Rome sickness

I've been feeling really homesick lately, except not for home but for Rome. I cannot tell you how much I miss Italy. Okay, there are a lot of things I don't miss about Italy, but the things I do miss, man oh man. A picture of St. Peter's in my Boss's house almost brought me to tears the other day. So in honor of my Rome sickness, I will give you my top ten favorite things to do in the Eternal City

1.Go to the Borghese Gardens at sunset. Well, you should go to the Borghese gardens anyway, they are absolutely gorgeous (beware scantily clad, sunbathing Italians), but the view of the city at sunset is utterly breathtaking.

2. Go to the Villa Borghese. I mean, as long as you're in the gardens, you might as well drop into my absolute favorite museum ever. Why is it so great you ask? One word: Bernini. The Borghese houses two of Bernini's most beautiful statues, the Rape of Persephone and Apollo and Daphne,  which are probably two of the most amazing statues in the world. Michelangelo's David is just lame in comparison. There's also a great collection of Carravagio's work, including my favorite work ever- Sick Bacchhus.

3. Go church hopping. There are so many great churches in Rome; even the ones that aren't famous are absolutely beautiful, so just have a day where you stop in every church you pass. Sure, you probably won't get very far, but you get a good feel of Rome this way.

4 . Go to Piazza Navona when the sun is shining. It is the most colorful place, filled with art vendors and, of course, scarf sellers. There is also a fantastic fountain, designed by, your guessed it, Bernini. 

5. Get gelato and coffee near the Pantheon. The Pantheon is probably the coolest building ever. I mean, it was a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods (possibly designed by the emperor Hadrian), but it was taken by the Christians and turned into a church. It's absolutely spectacular. It also helps that the Pantheon is located near some of the absolute best cappuccino and gelato shops in all of Rome. 

6. Climb the Cupola of St. Peter's. True, it's a lot of stairs, but it is one of the most breath-taking experiences you will ever have. There are two levels, first you are inside the dome itself, with a stunning view of the high altar and the baldacchino. Then you climb some more stairs, and suddenly you're on top of the dome, looking out over Rome. This was one of the first things I did in Rome, and I have never regretted it (it's much easier the second time). 

7. Go to the Colosseum at night. Sure the scarf/rose/light-up-toy salesmen won't leave you alone, but the beautiful view will be worth it. It is such a cool building, and when it's illuminated, it has an eery beauty to it. And since you're so close, you should walk over to the Roman Forum at night. 

8. Go to the Trevi Fountain. Okay, so it's nearly impossible to find, and it's not exactly the greatest piece of art ever, but it's worth the trek just to have that Lizzie Mcguire moment. Just a warning- not all the wishes you make come true: I wished for a handsome Italian boyfriend with no results. 

9. Eat eat eat! Italian food is amazing! So you should go out on a limb and try everything. Even foods that are gross in American are delicious in Italy. For example, I spent four months living off of egg plant and zucchini. You should also try Pasta Carbonara; It is my absolute favorite, and I guarantee you will love it too! Oh, and, of course, you have to drink a lot of wine with every meal. It's just the way this works. 

10. Wander! Just soak in the city. Every town has its own vibe, and the best way to discover it is simply to be there. You don't have to rush from museum to museum or try to see every single famous site. The most important thing is that you come away 

Sic, Habemus Papam!

I wasn't going to go into the city yesterday because I had a paper to write. I told myself that I wasn't going to go. I was going to sit in my room and write my paper. I was. I really was. I told myself that there wouldn't be white smoke. There was going to be black smoke; I'd be disappointed, and I'd waste a lot of time that should be spent on my paper.

But I went. In spite of my paper, I went into the city.

It was raining when my friend, Grey, and I got to St. Peter's, but it didn't deter us, we pushed and shoved our way to the front, ducking under umbrellas and around people. Then there was no where else to go, so we stopped. We weren't terribly close, but then again, we weren't to far away either. I couldn't see the chimney because of all the umbrellas, but that didn't really matter because it was going to be black smoke anyway. So we stood there for about an hour. Someone's umbrella nearly took my eye out, but other than that, it wasn't terribly exciting. Maybe I should have stayed home and written my paper. Dum de dum de dum.

Then there was a gasp. "Oh," I thought, "Black smoke." But everyone was screaming, Grey grabbed my arm, "It's white, it's white!" He shouted. Then I was screaming too. The crowd surged forward, but we were ready. Elbows out, we charged through the crowd trying to get to the barricade. The bells were ringing, people were shouting, laughing, crying, singing. "Habemus Papam!" We all shouted.

We didn't make it all the way to the barricade, but we were dead center in front of the balcony, so it didn't matter. Even once the crowd could no longer move, the bells kept ringing, and the white smoke kept pouring from the chimney. Everyone was still cheering: "Viva il Papa! Viva! Habemus Papam! Viva!" The noise was deafening, and I was joining in. We sang, laughed, shouted at the people in front to put down their umbrellas and flags. We kept laughing, singing, and shouting. Where was the Pope?

Grey and I were absolutely ecstatic. We were in St. Peter's square when the white smoke went up. We were there, we had a great view. Where was the Pope? We sang along with the Italian seminarians next to us. We shouted, "Viva!" At the tops of our lungs. We sang the Salve Regina. Is someone we know holding that giant American flag? I think so. Where's the pope. I wonder what name he'll choose. Viva! I have no idea. Oh my goodness! We're here! Habemus Papam! We're here. We're going to see the pope. Oh my goodness! Viva! Habemus Papam! Umbrello! Umbrello! Put the umbrella down! I wonder what's taking so long.

The ecstatic happiness of the crowd didn't wane at all in the thirty minutes we waited for the new Papa.  The energy of the entire church seemed concentrated in that one tiny place. Everyone was either laughing or crying with joy, no one could stop. We were all there! We were all going to see our new papa! The emotions were limit less.

Then the lights in the rooms behind the balcony went on. Silencio! Shhh! Shhh! Oh wait, never mind, they just turned the lights on. Oh wait, wait. Never mind. Where is he? I'm so excited! I wonder what name he'll pick. Not Benedict the 17th or Peter the 2nd, I guess. Oh, oh, oh! They're opening the doors! Hurray! Hurray! Silencio! Shhh! Wait, what's that he's saying? Shhh! Who? Cardinal who? Wait, what? Okay, okay. Shhh! Silencio. Hurray! Viva il Papa! What did he say? Who is it? What's his name? Gosh, I didn't realize how bad my Italian was.

Wait, behind us. Wait, I heard them say Jesuit. He's a jesuit. Okay. Bergolio? Who? I have no idea. What's his name? Wait... Francesco! Francesco! Francesco! Francesco? Francis! He chose Francis! Francesco! Francesco! Viva il Papa! Viva! Wait, Francis the what? Goodness, there's never been a Francis before! The first ever Francis! This is crazy! So much history in one semester! What a great time to be in Rome! Francesco! Francesco!

Oh, oh, oh! Here he comes! Hurray! Hurray! Papa! Papa! Papa Francesco! Papa Francesco! Oh, oh, oh, wait. Shhh! Silencio! Silencio! Brothers and Sisters... Uh huh, understood that. What's he saying? What's he saying? Hmm? Oh, Ave Maria, gratia plena... Oh, this is in Italian. Mumble mumble mumble. AMEN! What's he saying? Oh, pray for me. Okay. Okay. Why are we all quiet? Oh! Praying for him. Right. This is the most deafening silence I've ever heard. Now it's time for the blessing, but there's not room to kneel. In nomine Patris et Filio, et Spirito Sancto. AMEN!

Well, there he goes! Goodness! We have a pope! We were here! Here! In St. Peter's Square when it all happened! We definitely picked the right time to come! Oh my goodness, I'm so happy I could burst. I've never been so happy in my whole life!

And that's how it happened. I haven't been able to really sort through my feelings about it yet. I'm just so happy! And so glad I was able to be there. I miss Pope Benedict, I really do, but I love Papa Francesco so much! All I can tell you about the whole election, is that everyone was so happy, so ecstatically happy, and the joy was infectious. I actually saw a conga line of Franciscans dancing through the square, chanting, "Francesco! Francesco! Francesco!" At the top of their lungs. We were all smiling and smiling. And ejaculating about how lucky we were to be there, and how sure we were that it wouldn't be tonight.

After we left the square, we decided that a proper meal was in order, so, of course, we stopped at Habemus Pizza for pizza and a fanta limone before charging the metro to get home. Even the metro was infectiously happy. Little nuns chattering away, young people laughing and joking, and the elderly smiling.

When we got back to campus, the occasion obviously called for champagne, so we broke some out, drinking first to the health of our Pope Emeritus, then to our Papa Francesco. The first pope from the Americas! The exuberance lasted well into the wee hours, then finally we all fell into exhausted, but very happy sleep.