I had to Buy an Umbrella

Friday, October 17, 2008
Rome, Italy

Rome's Spanish Steps. They were a little empty today due to the rain. Normally they would be covered by people.

Well I woke up to rain in Rome today. I thought it was slowing down when I left the hotel but it turned out it was not so I bought an umbrella from the nice guys who sell them as you walk down the street. It did the trick. I had 3 things planned today. 1. Visit the Chiesa di Santa Maria Della Concezzione and the Capuchin Cemetery, 2. Visit the Chiesa di San Luigi de Francesi and 3. Send a package of things home to mom and dad.

Ok so this dress was not in the package I sent home to mom and dad but I walked past it several times and it is just so cute....one day, one day.

In case you are not sure, Chiesa is Italian for church. The first church I visited happened to be right down the street. It was recommended to me by Heather’s cousin. He was not sure of the name of the church but knew the name of the crypt and that was all I really needed as the church itself is not that exciting but the crypt is not to be missed. The Capuchin cemetery happens to be decorated with the bones of 4,000 monks. The decorating took place from 1528-1870. Before the bones could be used, the monk would be buried in dirt, the flesh would be given about 18 days to rot off and then the bones would be dug up and used in the decorations. The monks felt it was ok to use the bones because they make natural shapes and after all death was not meant to be scary, but the beginning of something great. Please note that all the monks died of natural causes and volunteered to have their bones added to the church.

Of course I could not take pictures so you have to use your imagination. Some people that were there found it a little disturbing. The only thing that I found disturbing was that I could identify most of the bones, and although I already knew that the bones all belonged men, I could confirm it by looking at the pelvic bones.

Another random street in Rome. I just liked it. Don't ask me why.

The other church I wanted to visit was closed until 1600 (4pm) so I had to find something else to fill my time so I headed to the streets. Once I got my package sent, I happened to walk by a store that made custom journals and address books and that kind of thing and since my current notebook is almost full I thought I would grab myself a journal. The guy in the store then decided to read my palm. Now I have to admit he was bang on about a couple things. And then he decided he needed to ask me out for coffee….and that is when I knew I had stayed too long.

Again random in Rome. What can I say, everything is random when you don't really know where you are.

I spent most of the day wandering around, checking out the sights and a few churches. I decided to find the Chiesa di Luigi and then work my way around there. Once again I found the church with no problem….my navigating skills seem to be improving…slightly.

Piazza Navona. Also not as full as it would be on a nice day but you can see the sun came out and eventually the rain went away.

One thing that has been confirmed is that no matter how ordinary the outside of a church looks in Rome, you can be almost completely assured that the inside will not be. The Chiesa di Luigi was no exception although it was not as amazing as I figured. This church is on the list of churches to check out due to some of its specific art work. It had some very beautiful Caravaggio’s inside so people and tour groups usually have it on its list of places to see. While they were quite stunning and totally worth the trip, I am glad that I did not see this church instead of any others.

Inside the Chiesa di Luigi.

Once of the Caravaggio's inside the church.

I found this ceiling inside the Basilica di S. Agostino. Don't ask me where I found it, I was just wandering.

From there it was more wandering around taking in the spirit of Rome and now I am sitting on a sidewalk café enjoying a great evening. The pasta and pizza have been great, the sights stunning and other than a little bit of rain this morning, the weather great but it is time to move on. I only have so much time and lots of Italy to see. Tomorrow I will test the trains and travel to Naples.

Anyone? The colours (red and black) tell me they are protesting something but not sure what.

I love the mini-buses in Rome. So cute.

Julie