Vidimus Papam

We made it to St. Peter's for the Sunday Angelus, where we had the opportunity to see Pope Benedict XVI from his bedroom balcony. Our original intent was to get to St. Peter's for the 10:30 mass, but underestimated the time it would take to get there or the long line to pass through security. So we decided to shop for a little while in the nearby stores, where Michael and Beth both bought some rosaries to have blessed, and then waited near the obelisk for the Angelus to begin. By the time 12:00 rolled around the piazza was nearly full, but we had no problem in seeing the Holy Father above the crowds at his window. After his homily (in Italian) and the Angelus he addressed the crowds briefly in English, Spanish, French, Polish, and German. It probably lasted less than 10 minutes, but it was well worth the effort.

We decided to brave the lines and entered St. Peter's. If you have never been there it is hard to comprehend the vastness, although the overall scale makes it feel intimate at the same time (if that makes any sense). We toured the basillica for a couple hours, and then left to have a quick lunch of pizza and gellato, then returned again (with a MUCH shorter line) for the 4:00 mass at the main altar (the altar of the chair). This was immediately followed by vespers, so we stayed for that and are very happy that we did. There was a small all-male choir that led the singing, and several times they broke into 4-part harmony. I have never hear Gregorian Chant sung in harmony before, but it was incredible. I pulled out my mp3 player to record some of it, but I haven't had a chance yet to see how it turned out. I may post some of it later if it comes out good.

By the time we left it was dark (the sun sets about 4:30 at this time of year) so we decided to take an evening stroll down towards Castel Sant' Angelo which provided this stunning view of St. Peter's.

We tried a pizzaria west of Piazza Navona that was recommended by our host as the best in Rome. The house special was good, but a little strange, topped in the center with a fried egg, but the Quattro Fromaggio was the best I've ever had. We enjoyed that with the house red wine, which was also quite good.

There was a Christmas concert at St. John Lateran that Rebekah and Emily wanted to go to, but the younger kids were too tired, so we decided to split up. We enjoyed an evening stroll through Piazza Navona, which was holding a Christmas festival, and then on to see the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. We'll be back to all of these sites during daylight hours, but it was nice to see them at night.

The plan for today (Monday) is the Colloseum and Forum. I'll post an update when I can.