Today we went to the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, Borghese Gardens, Piazza del Popolo and Via del Corso. Trevi Fountain was wonderful. It was not all what I expected. It is actually very big compared to the other fountains here in Rome. It was also the biggest tourist attraction we have been to this trip as well. Today we had to really watch our bags close, which I didn't like because my camera bag on my side/front of me was very constricting for me to take pictures. UGH!
Did you know that the Trevi Fountain received its name because of its location in Rome? Trevi means "three" and the Trevi Fountain is actually found in an intersection of three via's or "streets".
The Spanish Steps are quite wonderful as well. Did you know that it is now illegal to sit and eat on the Spanish Steps? The Spanish Steps are quite interesting. However, when you walk up them, you have to watch your step, they are quite slippery. They are made out of some kind of marble and even though they were not wet, the marble is so worn down they have lost any sense of traction. The are also so worn that in certain places you could see how broke down they are, because by the weight on what they are held over the years they have clasped some what. You really have to watch out for that as well, because it is hard to walk on the ones that are really slanted! I don't know off the top of my head how many there are all together, but I had to take my time to walk up them. Once at the top, a couple of us found a cute Church that was open to the public. Inside we found a small group of Nuns and Priests singing the Angelus in Italian! It was one of the best parts of my trip so far. Listening to Italian Chatting is just like Latin Chats, its AMAZING! Especially in person. Okay let me try and explain what this Church was like, given that we were not allowed to take pictures.
Imagine the Spanish Steps (Picture above) and then at the top of the hundred or more steps you just walked up, and you come to a white building with dark brown doors and you realize its a Church, and its open. You walk into it and you first see all of the visitors but as you slowly walk in you can hear the chanting, but you don't know what the words are. There are some wooden benches near the rear open so you move slowly towards them trying to not be loud or make any attention to yourself, given you know you want to be respectful, you are in a Church. You sit down and begin turning your head. What do you see? Imagine yourself siting there on that bench. You see Mosaics, first of all. Every wall, left right, in the roof. You see side altars on the left and right, each dedicated to a particular saint. Then you begin to look up towards the main altar. What do you see there? A large Tabernacle, goldish-bronze color as the usually are. Then you begin people watching. But wait, you are sitting in the back and before your eyes gazed towards the very front of the Church where you see the Tabernacle something else interfered. What is it? The gate. You see a black, heavy metal gate half way between the back and the front of the Church. This gate is similar to what you would expect at a monastery or convent, preventing the public to come into physical contact with the vowed religious, and vise versa. So why a gate you ask yourself? Your mind begins to wonder. The answer to this question is unknown. But you begin to gather information. You don't understand why there would be a large, heavy metal gate in the middle of the Church. It has an opening in the middle, so it does not really keep the laity (people who are not professed religious) out of the front of the Church out. Hmmm? You wonder why the gate then. The answer is unknown.
It is possible that at one time this Church was used by a convent or monastery. Or maybe it is now too, but it is open to the public. What I do know is this. Rome has over 900 hundred Churches throughout. The number is not exact because the actual number of Catholic Churches in Rome is still unknown. So many buildings in Rome look a like it is hard to really know an hotel from a business to a Church. However, over 900 was the last count Rome had made as of a few years ago. Basically, this experience could happen to anyone including Romans who would be exploring a new part of town. They could come across a landmark, a popular one or maybe not even popular and find that there is a beautiful Church in the area; just waiting for someone new to come by to visit and allow the Holy Trinity to reveal to them, in any way He wishes. In my case, well I am still figuring that out, but what I can say is, I was able to make my own story about this Church and share this experience with my readers,family and friends back home, once I get back.
The Trinity is like this. He is affecting each of us in our own ways. At the same time, Rome is like this as well. Each person in my group is being molded differently by our experiences. Some examples from just today would be, when I got to Trevi Fountain, being the first time I had even seen it, I was in awe. I was expecting just a regular size fountain, nothing huge and specular.
However the Trevi blew me away. I am not only amazed about how beautiful it is but also the architectural work it took to build it. The sculptures themselves are huge. Its so amazing. I have some pictures to share to show the difference between what I was expecting to the actual Trevi itself. What do you think? Let me tell you, like me I'm sure, you will think one thing about it from what you see in a photograph and then when you see it in person, it will come to life and it will be an even better image then you could have ever imagined. I think I have given you enough of my stories for now. I think this one example of mine has even more meaning then the story about getting lost today. So, if you are interested in hearing about that adventure. Well, I guess you will just have to wait until I blog about it or you see me in person!
Ciao!
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