Arrivederci Roma!
When I found out that the Holy Cross College Choir would be singing their way through Italy while I was living in Austria, I knew that I would have to visit them as a groupie for at least a few days of their trip.They left Holy Cross in the middle of May, right after final exams ended, but before graduation, and they toured Florence and the Tuscan countryside (Lucca, Siena, etc.) The final leg of their trip was to visit Rome for a few days, where I was able to join them (thanks in large part to my wonderful three-day weekends at my work!)
I flew down to Rome on Friday, May 19. I was lucky enough to have the help of Pam Getnick, director of the HC College Choir, in arranging my hotel accommodations. She was able to get me a room at the same hotel as the Choir (even though their website said they were fully booked) at the same reduced rate the group was paying. I am eternally grateful to Pam for this help, especially since I am familiar with neither the Italian language nor Rome itself.
I took a taxi from the airport to the hotel, and I am pretty sure the driver swindled me. He said the fare was double the number the hotel had given as a reasonable airport-hotel fare, and I was a little taken aback. I paid it, and checked in, and only then did I realize that I should have asked one of the desk clerks (who spoke English) to talk to the driver for me and see if that was really the fare. Oh well. I know for next time, I guess.
I waited in the hotel for the group to get back (they’d gone out to dinner), and when they returned I had a fantastic mini-reunion with several choir friends of mine (Andrea, Sarah, Fran…) It was so great to see everyone!!
We woke up super-early the next morning, as our group was scheduled to tour the Vatican and in order to get into the country/museum/religious compound at a reasonable hour, you must line up at an unreasonable hour. We entered the Vatican at around 9:30am, and it was as glorious as ever. I’ve been through the Vatican before, and it is true that their collection of religious art and artifacts is unparalleled. We saw Rafael’s fresco, The School of Athens, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and Pieta, Bernini’s Chair of St. Peter altarpiece, and everything else on display. I’ve heard it argued that the Vatican’s collection is too large and too rich, and that it is obscene that the Vatican holds so many priceless pieces while there are still so many poor and suffering people in the world. I see the logic behind this, but I don’t agree with it. It is important to preserve history, and these works of art represent some of the best parts of the Church’s history. Additionally, they still inspire faith in people today. I think the Vatican is right to treasure and proudly display these pieces.
We left the Vatican area (after seeing some …hehehe…Swiss Guardsmen, aka wearers of the greatest uniform ever designed) and headed towards the Spanish steps, where we all split up to find lunch and do some roaming (hehehe Rome-ing, if you will.) We also got to see the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon and several other Roman landmarks. I’d been to Rome before, but it didn’t leave a great impression on me the first time around (probably because the weather was chilly, rainy, and gray.) This time, I absolutely loved the city, though (probably because the weather was warm, sunny, and happy…)
That night the Choir sang a concert at Il Gesu, the Jesuit Mother Church, which was very good. They sounded fantastic, and they actually packed the giant church as well. Probably the most exciting part of the evening for me was trying to turn the organist's pages without messing up or accidentally stepping on the organ pedals. Luckily no such thing happened, and the choir performed beautifully.
On Sunday, we again woke up early to take a tour of the Colosseum. Again, I’d seen it before, but photos and memories can never do justice to the real thing. That place is enormous and imposing and elegant and beautiful. I love seeing it. And the really neat part is that it just kind of pops up out of the blue. You drive down regular-looking Roman streets, and then all of a sudden, whoops, there is this magnificent ancient structure staring right at you. It’s fantastic!
After wandering through the Colosseum for a while, we headed to the Forum, which is nearby. I think it is just so much fun and so mind-boggling to wander through these structures that are so old and that have such rich history associated with them. I mean, when you are in the Forum, you could be standing on the same ground as Cicero or Tacitus, or even Nero, God forbid. I love it!
After our tours, we headed back to the Pantheon area, where we all grabbed some lunch where we could and got to hang out in the sun for a little bit before heading back to the Vatican. That evening, the Choir got to actually sing a Vatican Mass (something I was lucky enough to do with my high school choir.) They were absolutely wonderful, and the congregation even applauded afterwards, which the organist said never happens.
After Mass, we headed over to Trastevere to have some dinner and enjoy the nightlife. Our little group (Andrea, Sarah, Fran, Julie, and a few others and I) found this great outdoor restaurant, and after dinner we tracked down some yummy gelato….love it! Since it was Sunday, however, there wasn’t any night-life to speak of, so after eating we all headed back to the hotel to hang out in the bar there.
Monday was our final day in Rome, and since the Choir was finished with all of their concerts, we just got to enjoy the whole day. We slept in a bit, and the we were really free to do whatever we wanted to do. Sarah, Julie, Fran, Andrea and I decided to do some shopping in the gorgeous Roman shops, which was fun. It certainly passed the time very quickly! We had lunch in this great little restaurant (Pam joined us), that had the best risotto I’ve ever eaten….mmmm…..
That evening, we went to a restaurant where the wait-staff are also opera singers, so we were serenaded as we ate our multi-course meal, which was a hoot. They were pretty good, I must say!
The next morning, we packed up and headed to the airport. The Choir was headed back to the States around the same time my plane left for Vienna, which was convenient. It was sad to leave my friends, but all in all, it was a fantastic trip. I’m really glad I was able to visit the group, and I’m also really glad I had a chance to get back to Rome, because I really loved it this time around, and I’d go back in an instant.
While I was a bit bummed to be leaving, I only had an hour or so before greeting my next visitor – my sister Meghan, whose flight from Atlanta landed at the same time mine did ☺
posted by Carly Fowler @ 7:44 PM
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