incarnation.
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Langdon must complete the Path of Illumination in order to find the assassin and rescue Vittoria. His search leads him to Castel Sant'Angelo, that hides a tunnel leading directly into the pope's chambers in the Vatican.
CASTEL SANT' ANGELO Saint Angelo Castle We stopped to look in awe at the Castel Sant' Angelo, an enormous cruise-liner-like cylindrical tomb that was built between 123-139AD by Emperor Hadrian, which was later turned into a military fortress. It is such an imposing and bizzare looking structure. After touring the castle we stopped to have an expensive drinks at the cafe with awesome view of the city below.
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The two hurry back to St. Peter's Basilica, where they find that Kohler has arrived to confront the camerlengo in private. Hearing the camerlengo scream in agony from being branded with the Illuminati Diamond, the Swiss Guards burst into the room and open fire on Kohler. With time running out, the Swiss Guard evacuates the Basilica.
Leonardo Vetra believed that anti-matter was capable of establishing a link between Man and God. While discussing Vetra, the Pope reveals that his support is due to science having given him a son. Without waiting to hear the explanation (that the child was the result of artificial insemination), and horrified that the Pope appeared to have broken his vow of chastity, the camerlengo plots to "rectify" the situation. He poisoned the Pope and, under the guise of an Illuminati master (Janus), he recruited the assassin, to kill Vetra, steal the antimatter, and kidnap and murder the Preferiti. The Camerlengo planted the antimatter in St. Peter's in order to be seen as the savior of Christendom.
With Langdon in pursuit, the camerlengo ventures into the catacombs and finds the canister sitting atop the tomb of Saint Peter. Langdon and the camerlengo retrieve the antimatter and get in a helicopter with only minutes to spare. The camerlengo manages to parachute safely onto the roof of St. Peter's just as the canister explodes harmlessly in the sky. The crowd in St. Peter's Square look in awe as the camerlengo stands triumphantly before them. Langdon managed to survive the explosion by using a window cover from the helicopter as a parachute, and landed in the Tiber River.
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BASILICA DI SAN PIETRO St. Peter's Basilica Being the largest in the world, St. Peter's Basilica stands tall and attractive in the city skyline. It's huge, impressive, and full of great works of art. I could enjoy just how beautiful the sunlight was that came through the windows. Originally there were paintings hung on the walls, but artists made exact copies of the paintings with marbles, turning the pictures into mosaics. The mosaics are just as beautiful as the original, but will not fade and easy to clean.
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THE VIEW FROM THE ROOFTOP
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After two hours of patience queue and fighting the 320 steps (plus many more to get to the rooftop piazza where the counting started), we stepped out to the cupola of St. Peter's Basilica. Wow! All the efforts well worth it. Just before the 320 steps climb began, we had a fabulous view of the basilica, then at the top we had magnificent city view. The stairs were very steep and winding, with slanted walls. We were so lucky with the weather - it was an amazingly sunny day, with strikingly blue skies, warm with a slight breeze.
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MY PRAYER FOR YOU
Holy Mary, Mother of GOD You have given the world its true light Jesus, your son, the Son of GOD You abandoned yourself completely to GOD's call and thus became a well spring of the goodness which flows forth from Him Show us Jesus, lead us to Him Teach us to know and love Him so that we too can become capable of true love and the fountains of living water in the midst of thirsting world. Benedict XVI |
IL CASA ROSARIO CONVENT
Stay with the nuns |
We spent several nights in the Il Casa Rosario Convent in the residential area of Rome. The nuns were very welcoming, but do not speak much English. The rooms were basic, but safe, clean and rich-filling breakfast provided. The plus is... it made us easier to get the tickets for Papal Audience...
ROME TREATS
Yummy... Yummy... Yummy....
Yummy... Yummy... Yummy....