Update!

My fine feathered readers, I ask for thy forgiveness in my laziness for not posting anything for this past school week. I have been so busy with school work. That's a complete lie. 

Anyway, Wednesday, I went to the top of the dome at San Pietro. The view was beautiful. I love Rome!

^ I wish you could see this baldacchino in person. It's my favorite one; it's absolutely amazing.

^ Pretty View of Vatican City from my Walk to the Top of the Dome

^ It's kind of my kingdom.

Saint Peter: Ora Pro Nobis!

Music and Dance: Jazz and Salsa

This weekend was quite eventful. I stayed in Rome--the next weekend in Rome, for me, is Easter weekend! Lots of traveling for the next 5 weekends.

Anyway, on Friday night my friends and I went to a Jazz bar. It was great. More and more I am loving Jazz music. The musicianship is fascinating. And, although I am overly critical on drummers, this one was actually worth hearing. But perhaps the greatest part of the night is that our ticket is good until March 19th! I'm already excited to go back.

Saturday. Another good day. During the afternoon, Catherine and I went to the Borghesse Gardens in Rome. So beautiful! I can't wait to see it again when the flowers have bloomed a bit more. I will put up pictures of this later today or tomorrow--I promise! (I don't have them uploaded on my computer right now, so that's why I am not.) Afterwards, Catherine and I went to this freaking really tasty Pizzeria. I will never get sick of the pizza here. Yummy.

Now for the exciting part of Saturday: Salsa dancing at night. My friends and I wanted to go Salsa dancing. We arrive at the place, and we are all really, really excited. We get there, get our drinks, and start hanging out. There isn't a lot of people dancing, and at this point in the night, the only ones who are, are pretty good at Salsa. Pretty, really good. However, then we met Roberto and Marco. Two gentlemen in their 30s. (Oh, and it's Roberto's 33rd birthday.) I freaking loved them. It was hilarious and so fun at the same time. I even got the privilege of learning a little Salsa from one of their close lady friends thank you very much. As the night went on, we ran into them every once in a while and what not. But then at one point, Roberto comes and grabs us: "Cake!", he yells. So we get cake. Now, let me explain something, this cake had freaking dynamite sticks on it. We end up celebrating his birthday with him. "I am happy you are here with me," spoke Roberto the smiling, dancing 33 year old.

Dancing and dancing and dancing. We decide it's time to go home. It's probably like 2.30, maybe 3. Well, Roberto comes and talks to us and says "Enjoy my birthday with me!" He asks us how we were planning on getting a home, to which we answered by a taxi. "I have a car. Stay with us, and I'll take you home." Morgan and I looked at each other, and being the lovers-of-adventure, we smiled and said "of course" at freaking the exact same time. 

We ended up partying and dancing until 5, and by the time Roberto got us home, I went to bed at 6. It was such a fun night.

Last thing worth noting. On the way home, Roberto gets to a road and says, "Okay so you said you live in Monte V...." And I said, "O no, we live in Monte Mario". "O shit," he replied. 

Great night.

Germany

Just booked Germany: March 19-21st! I love how in Europe, you can just book a trip to, for-instance, Germany just like that. I woke up this morning without any intention of going, and then, a few hours later, Morgan says: "I'm booking Germany. Do you want to come." So, now I'm going. =)

Lenten Reflection

As we have just begun Lent, and I being in the Eternal City, I have certainly been thinking about this special time in the Liturgical Year.

I have just begun reading Pope Benedict XVI's Jesus of Nazareth for the second time. The rumor is that Part II will be out very soon--this spring--so I wanted to refresh my memory of the first part. It is probably my favorite book. His understanding of Jesus is incredible.

Anyway, part of my adventure in Rome is the fact that I am here for Lent, and especially, for the Easter celebration. As such, I want to share a brief reflection about the faith.

Throughout Scripture, especially the New Testament, there is a strong emphasis of believing in Jesus Christ, the One sent by God. The Latin word for "to believe" is credere. It also means "to trust". In fact, when the Bible was translated into Latin for the first time by St. Jerome (d. 420), credere is used, not surprisingly, for both words--believe and trust. Thus, it is clear that these words share an intimate connection: to have faith, that is, to believe, is to trust. 

But what does this mean? The simplest answer I can offer is that faith is a fundamental orientation of the heart. If you trust someone, truly trust them, then your life is changed. When you trust someone, for-instance in Marriage, you give your entire life to them in the physical and emotional act of love. Likewise, in other friendships, when you really trust someone, you give them part of your own existence, trusting them with your own well-being. Moreover, to trust is also parallel to loving someone. And in Jesus Christ's great love for us, He has opened up communication to God, "face-to-face", in His divine Sonship that is accessible through faith by grace. This is a cause for a great hope because the path toward man's fulfillment, that is, communion with God, is communicable in Christ; it is cause for a hope that saves as St. Paul writes (Rom 8:24). This is because, in God, we place more than just a fragment of our existence: we place it entirely into his hands, for He is our Creator and the source of existence: "Into your hands Lord, I commend my spirit" writes the Psalmist (Ps 31:5). The hope, then, is an eschatological hope that transforms. It is a hope in the eschaton, in our place in the communion of the Heavenly kingdom with God: it is a hope in eternal life. But, in Christ, this "hope" receives a strong component of the present. It is a hope that transforms, a hope that redeems the present moment and sets us on the path toward happiness and fulfillment: God. 

Pope Benedict XVI writes a good point: What did Jesus Christ bring? People still suffer, a lot. The world is still a very dangerous place to live. So many people have no idea what happiness is. What did he bring? The answer is simple: God. St. Bonaventure (a medieval theologian) and St. Catherine of Siena (medieval mystic), as well as many others through salvation history, have called Jesus Christ a "bridge"--specifically, a bridge into God. He clears the gap of sin. This is what redemption means, writes the Pope: "The disciple who walks with Jesus is thus caught up with him into communion with God" (p. 8). 

In all, this ought to encourage us to participate in the Liturgy. As a fundamental orientation of being, faith--and it is faith that saves--must be strengthened and deepened in that place where we encounter the Son who is the Living God, that place where we are reminded of how to live--as existing-for-others--that place where we come to the feast, touch God, consume Him, and so enter into Communion with Him. Without the Liturgy and the Eucharist--the focal emphasis of the faith since the Apostles--Christian faith is somewhat void of food--literally. It is incomplete because it is without nourishment: man needs bread, and more, man needs God. He, as our highest source, perfects us through the earth, through the nourishment that He offers us in the earth: "For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world" (Jn 6:33).

This is far from a developed essay, but I wanted to write a brief post about the faith as it is Lent. Forgive me for parts that may not flow together all that well. This was written quickly, but I have been wanting to write something faith-oriented. Pax et bonum and a blessed Lent to all!

Check out the Pope's Lenten message (it's much, much better than mine!): http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/lent/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20091030_lent-2010_en.html

Read Before You Read

My wonderful blog followers, I want to share a very valuable piece of information with you, however from the moment you see this special information, you sign, however cryptically it may seem, a binding contract. If you do not want to sign this contract, then close this blog, and continue wasting your time on the internet, like on facebook. You may be wondering: What exactly am I signing this contract with? The answer is your soul. If you do not complete what this binding contract entails, then your soul will leave you, and you'll basically be a zombie. I do not think that is what you want.

Contract: I __(name)___ solemnly swear to use the information that I see--"The Special Stuff"--for the most important thing that that one thing is good for.*

The Special Stuff

Tommy Piolata
Room 220
114A Via Massimi
Rome, Italy 00136

*Note: "the most important thing that that one thing is good for" implies a letter. In other words, you have to write me a letter or you will lose your soul. 

I'm sorry that I had to get through all the professional business of this post. You just have to do what you have to do. Anyway, all that aside, I'm excited to be pen-pals with all of you who signed your soul to sending me at least one letter!

One Hellofa Memory

Masks. Renaissance costumes. Drinking. Masks. Getting lost. Dancing. Yelling. Masks. Full face masks. Colorful masks. Water. Pretty Basilica. Make up. Long nosed masks. People. Cold. Crazy costumes. Crazy costumes with crazy masks. Walking. Tourists. Italians. Americans. Fire show. Mimes. Music. Colorful lights. Awesome ass lion. O, and masks. 

This could be the moment many of you have been waiting for: the story of my time at Carnevale Venencia 2010. Before I give an account of my adventure, let me preface it with I'm freaking exhausted.

Friday: Our train leaves from Rome at 10.30 PM. This is where the first story begins. As we are boarding the Metro-train to get to the train station, the doors close on two fine feathered women that were traveling with us. I wish you could have seen their faces as they were about to be left behind. I laughed at them, trying to open the doors. Don't worry though, the doors opened again and we were off to Termini: one of the Roman train stations.

On our way to Venice! Because we bought our tickets later than others, Catherine, Courtney, and I sat separate from the group. But, we sat with other students, nonetheless. This is where the second story begins. The trains are separated into carriages--6 seats each; 3 seats facing the 3 other seats. Catherine, Courtney, and I sat on one side (after I talked, inefficiently in Italian, to an old woman who was in the wrong seat). Following us, three other students walked in, continued to talk inefficiently in Italian to the old woman, successfully convincing her and her husband that they were in the wrong seats. Sitting down across of us, they were clearly just a bit tipsy. All was well until they didn't come close to shutting their mouths. Not to mention, Girl A was all over the Dude, and Girl B, sitting on the other side of Girl A (and therefore not in contact with Dude) was clearly wanting in on the action. But, I think they were all satisfied when somehow, they were all cuddling together: Girl A and Dude enjoying a kiss here and there, and Girl B and Dude enjoying their hands caressing their hands. Anyway, it was a night train so I tried sleeping through the night. However, this proved difficult when Girl A did not understand the concept of high pitched voice is a bothersome. Hell, one time, she freaking woke me up just to tell me it was 4:30. You gotta be shittin' me.

We arrived in Venice at 5:30 AM. None of us got much sleep. When we all met up off of the train, we stood in a circle. I don't know exactly what we were doing, but it was as if we were waiting for something magical to happen at 5:30 in the morning. Fat chance. "So what do we do now?" I asked. We laughed. Then I asked seriously. We walked 10 yards, and assumed the circle position again. I cannot tell you how many times we walked a few feet only to assume the circle position..."This is going to be a long day."

We walked into the train station. Before I write anymore, I have to explain something about Italians. I'm not sure what is wrong with them, but for some reason, they are totally okay with indoors being cold enough to make ice out of water. My point: we were tired and cold, and there was no where for us to go to at least warm up. Grr. Also, our original returning train was scheduled to leave Venice at 9 AM on Sunday morning; sounds fine, but we didn't have a hostel. We decided it would be a good idea to try and change it to an earlier time given the slight chance we really would freeze to death. Thank God, we succeeded. We were going to leave at 3.11 AM Sunday morning.

To pass time, we went to a Bar that was luckily open and got some Cappuccino and what not. O we made friends with a dude from Montana. His name was Brian. That's all I know about him.

The day begins. We walked all the hell over Venice. It is a remarkable city. And it was especially beautiful in the morning with hardly anyone else walking around. The water is so peaceful, and the many bridges definitely add to the overall beauty of the city. 

Time went on, and we decided to spare some more hours in another caffe. We all sat down (6 of us). Four of us ordered--Catherine and I did not. Well, "no drink no pay", the overly nice Italian barista told us (kidding about the overly nice part...). So, we ventured to walk around outside nearby, and we would just meet up when done.

Good joke! We didn't see anyone in our group until about 8.30 that night. It was an awesome day. But, let me say, multiple times, I would say to Catherine: "You know, they have our tickets. This could be really, really bad." Luckily, they ran into other students who had my number and so we were able to hook up.

Anyway... the day... A lot of walking around, enjoying the amazing view of the Adriatic Sea with the distant sight of Basilicas, boats, other islands. Sitting at the dock was so peaceful. We loved it. It was incredible that in the distance, separated by water, you would see a massive dome and know it as a church. So sweet. We also watched some mimes in the center Piazza where the majority of the Carnevale stuff was occurring. I cannot come close to describing how weird it was; but I can also not justify why I was addicted to watching them! Catherine thought I was weird. Oh, and Dad, multiple times, Catherine said to me: "You are a 20 year old version of your dad," and also "You know, I have not come close to meeting anyone like you before. You are such a different person." Thanks, Dad... O man, we laughed so much throughout the day.

Now, one fundamental feature of Carnevale is, hopefully you won't be surprised: masks! The costumes and the masks were so awesome! Che bellissima! I loved seeing them. And they all entered into character: those dressed up would end up having to stand still (but still in character, it was awesome!) as people flocked to take pictures. I was mesmerized, over and over again, at how sweet all of the costumes were! "O look at that!" "O wow! Look babe!" "Ah, that one is one of my favorites! See it?" I talked Catherine's ears off. I don't know how she does it.

We also went into the Basilica of Saint Mark (he's the patron of the city): I loved this church. The mosaics were outstanding. Moreover, it's arcuated architecture was fascinating: the many domes filled with gold and mosaics depicting scenes from Scripture, the Christ, and saints, were so pushing at the heart to think of the Divine. Catherine and I made it to Mass that night. To my surprise, there was a choir and they were exceptional! I think most of their singing was acapella. I cannot begin to explain how beneficial and proper it is to have the right kind of music at Mass. The liturgy is a place to enter into Communion with the Lord: it is so important that the environment, therefore, is fitting in such a way that it pushes the whole of the human person toward prayerful looking above. So, I loved the church.

After dinner and Mass, we ended up meeting up with the rest of the group we walked around. Fire show. It was so cool! They had crazy cool music being played, and on the center stage, they had guys and gals playing with fire. There is now way the show had any meaning, but it was so entertaining. They were throwing fire balls, dancing on stilts with fire, playing fire rods and sticks, and, this I thought was the coolest: pouring fire! They had tea pots that must've been filled with kerosine or something, and they would hold a flame at the tip and pour: then they would be dancing around in circles pouring fire on the stage! So freakiinnnggg sweet.

The night also included a DJ, and this necessarily meant dancing. Let me say this: I got into it. At one point, I taught Catherine how to paint the sky and stomp on the earth. Morgan said, "I've never seen you at a disco", to which I replied, "You haven't seen nothing yet." "That's what I was worried about!" Dancing was so much fun. I think I'm going to have to go to a disco this weekend or something. That got my heart bumpin in rhythm, and my ass shakin'  to the bass.

Now the real story starts. So, it's about midnight, and the night is slowing down (at least the public Carnevale was). So, we decided to begin our hike to the bus stop, to take us to the train station across the bridge. When we got to the train station, by now there were two elements that defined us: "tiredness" and "coldness". When we got to the train station, we were obviously let down because the Italians like everything freaking freezing. But that's okay, we can wait in the waiting room. O no, wait, the waiting room is closed. O that's okay, we'll just go to a near by caffe, get a coffee and wait. O no, God doesn't like us that much. We were going to sit and freeze. That was not settling with me. It was about 1 AM (maybe just a few minutes before). That mean we would have to wait, outside in the cold for like 2+ hours. So, we all walked around the train station looking for something, until we found something! One of the rooms was filled with homeless; it was warm! But the cops came and kicked everyone out. Shit. We continued to look. Walking past a construction type of thingy, I walked through it because it was clear that there were stores under the construction (picture construction on a big building, but the stores on the first floor are still open). I found a door that was supposed to be locked and, it turns out God loved us because it was actually open! 

This is what it was. It was an apartment building, but to get into the apartment building required two doors. You know, it was like one door that leads to another one that is the real entrance? Anyway, we ended up sitting, all huddled up in a corner of a room with a dirty floor trying to stay warm. Some of us got some sleep, some of us got no sleep. It got cold. It was the best thing we had. I was homeless for like 2 hours. 

We laughed and are still laughing. If only you could have seen us...

Then a 6-7 hour train ride home. I can't wait for a real night of sleep. I haven't had one since Thursday night...

I just wrote a novel. Love you all! It was a hilarious trip: we've been talking and laughing about it all day. Peace! Hopefully pictures tomorrow.

A Few Extra Pics

Beautiful Mosaics. I think this first one is 8th Century

This one is 4th Century. Sorry it's a little blurry. It was so beautiful!

A great view from the town where I had my broccoli festival!

7 Euro per Cealo!

Knock knock. Who’s there? Leaning. Leaning Who? The Freaking Leaning Tower Baby!

This past weekend in my homeland J, I traveled on Saturday to Pisa and a nearby neighbor, Lucca.

We—Catherine, Morgan, Jordan, and yours truly—boarded the train at 6.15 in the AM. After a four hour trip, we arrived at the home of a tower that is leaning, known as “The Leaning Tower”.

It was so cool! We all know what the Leaning Tower is, but, wow, that mother really leans big time. Pictures do not really capture the great lean of the Leaning Tower. To be honest, it’s incredible that it’s still standing.

The Leaning Tower happens to be by a great and beautiful Cathedral, complete with a Baptistry. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to enter into either. But their placement was a sure memory. In total—the Tower, the Cathedral, and the Baptistry—it was a very beautiful sight. I loved it particularly at night. For some reason, in the moon light, the place shone in a touching and spiritual way. Loved it.

After we ventured a couple of hours to find the Tower, we decided to eat our packed sandwiches. During this time, I coined a memorable phrase. Apparently, Italian, and specifically Pisan, pigeons have no fear of humans—complemented with a deep love for food. The whole time while we ate our food there were pigeons around us. Almost consistently you had to shove them with your feet to have some pigeon free time. I kicked one quite hard in the tail-butt, actually. Those pigeons really stirred my anger. “You want some more?!” I yelled multiple times. My memorable phrase came at this point. But due to the PG rated content of this site, I’m going to have to conceal its content.

Up= Cathedral. Down = Baptistry and Very Pretty Man

Down= The tower almost fell on Very Pretty one.

On the bus to Lucca—a quick 30 minute drive—we passed through, obviously, the beautiful Tuscan countryside. In Lucca, a small, quintessential kind of Italian town, we walked around: shopped, went into a couple of churches, walked for a bit around the border of the wall (I think it was medieval—maybe ancient?), and enjoyed our few hours in the town. Coming back to Pisa, we got some more pictures and headed home on the train.

Up= "I am the King of Lucca! Fear not the bull anymore, my fellow citizens." Thomas the Great shown in his defeated pose after slaying the terrifying bull-monster.

Up= Wall surrounding Lucca

Now, I suppose, since I have been lazy with posts, that I should write just a bit about this week in Roma. Sunday: I went to a Broccoli festival! I freaking love Italy so much. It was in a small, town by the water about an hour north of Rome. “Prendo il pasto completo per favore!”, I enthusiastically ordered my full plate of food: broccoli, pasta, sausage, wine, bread, and water. I dug in like a dog. It was, to my mouth, like a pen is to paper. It just worked well together. J Yummy.

Monday: went to Trastevere (I may have mis-spelled that), a part of Rome, with Catherine and enjoyed some delectable gelato. Then we ventured into the Jewish Ghetto—very neat. Many of the restaurants had “Kosher” in front of their name. I prefer not kosher food. Hehe. Supposedly there’s a restaurant in the neighborhood that serves authentically Roman food. Not Italian. Roman. Whatever that means…but I heard it’s really good, so I’m taking Catherina there for her birthday dinner. We also managed to venture into a basilica that was build over Roman pagan temples! Not just that, we walked underneath the church through the ruins: it was so neat to experience and see not only the history there, but also to see the historical development. I loved it. At one spot, there were even some human bones!

Wednesday (today!): I had Art in Rome, my on-site art history class. I love the class and the professor. Today we went to three basilicas: Santa Maria Maggiore, Santa Prassede, and Santa Prudenziana. All three were awesome. The first one, as soon as I walked into it, I was blown away. I was mesmerized in class today learning about the different symbolisms used in early Christian art, and the liturgical and architectural developments. I want to share one piece of information with you: the early Christian churches were derived and developed from the Roman basilica. The main part of the interior space, where the congregation assembled, was called the “nave”, which comes from the Latin word “navis”, the word for ship. Thus, it was clear that participating in the Divine Liturgy (that is, the Eucharist) was to board a ship into salvation, into heaven, into the Divine presence. The Liturgy is not unlike a vassal, a mystical transport into the realm of God, who has been brought to us by Jesus Christ.

This upcoming weekend: Carnivale in Venencia!

Pax et bonum!

Papal Week

This week here can officially be called a "Papal Week". I saw the Pope two times within 24 hours. That's pretty great.

My first papal encounter was Tuesday night at around 5.30. I had tickets with a couple of friends to attend Vespers--Evening Prayer--at S. Peter's with the Pope. If you have never been to St. Peter's, let me simply say that the architecture of the Church, and the layout of it inside is phenomenal. The baldacchino is the the most amazing structure over an altar I have ever seen. It's so impressive. Moreover, given the obvious sacredness of the space, it is as if the many statues in the church are inviting you to pray. It was awesome. I cannot quite explain it, but I did feel as if even the stone, that is, the building itself, was a part of the Church's invitation to pray, to partake in the sacraments, and so grow in grace toward God.

S. Peter's was packed. It was especially cool because Benedict XVI set this day as a renewal for the religious: consequently, there were so many priests and religious there! I have never seen so many habits before. It was awesome! I absolutely loved seeing such a great number of religious men and women present. May God continue to bless His Church with vocations.

Anyway, as we were sitting there waiting for the Liturgy to begin, I, in a matter of seconds received chills all up and down my body. All of the sudden, the S. Peter's was lit up beautifully: it was as if the ceiling of the grand basilica was Heaven itself. The domes, the statues, the baldacchino, the air of the space between: this place was fit for prayer, for lifting up one's heart in adoration of the God of Love. I was, once again, in awe at such a display of liturgical preparation. My heart was beating with anticipation and joy as I began to join in with the Latin song.

To make the night even greater. The whole Liturgy was celebrated in the presence of our Lord in the Eucharistic Host. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament was the direction of our eyes, prayer, and voice.

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto!
---

The next day, the Rome Center gave us all tickets for a Papal Audience. This was quite the experience. Not as prayerful as the night before, but still a wonderful honor. It was so impressive and inspiring to see the many pilgrims from around the world sing and clap for the Pope. I was touched to see his spirit of thankfulness and humility.


Tomorrow (Saturday) I am taking a day trip to Pisa and hopefully Lucca! Weekend after: Carnivale in Venice baby!

Siena & Florence Part II

From Siena to Florence, we took a bus. The landscaping, the hills, the farms: Tuscany is fabulous. I just wanted to sit on the side of the road and gaze into the hillside. Nature is fascinating there!

Arriving to Florence, we went to the hostel, and then went into the "Giardino Bardini". It was behind the Pitti Palace. The gardens were, forgive me for the consistent re-use of the word, beautiful! It was basically a gigantic backyard, with paths, trees, fountains, flowers, and excellent views of the city. I want to go back to Florence, if I can, in April before I go home and I want to have one more peak of the garden, when it is more of a flower season. Nonetheless, the statues, fountains, and hidden paths were more than enough to make one say "wow!"

Following the Gardens, Catherine and I went into the Uffizi museum. Awesome! As most of you reading probably know, I am a fool for Icons. Well, this museum was stacked with them. Some of them were huge--the size of walls, doors, etc. However, one thought that I had while I was in this museum led me to think of G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy. In this text, he says that decoration is for the beautiful. (I.e., you do not decorate trash, rather you decorate that which is already beautiful.) I thought of this because while in the museum and looking at so much incredible pieces of artwork, the rooms were still quite empty--something was missing. Art--decoration--is meant for the beautiful. I am primarily thinking of Churches, the sacred edifices that house God, and are the place for the Divine Liturgy. Yet, I am also thinking of homes, of places of study, etc. Art is to decorate and complement that which is already beautiful. 

Next: a little bit of shopping, which was followed by a tasty dinner. After dinner, we walked back to the hostel, and then walked around the town for a little longer.

Sunday began with a Cappuccino:

[Note: For the record, everything in Italy is beautiful. I have taken multiple pictures of my cappuccini. They serve them so perfectly here. Furthermore, the gelato in the many gelaterie, are presented in the windows so beautifully--they are mini sculptures in themselves.]

After my tasty, Italian breakfast, we did a walk through the Academy, another museum. It is home to the great "David" by Michelangelo. Walking through the museum, I was, once again, mesmerized by the genius of the many artists. An awesome moment, however, was when I turned the corner from one room, looked up, and saw straight ahead of me the "David". I have always heard people exclaim how fascinating the "David" is, but you have to see it for yourself to really understand its brilliance. Truly, it is a masterpiece. I said to one of my friends, "Michelangelo was a genius". The giant structure, in my eyes, has been unmatched by modern attempts at sculpture. Beautiful! 

Also in this museum were many icons. I saw one of a depiction of S. Bonaventure's "Tree of Life", which put me in the mood to read this theological poem. Again, many of the icons were great in size. One thing that is particularly interesting about them is that many of the artists seemed to incorporate the frame into the picture, such that the frame really was a part of the picture's story and meaning. It was fascinating.

Following the Academy, we went to Mass in the Cathedral. It was in Latin! I was so happy. It was great to see the language of the universal Church being used to celebrate the Mass. I thought it a shame that I, and many others, are not better versed in Latin, namely, "Mass Latin" (if you will). It is the official tongue of the Church. To think the Liturgy has lost much of its universality is quite sad. I am not proposing that everything be said in Latin, but it is beneficial when there is a serious, legitimate network of universality present in the Mass. I was blessed to have known the Latin I did know, allowing me to participate in a Mass half-way across the world! Moreover, much of the singing was Gregorian Chant. They must have known I was coming. :)

After Mass, we went shopping. All I can say is that if I ever went to Florence with Marisa, I would have to hitchhike home, because I'd be dirt broke. Love you sis! But wow, call me a girl I don't care: the shopping in Florence is awesome! I did not buy as much as I would have liked--but, like I said earlier, I hope I can go back! I bought a really cool pair of casual shoes that are soft leather. Then, I went into a leather store with Catherine and Liz whose sister-in-law used to work at. The owner of the store was way too nice, and offered us ginormous discounts. I took advantage and bought a freaking sweet leather jacket. They might offer me a role in the next Godfather. Fine by me.

Catherine also bought a leather jacket, and she looks smokin' in it! Just thought I'd throw that one in.

Headed home on the train, and went to bed shortly after. Pax et bonum!

(I'm sorry I am not posting more pictures! The internet here is really bad, and I am still having trouble with Shutterfly. There is so much that I wish you all could see!)

Siena & Florence Part I

My first travel experience in Italy was great. I went to Siena and then Florence—two amazing cities.

We—Catherine, Liz, Courtney, Morgan, and Bess—arrived in Siena at around 2:00 PM. Siena is somewhat similar to Assisi, because it is medieval in style. However, it is bigger. At Siena, we went to the Duomo, the Baptistry of the Duomo, St. Catherine’s home, the Basilica of San Francesco, and the Basilica of San Domenico.

The Duomo (i.e., the Cathedral): This church is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful churches I have ever been in. I cannot even begin to explain how incredible it was. The art, architecture, columns, candles, windows, domes—everything! I fell in love with this church; its majestic style was inspiring. It truly made known that this space was sacred, holy, and it was a place for God. I could write much more about it, but words do not suffice. This Church pointed toward the infinite and unknown, and yet the totally accessible through Christ. 

The Baptistry: This was where Baptisms use to take place. It was wonderfully decorated. Indeed, the place of any Baptism should be beautiful: it is the Christening, the entering into of God’s Church. The art here was priceless:

St. Catherine’s Home: This was just neat to be in. Two of the rooms were made into chapels: both were very beautiful. I found myself asking: “What happened?” Why is it that architecture, art, and especially churches are struggling so hard to be beautiful? If the answer is money, how pitiful… If the answer has to do with philosophy, then how stupid… My point is that there is something inspiring about beauty, especially beauty that decorates that which is Beautiful. And the human person not only longs for beauty, but deserves it!

Basilica of San Francesco and San Domenico: St. Catherine of Siena took her vows at San Domenico. Hence, it was an honor to be in a church with a clearly fruitful history of the story of a great saint. What was particularly interesting about this was its deep simplicity. It was beautiful in its awesome simplicity.

Similarly to San Domenico, San Francesco was also very simple. The structure of both of these churches, however, was quite captivating. It was as if their architecture was a message of searching for the divine mystery, yet the churches’ simplicity was a message of living poorly. Excellent! Also, the story of the Basilica of San Francesco is that it is the home to a great Eucharistic miracle. On August 14^th, 1730, thieves stole the silver pyx (that which holds the hosts). Three days later, the Eucharistic bread was founded—the thieves hid them in an alms box. The discovery of the Host was a source for “adoration and reparation in which the whole city of Siena took part”. The Franciscan friars of San Francesco did not consume the Eucharist for hygienic reasons and because of the “constant tributes of faith and love by people of the city and the rural parishes of Siena”. However, as time passed, the Hosts underwent no change. “On several occasions during the last two centuries and a half, experts have examined the sacred Hosts scientifically. Thereby they…multiplied occasions which could have caused the Hosts to deteriorate (by transferring them to other receptacles, by shaking, touching, and counting them, and by exposing them to dust and humidity). But science has always concluded that the Holy Hosts are still fresh, intact, physically incorrupt, and chemically pure; they do not show any sign of corruption.” The Hosts are, to this day, in a Tabernacle in the chapel of the Basilica. Almost 300 years later and the Eucharistic Bread is miraculously in excellent, intact position. I think that this is a miracle. Hopefully miracles as such reveal the importance of the Liturgy and the importance of the reception of the Eucharist.*

That first night in Siena, we went out to dinner. It was very tasty. One thing I learned this weekend, for sure, is that Tuscan food is damn good. Oh, before dinner, I might add that we had just a bit of trouble finding our hostel. It took us: 1, 2, no 3 times to finally get it right! We went into what we thought was the wrong hostel, then we went really into the wrong hostel. Then, we went to the first one, which happened to be the right one at last. We thought that there was no way it was the correct place because it looked so freaking cool. To be precise, I don’t think we stayed in a hostel. It was closer to the nicest hotel that I’ve ever stayed in. Then again, that could mean that I need to stay in better hotels. But really, the hostel was awesome. I slept like a rock, took a hot shower (which is somewhat rare at the Rome Center), had a free breakfast, and stayed in a very nice room. Excellent first night. Next morning, we were on the bus around 10 o’clock heading to Florence!

*Quotes taken from a pamphlet from the Basilica.