Pat and I spent Day 4 in Trastevere, exploring (maybe) the oldest Christian church, which was built in 1st or 3rd century. On the piazza, we found a wonderful artist and a nice little cafe with a great breeze and a young violinist providing music. We could have sat there all day, and did stay for about an hour before we headed off to get Pat to the train.After Pat headed back to France, I roamed around looking for something to do and happened upon the Metro stop out in the burbs for San Paulo (St. Paul's Basilica). It was huge, and had amazing 11th century front doors, a 12th century candlestick and really beautiful gardens. Mille and I found a room containing many relics, including bones from various saints.St. Paul is apparently buried there. I highly recommend it, and there were virtually no crowds.
The next day I hooked up with Dave, Nancy, Mille and Sarah and we followed the path of the Demons and Angels markers. It was fun and great to be with the kids and my friends. The key was obelisks, of which there were many.
Day 6 was a short day, but packed with visits. I started out at piazza del Popolo in the Santa Maria del Popolo to see the Caravaggio paintings and where I heard my first mass of the day. The next stop was Piazza Bernini, where I headed up to Santa Maria della Vittorio to see Bernini's St. Theresa in Ecstasy and listened to the second mass of the day, though I came in at the end. Then - on to St. Peter's Basilica to join 35,000 others who were privileged to have seats in the plaza to see Benedict XVI.
My friends saved me a seat near the front, and I sat there listening to the Pope's message in 6 languages. It was not a life changing experience, but I was interested to see a world leader, and to see the devotion of the pilgrims who obviously were thrilled to be there.
My closing thoughts on the trip are that Rome is a big city, with a lot of really richly decorated churches. The people are friendly, the city is dirty, the pickpockets are everywhere, and the food is definitely something that deserves some more exploration. I felt overwhelmed with all the antiquities, relics and church art. My favorite snippet of time was dinner on the piazza with all the friends, followed closely by my morning with Pat in Trasteverte. I heartily recommend traveling with friends, and having gellato in the middle of the day.
