Rome, Italy

Time to pack my bags and stash those soiled shirts as I´m flying back to New York today. Leah, Ate Emma and Sonny will be spending several days in London. Carding is taking us to the airport. As our flight doesn´t leave until 12 p.m., I suggested we take a look at the Fontana de Trevi (the Trevi Fountain) and the Pantheon, both well-known landmarks in Rome. I´m glad Carding is driving us as the serpentine alleys leading to the fountain will only confuse us if we go there ourselves.


Even at this time of the day, tourists were already milling around the expanse of the fountain. As is the tradition at this spot, we took turns throwing a coin to the fountain - an act meant to ensure a return to Rome. A short drive through another maze of narrow streets brought us to the Pantheon, the grandmother of all domed structures. This is the only edifice from ancient Rome still structurally intact. Its magnificent dome has inspired many architects that even Michaelangelo took a long look at it before designing his piece for the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican.

The drive to Rome´s Fiumicino Airport was smooth and traffic-free. We thanked Carding for the two days he drove us around and promised to refer him to other Pinoys who will be embarking on a Roman journey. If not for the transport strike, we wouldn´t have met Carding and wouldn´t have seen Rome more intimately. Talk about blessing in disguise!

Carding (Ricardo Pena) can be contacted through the following phone numbers: +39 339 6750572, +39 346 2150811, +39 334 3746168
Address: Via Sestio Calvino, 72 - 00174 Rome - Italy
email: ricpena62@yahoo.it

Rome, Italy

San Pietro in Vaticano

Santa Maria Maggiore

San Giovanni in Laterano

San Paolo Fuori Le Mura

We have planned to see the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the other ancient sites within the city today. However, we found out at the Termini Station that the entire Metro system - including bus and trains - have stopped operating due to a union strike. There we were at the station trying to figure a way as we did not anticipate a transport strike.

Here comes Carding to the rescue. He looked at us and approached us, saying "kabayan, if you need a tour guide, I can show you around the city in my car, $5 for each of you an hour". Yes, Carding happens to be a Filipino based in Rome and works part time as a driver/guide for tourists. I figure that the price he quoted was a good deal - for 5 hours of city tour, we would be getting a driver/guide and a private car for only $25 each. What a relief to find someone like Carding. Rome must be so close to heaven that our prayers are answered pronto!

I was seated at the front while Ate Emma, Leah and Sonny took the back seat. Carding brought us first to the small but very old church of Sta. Prassede, near the mammoth Santa Maria Maggiore basilica. Sta. Prassede has ornate mosaics adorning the altar. But what really caught our attention was a relic that was brought from Jerusalem: the pillar where Jesus Christ was said to have been scourged. Some do question its authenticity but you can not question the gleam in the eyes of faithful Catholics who gravitate to this part of the church.

Carding tells us there are four patriarchal basilicas in Rome: San Pietro in Vaticano, San Paolo Fuori Le Mura, San Giovanni in Laterano and Santa Maria Maggiore. We visited Santa Maria Maggiore and was awed by its sheer size. We felt like dwarfs as we moved through its cavernous naves and altars. Carding drove us next to the Basilica de Santa Croce, a church dedicated to the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. What really made this church well-known is the Chapel of the Passion Relics which contains a glass-enclosed display of relics allegedly brought by St. Helena from Jerusalem: a thorn (from Jesus´ crown of thorns), a nail from the crucifixion and part of the title of the cross where Jesus died with the words "Jesus of Nazareth".

As we went to the other two basilicas, the San Giovanni in Laterano and the San Paolo Fuori Le Mura, I felt the Italians truly have a huge appetite for architectural endeavors. These basilicas are testaments of the skill and artistry that must have been driven by a strong Catholic faith as well. I guess if faith in God had anything to do with size, might as well show to the world that theirs is the biggest.

The sky was gray as we arrived at another Rome landmark, in fact Rome´s iconic landmark - the Colosseum. As I look at this huge structure, I began to imagine the many bloody battles staged in its arena as gladiators and wild beasts fought it off to death while thousands of Romans up on the bleachers watched the carnage with glee.

Obviously, the Colosseum has not lost its appeal as tourists lined up for the long wait just to see what´s left of it. Men costumed like gladiators pose for the camera-wielding visitor, never mind if this appears too goofy.

The Roman Forum is next to the Colosseum. However, Ate Emma felt she couldn´t hurdle another ordeal of a walk-about around the vast ruins scattered in the center of this Eternal city. Leah, Sonny and I hit the ancient alleys where Julius Caesar once walked, trying to feel the richness of history embedded in the stones.

The ruins at the Forum is what's left of what used to be the center of politics in ancient Rome. I could hardly picture the grandeur as most of what's standing are marble columns and stones strewn here and there. Nevertheless, the ruins provide a glimpse of what was once the site of a mighty empire whose tentacles of power and influence reached as far as the shores of Bosphorus and the Red Sea. This time around, hordes of tourists are invading this ancient site which compared to present-day Rome, is actually on a lower level of ground (think of all that silt that has been deposited all these centuries).

Carding (Ricardo Pena) can be contacted through the following phone numbers: +39 339 6750572, +39 346 2150811, +39 334 3746168
Address: Via Sestio Calvino, 72 - 00174 Rome - Italy
email: ricpena62@yahoo.it
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ricpena62

Rome, Italy

"Hope springs eternal" - and thankfully, it didn't take an eternity to locate our missing bags. The staff at Hotel Rimini, where we are staying, informed us about their late delivery last night when we were already asleep. Ah, I could have been roused from sleep and still thank them profusely for it!

After a hearty breakfast at the hotel and a change of fresh clothes, we took the subway for our scheduled guided tour of the Vatican Museum at 10:00 this morning. Wise idea to have pre-booked it as we didn't have to join the kilometric queue to the main entrance - we were allowed entrance through the exit doors of the museum. Talk about some VIP treatment!

There are many museums worth visiting and the Vatican Museum is certainly a must. It is an exemplary museum housing a collection of priceless objects worthy of a lifetime visits. Visiting the museum in a half day only couldn't possibly enable anyone to comprehend the complexity of its richness. The Sistine Chapel for one, perhaps the museum's piece de resistance, needs several visits to fully appreciate the wonders of Michaelangelo's genius. After restoration work was done on the chapel's frescoes, the colors are now more vibrant and more mesmerizing as many heads gaze up in unison. Standing there in the middle, I was awed by another fact: this is the exact spot where Popes are elected.



Feeling giddy after such a visit to the museum, we all walked along the Vatican's massive walls until we reached one of the world's most beautiful squares - the St. Peter's Square surrounded by the motherly embrace of Bernini's colonnades. It's been one of my dreams to visit this great bastion of Roman Catholicism. My jaw dropped at the sight of St. Peter's Basilica.

Nothing outside of the basilica could prepare you for what's inside, not even the numerous TV footages I've seen all these years. To see it in person is like seeing a celebrity in flesh.

Right after entering one of its huge bronze doors, you encounter Michaelangelo's "Pieta", another masterpiece worth several visits. The sculpture is now glass-enclosed after a vandal attempted to destroy it but it has not diminished the divine aura of a grieving Mother Mary with Jesus Christ on her lap. The basilica's main altar is magnificent, capped by Michaelangelo's massive dome. You really have to crane your neck up high to fully understand its immensity.

We went to the crypt beneath the basilica's main floor and joined others in silence as we paid our respects at the tomb of Pope John Paul II who passed away only last April. Nearby is the tomb purportedly containing St. Peter's bones. Other popes are also buried here. Despite the constant flow of people parading through here, there's still an air of solemnity.

We exited the basilica and out into the square again. Castel Sant'Angelo, a fortress beside the Tiber river, is at the opposite end of the road leading to St. Peter's Square. Though tired from all that walking in the museum and the basilica, we trudged upon Ponte Sant'Angelo, one of Rome's many bridges spanning the Tiber.

We walked some more while trying to make sense of the map I was holding and hoping I could navigate and steer ourselves towards the Spanish Steps. We got hungry and luckily, we met one Filipina nanny while waiting for a bus who gave us directions on where to find the best Pinoy food in town.

There's certainly a good Filipino community in Rome - and many of them gravitate towards this church (I just couldn't remember the name!). In one of the buildings adjoining the church, the Filipinos have been provided access to a communal hall where gatherings are held - in this case tonight, an impromptu restaurant.Gleefully, Ate Emma, Leah, Sonny and I feasted on adobo, dinuguan and tortang talong. I was so hungry I ate so much! That was an unforgettable Pinoy dinner in a foreign land indeed. The cost: only 5 euros each.

I wanted to cap the night with a visit to the Spanish Steps. Our map pointed us towards the Via Condotti, a pedestrian street full of designer shops - Prada, Bulgari, you name it - this is Rome's ritziest shopping area. At the end of this glamorous strip is the Spanish Steps, immortalized in many movies - even a Pinoy flick ("Milan"). Like what everyone else does there, we just sat on the steps, stretched our weary legs and watched the world go by...for a few minutes. This is one way of living la dolce vita!

Rome, Italy

A great catastrophe on our first night in Rome: we have arrived in Rome but our bags have not! Leah was the only one who got hers at the luggage carousel in Fiumicino Airport. A check at the baggage customer service revealed that our wayward luggage have been left behind in Paris. Mamma mia!

Armed only with our carry-ons - thankfully my toiletries were there -, we took the train to Termini Station in central Rome after being promised that the missing bags would be delivered to our hotel. Even with the knowledge that I´ve purchased trip insurance which covered baggage delays, it´s still distressing to miss your luggage. I´m tired after flying via London and the last thing I need coming to a strange city is buying "emergency " clothing.

Hopefully, it won´t take an eternity to find missing bags in the Eternal City of Rome.