Monthly Archives: May 2017

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Dreams do come true!

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May 3, 2017. This trip to Italy has been an amazing spiritual journey.

When we were in Florence, we attended Sunday mass at the Duomo. The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, more popularly known as the Duomo, is Florence’s most iconic landmark, with its red-tiled cupola designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. It has a magnificent Gothic exterior made up of pink, white and green marble and an imposing yet graceful bell tower. Began by Sienese architect Arnolfo di Cambio in 1296, it took almost 150 years to be completed.

When we entered the Duomo for mass, I was struck by the sparse, almost spartan interior. It was in stark contrast to the flamboyant grandeur of the cathedral’s facade. Tourists who were not going to attend mass were being stopped from entry.

We sat in the middle pew. Looking around, I saw a sign to the right side of the cathedral for confession. I told my children I would be quick and left them. Alas, the priest turned me away, saying only Italian confessions were allowed. Crestfallen, I returned to the children and we heard mass.

Opposite the octagonal cathedral is the Baptistry of San Giovanni, one of the most ancient churches in Florence. Believed to be a pagan temple dating back to Roman times which was converted into a church, the baptistry is clad in slabs of white Carrara and green Prato marble.

In Verona, while walking along the cobbled streets looking for the house of Juliet and the famous balcony, I saw an interesting building in one of the side streets that looked like a church. I felt a strong urge to enter. It turned out to be the Chiesa di San Tomio, a Colomboni church.

Once my eyes got accustomed to the dark interior of the church, I noticed a light in the confessional box. I quickly entered and asked the kindly old priest who was praying if he spoke Spanish or English. He gave me a radiant smile and said he could speak a little English having been a missionary in Africa. He asked me where I was from, and was delighted to learn that I am a lector at our parish in the Philippines.

Needless to say, I felt truly blessed having gone to confession with such a welcoming and warm priest. As I left, I asked him to pray for my children, my mom, and Andre. He rued that not a lot of young people these days go to confession, and promised to pray for my children. He also advised me to approach the Blessed Sacrament, and ask God to be with me always, as sometimes we become too busy living life we forget to call on Him. When I came out, Niccolo asked if the priest spoke English and I said yes. I was so happy when Niccolo followed suit and entered the confessional box!

On our last day in Verona, we visited the Church of Santa Anastasia. It was a beautiful church, full of religious art, paintings and sculptures. We heard music coming from a small side door. Curious, I entered and the children followed. A mass was going on in the tiny chapel. We joined the mass which was in Italian. There must have been less than 20 people at the mass. While we could not understand what the priest was saying in his homily, he was so engaging that his parishioners were responding to him, almost conversing with him. I was ecstatic that all my children attended mass and had communion.

In Rome, we visited the Pantheon on a Saturday. A pagan temple dedicated to Venus, Mars and all the other gods, it was built between 27 and 25 BC. Destroyed in 80 and 110 AD, it was restored by Emperor Hadrian in 118-125 AD. In 609 AD, the Byzantine Emperor Phocas donated the Pantheon to Pope Bonifacio IV who then converted it to a Roman Catholic Church and named it the Basilica di Santa Maria ad Martyres.

It is an architectural marvel and the most preserved of all the ancient buildings in Rome. Both the diameter and the height of the circular space are 43 meters. The Pantheon is considered a perfect sundial as at midday, the rays of sunlight going through the hole in the dome are aligned with the door.

I walked around the Pantheon, taking pictures of the different niches and chapels. The first chapel in the right was The Annunciation. The second chapel was a tomb monument of the first Italian King Victor Emanuel II. I was invited to sign in their visitor book. The third niche had a statue of St. Anne and the young Virgin Mary, while the third chapel had a painting of the Blessed Virgin with St. Francis and St.John the Baptist.

As I moved along, I noticed an old woman coming out of a door and going to and from the main altar, appearing to be preparing for a mass. I also noted that there were several pews fronting the center altar where people were seated, resting. When she was near, I asked her if by any chance there would be mass. I was overjoyed when she said there would be mass at 5pm if the priest comes. It was 4:30 pm. I told my children that I would hear mass and that they could leave me there and just come back for me after.

Bea and Niccolo decided to hear mass too. A man who appeared to be in charge announced that mass would start and that tourists would have to leave if they were not going to attend mass. Several of the tourists sitting on the pews left, and so we transferred to the front pew.

The old lady then started to distribute mass leaflets which had the readings translated into several languages. The man approached the faithful seated and asked if anyone spoke English. Once again, I felt an urge to stand up and tell him I speak English and that I am a lector. He then asked me to do the second reading as well as the prayers of the faithful. I was floored! What an honor to be able to serve the Lord at mass in the Pantheon! And it was a cardinal that officiated the mass in Italian. The only parts in English were mine. I felt humbled and blessed to be chosen.

After mass, the man approached us once again. I thanked him but he said he was the one who was grateful I had agreed to serve. He then said we have two minutes. I thought he meant we could walk around the Pantheon for two minutes before they closed. We were pleasantly surprised that he meant we could have a two-minute visit to the tiny chapel behind the main altar to see the secret hidden there. We passed by the little door I noticed the old woman come out of.

And there it was: the original and miraculous 7th century icon of the Madonna and Child. The icon that was gifted to the Pope when the Pantheon was converted from a pagan temple to Christianity. Our guide told us that there was a man born blind who was outside the Pantheon. The Pope said mass and prayed for the man, and he was able to see. A cleric was sent to check if it was true. The cleric brought with him a candle from the altar and used that to examine the man’s eyes, declaring that indeed he could now see. News of the miracle spread, and the icon was venerated as miraculous. Subsequently, the Pope announced a feast to celebrate Our Lady of the Candles on February 2, which we celebrate today as the Holy Feast of the Candelaria. We prayed fervently for our family and those we love.

Yesterday morning, Bea researched and learned that there was a Papal audience at St. Peter’s Square every Wednesday at 10am. To get in, however, we needed to be there by 7am. Niccolo volunteered to wake up early and accompany me to the mass. We also needed to get tickets between 3-7pm from the Swiss guards at the Vatican. Bea and Niccolo already had tickets for the Forum yesterday afternoon, and so it was left to Cara to run to the Vatican to get the tickets.

Because I could not walk far, I stayed at the Church of Sta. Anastasia near the Circulo Massimo. I visited the Blessed Sacrament and prayed the rosary there. It was very peaceful. Then, I went out and sat at a park bench writing.

And now, Niccolo and I are seated at St. Peter’s Square waiting for the 10am Papal audience. We arrived early enough to get seats on the sixth row near the center. There is a mass of humanity waiting with us. I hear a babble of languages all around. People from different parts of the world are here today in faith and brotherhood, singing, smiling, clapping. I am so happy!

Dreams do come true!

Sent from my iPhone

Travel

In search of the perfect pizza and the best coastline

April 30, 2017. Today we decided to get out of Rome and explore Naples and the Amalfi Coast. We rented a car for the day. Our itinerary: Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi. Our objective: to eat the world’s best pizza and to see one of the world’s famous coastlines.

Our driver, Jun was a bit of a spoilsport. He kept trying to dissuade us from going to Naples, saying it was a terrible and unsafe place, and that our lives would be in danger. I was beginning to get creeped out. But, Cara, having visited Naples on her own years ago, said it was alright. Besides, the quest for the world’s best pizza is not something to dismiss that easily. Naples is known for its pizza, and Niccolo was already researching the best pizza place in Naples.

A port, Naples is a run down city. Another place lost in time. Somewhat like busy Divisoria, what with carts selling a variety of goods clogging the streets, and a mass of people weaving in and out. Clothes hung out to dry from apartment buildings. The streets were dirty, littered with refuse. Cars looked unwashed and beat up. A motorcyclist without a helmet zoomed by an uncaring cop. Yes, there was a hint of lawlessness about the city.

Our driver was so scared of Naples, he even hinted that we should take a cab into the city. But, hey, it was midday. The sun was up! And his passengers grew up in Quiapo, familiar and at ease with the hustle and bustle of the metropolis. Hello? Recto?

Niccolo chose Pizzeria Trianon, but alas, it was still closed. Cara did a quick Google search and came up with Antica Pizzeria da Michelle which was just around the corner. I must say it was the best pizza we’ve tasted, bar none. They only had two flavors to choose from: Margherita and Marinara, and they’ve been serving this up since 1870. The Pizzeria was busy, but we were lucky to find a table. We sat across the warm oven, a welcome treat from the nippy air outside.

Next on the itinerary was Pompeii. Again, Jun tried to talk us out of it saying it would take long. He asked us to drop one of our destinations as we would not have time to see everything we wanted. But visiting Pompeii has long been a childhood dream of mine. A bucket list to tick off.

The line for buying tickets was very long and snaked up the hillside. My children hesitated, asking me if I could handle the rolling terrain. We lined up nevertheless. The streets of Pompeii are cobbled and difficult to traverse, especially with a sprained foot and a walking stick, but I soldiered on, adamant to see the ruins of Pompeii.

Pompeii lies in the foothills of Mount Vesuvius. It was a bustling city, with many fine houses, a rich culture, and a booming economic economy. All these came to a halting stop when Mount Vesuvius erupted and covered the city in lava and ash. Most of the city’s 15,000 inhabitants perished, and today you can still see calcified corpses of people fleeing the destructive volcanic violence. There was a man in a sleeping position, another one hunched as if to pray. My heart sank when I saw the body of a small child and a dog. The volcano’s wrath spared none.

Pompeii lay hidden and forgotten for centuries until it was rediscovered by some diggings. And little by little, the beauty that lay beneath was unearthed and revealed, giving us today a glimpse of Roman life 800 years ago. Giant sculptures dotted the ruins, dwarfing us. What grandeur Pompeii must have had! If I could come back in time, I would like to visit Pompeii, avoiding he volcanic eruption, of course,

I wish that I was in better shape to explore Pompeii and that we had more time, but the rest of the trip beckoned and so we left. Perhaps some day I will be able to revisit this jewel from ancient times.

Soon, I saw glimpses of the startling blue sea as we zigzagged along the mountainside on our way to Sorrento. At times, the sun would be blocked as we entered a tunnel carved out of the mountain, and then the scape of sea and sun would once more be revealed.

Sorrento is a seaside town, very pretty. The apartments look airy with wrought iron balconies and colorful awnings to shield against the sun. The streets were narrow and twisting, with many a harrowing close calls as cars and buses met each other on the street. We drove down to the busy port where yachts were docked then back up again.

Just about everyone in Sorrento must have decided to come out and enjoy the sun. There were people in sleeveless tops and shorts, and here we were bundled up in our jackets. Hankering for some gelato and coffee we asked to be dropped off, and entered a hip gelatteria. I had a dark chocolate and cheese and figs ice cream while Cara had a Limon. Bea had a Nutella coffee while Niccolo had pistachio. We all loved it! Sorrento is known for its lemons, and so before we boarded the car, we bought a limoncello to bring home.

Our next stop was Positano. Once again, we found ourselves driving along the mountainside with a magnificent view of the sea on the other side. Italians drive extremely fast, and many a times we were overtaken by zooming motorbikes and cars. How they manage to escape harm bewilders me, given the sharp twists and turns of the narrow road, and the number of oncoming vehicles.

We stopped at a convenient point to take photos of Positano’s houses clinging to the cliff side. Positano is smaller than Sorrento but just as quaint. Our driver wanted to drive down to shoreside to show us the town and then head back to Rome, but we asked him to proceed to Amalfi instead so that we could catch it before sunset.

And catch it we did, just as the sun was beginning to wane. The driver dropped us off at the square and we walked to the church. The steps were steep, but it looked like such a beautiful church that we wanted to see it. Besides, the church had a relic of St. Mark. A mass was going on when we finally reached the church.

We then looked for a place to eat dinner. Amalfi is known for its seafood, and so we capped our tour with a fantastic seafood dinner at La Piazzetta. We had spaghetti con alici di cetara, pangrattato e noci (spaghetti with salted anchovies and walnuts), scialatelli amafitani con frutti di mare (homemade pasta with seafood), ravioli al pomodoro ripieni di ricotta di agerola, melanzane e provola (tomato ravioli with smoked mozzarella and eggplant), frittura mista del golfo (mixed local deep fried fish), lemon cake, pistachio cake, washed down with vino blanco de la casa and limoncello to end the meal. It was an amazing meal! And to think they had just been open a week!

It was the witching hour by the time we reached Rome, tired but happy. It was definitely a memorable tour of Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano, and the Amalfi Coast. And one, I would be eager to repeat but allotting two days instead of one.