My First Papal Audience

Every Wednesday morning at 11am, the pope (if he's in town) comes to St. Peter's Square to greet the people. There's no way I'm passing up a chance to see the pope.

So this morning I got up and had my leisurely morning, since 11 pa naman the audience. By 9, I was on my way to St. Peter's where I would just chill until the hour arrives. Not surprisingly, the square was already half full, despite the blazing sun. The area closest to the pope, which is a large area, is sealed off for those who secure tickets beforehand. So I was standing about 100 meters away from the from of St. Peter's Basilica.

The faithful all gathered at St. Peter's

A leftover poster from the beatification

The amount of people gathered there was pretty amazing. I didn't have a good way if estimating exactly how many though. The atmosphere was a bit restless because of all the crowding and the intense heat. At about 10:30 though, a band starting playing some music and the people began to cheer. On the flanks of the square, two giant screened showed the pope coming out on his little white car. Then he would ride through a snaking path that brings him quite close to most of the crowd. It was electric being there. Everyone was cheering and clapping. Of course all the cameras and video cameras were in the air. Because of the snaking path, the pope passed within 5 meters of me! That was very cool.

Here he is from afar... I have a video though!

When he finally gets to his chair, a simple ceremony begins. It's essentially a reading, a reflection, greeting and blessing. However, it took an hour and a half to finish! That's because it would happen in 7 languages. First Italian, the. French, English, German, Spanish, then I think Portuguese and Polish. It was nice to see all the pilgrims from all over the world coming together. And of course there was a Filipino group.

The AWESOME looking guards

Away Days in Assisi

This way to Assisi!

My last stop before the great city of Rome is the humble town of Assisi. I arrived there after a 2.5 hour train from Florence. From there it's a short bus ride through the fields, and towards my destination. Since it is surrounded by plains, Assisi greets you from afar, jutting out of the landscape. As the bus climbs up you can make out the landmarks of the town already.

The first thing that I notice is the Basilica of St. Francis. It's a large basilica, most impressive for the fact that it is built on the slope of the mountain. It faces west unlike other churches. The basilica attracts numerous pilgrims throughout the year. Despite the fact that there were far less tourists as compared to Florence or Venice, it still had its share of them crowding the streets.

A view of the basilica from the peak

One of the many tourist free streets

In the basilica, art lovers can find the frescoes painted by Giotto, whose works can also be found in Florence and Padua. The illustrations depict the life of St. Francis and draw parallels to the life of Christ. Beneath the altar of the basilica lies the tomb of St. Francis. It's a beautiful place to meditate on what a life of poverty and humility means. No pictures allowed inside of course..

St. Francis basilica much closer now

One thing I was able to treat myself to while I was here is a walk through the countryside. Since Assisi is a rather small place, a fifteen minute walk took me outside the city walls. From there, it's down the hill and through the fields. I imagine many places in Italy can provide this kind of experience. Walking by Assisi specifically helped me understand how St. Francis could develop a deep love for all creation. The surrounding area is a beautiful sight. There are also all sorts of little animals about the place. Whether it's wild fowl or herded sheep, I was able to stop and appreciate all the nature around me.

A perfect view from the fields

It was nice to spend some time in a place and not have to rush through crowds and museums.

First Impressions in Rome

Rome is different.

The first thing that I notice is how wide the streets are. No other city in Italy has had roads this wide. It makes the city seems a bit more friendly to walking, despite the intense summer heat. It also does a part in making the great monuments of the city really stand apart.

Last night, I got a small taste of the city by making quick stops at the coliseum and the forum. I'll never forget the overwhelmig feeling that I got when I stepped out of the metro. The coliseum was right there in front of me in all its splendor. No dramatic build up, just a single moment to take in the great magnitude of the monument.

Of course I forgot my camera..

Walking around in the evening, the weather was pleasant. Even at night the various monuments, despite being closed, are lit in such a way that it continues to provide a dramatic effect.

It's nice to finally have to luxury of time. I can go through the various parts of the city without having to rush.

View From the Top

I take back what I said about the view in Siena. It was great and all, but it's nothing compared to what San Gimagnino provides.

It's no easy task getting here though. The train doesn't go directly to it, so I ear forced to try taking the bus for the first time. Nothing too intimidating about that, except for the fact that the bus didn't show up on time. So I was left there standing, wondering if I'd have to just spend the rest of the day in Siena. It did arrive eventually though, about 15 minutes later. Thankfully..

The drive there was a short but extremely beautiful one. It takes you through the thick of Tuscany, passing by hills and vineyards along the way. After an hour of twisting and turning through the hills, the bus suddenly stops in front of a great fortress wall. Just like that, you're there at San Gimignano.

The main gates of the city

Like its neighbor Siena, San Gimignano is all about ups and downs. Within its city walls are old cobblestone streets that rise and fall with he contours of the countryside. It has a great feel about it since, again like Siena, there are no vehicles within the city walls. Superior though is its pinnacles. San Gimignano has about a dozen towers scattered about the city.

One of the many towers

From clocks to bell towers, they each provide an amazing vantage point. The one with public access is the campanile of the cathedral. It's the highest of them all and provides a superb view of the Tuscan landscape, if you don't get vertigo. I won't claim it to be the best view, since I was proved wrong within a couple of hours just by going from Siena to San Gimignano.

A view from the tallest tower

Some other towers from the top

The duomo square

It's not free though from the tourists despite its obscure location. Still although the main streets can get busy, it never feels crowded like the others. It's not hard to simply take a turn and find you by yourself walking through these ancient streets.

In general though it's (relatively) quiet, and nice place to just take it slow with a walk or a nice meal. Away from the majority of the tourists, it's like a little getaway within a vacation.

Trekking Through Siena

One of the effects of hoping from place to place is not having the time to really know what to expect. As long as you're flexible and open to anything this can be quite fun.

So as I got off my bus at Siena, I was looking at the next challenge presented to me. The city of Siena is built over hills and valleys. Just getting from the station to the square was a workout! (But I've done Mt. Apo, so ha!) The roads though are quite steep and I would often find myself trying to catch my breath when I'd get to an intersection. At one intersection while hunched over, I saw a runner zip past goin up and down. I'll bet the joggers here are so much more hardcore than those anywhere else. As for me, it seems those gelatos are starting to deal their damage.

The long road going up

It's an amazing city though, because its location provides the opportunity for some of the most beautiful views, both of the city and the surrounding area. Right beside the cathedral, there is a high panoramic spot. It was originally meant to be the facade of a bigger new cathedral. Unfortunately, it was never finished. You can still access it though through a museum. From up there you can see almost the entire surrounding area. I couldn't recognize anything, but seeing the countryside was a breathtaking experience. With the perfect weather, it provided a view that is postcard perfect. That was something.

Catching the view from the arch

In every city I always visit the cathedral. It's a place where everything comes together in history, religion and art. Somehow, as I go along, each succeeding cathedral seems to inspire more and more wonder and amazement. I think it may be possible though that the one in Siena will be the best (sans St. Peter's perhaps). Not only is the cathedral decorated at the roofs and walls, but the greatest work of the building is its marble floor. The entire floor is covered in sculpted pictures of all sorts of images. From symbols of the cities of Tuscany, to pictures of sybils and of course, religious scenes. It's an unbelievable collection of art right beneath my feet. For preservation purposes, it's not all on display all the time. A fair portion is actually covered to protect it from the many trampling feet passing through yearly.

The beautiful cathedral facade

And the interior columns

Its Name is Lucca

I wasn't even originally planning to stop by here. Someone I met in Venice mentioned to me how lovely it is there. Upon checking the map, I discovered that it was just twenty minutes away from Pisa. Thus I resolved to check it out on the same day.

Fortunately for me, the trains here are frequent. I was able to arrive here right after Pisa at about 3:30. More than enough time to get a good taste of the city. The first thing that greets you in Lucca are the walls. The entire city is walled off all about the perimeter. There are four gates, and very limited vehicular access. In fact, Lucca is a biking city!

Bikes for rent

I was thrilled with that bit of discovery. Since Spain I've been yearning to bike around a city. Lucca would be just the place for that. Neither too hot, nor too cold I would hop on and relish the wind in my face and the city rushing past.

I started out biking the walls which took me about twenty minutes. That would put the perimeter of the city at about 6km or so. Then I descended and proceeded to navigate the streets. I didn't want to stop every so often just to look at my map. Instead I just trusted my instincts and let me go where my feet (or wheels) would take me.

The bike/jogging path

I got lost a lot, and did run into several dead ends. The alleys did remind me of Venice a bit, just wider and well, no water. While wandering though I was able to stumble upon most of the major landmarks. Several churches, including the cathedral, some lovely piazzas and also the main elliptical square (what?) from which all the other streets radiate from.

The elliptical plaza

I didn't enter any buildings, aside from a couple of churches. I just found it quite refreshing to give my feet and rest and to see a city in a different way. There's nothing quite like it.

A view from the wall

A Piece of Pisa

Sorry for that title.. I couldn't help it.

Pisa, though quite famous as a city, really isn't a very lively place. It reached its height before the renaissance and since then it's had to play second fiddle to the nearby Florence. Walking the streets, the town was all closed up and quite dull, on a Friday no less!

They say though that it's a university town. Thus it bids the students goodbye in June and then welcomes the tourists instead. During August though, it is supposed to be a hotbed of activity, with students gearing up for the new term. It's university is one of the oldest in Italy, and is in constant competition with its rivals in Padua and Bologna.

The main draw in Pisa is, of course, the tower. The most famous mistake in history. It's located in the piazza deI miracoli. In this square, there is the tower, cathedral and baptistery. That's all the highlights if Pisa all in one place.

No need for words

But for what highlights it has, they do not disappoint. He tower is actually a thrilling experience. Mainly because when you get to the balcony you can actually feel the force of gravity guiding you down the sloped floor. I'm not usually afraid if heights, but standing there just thinking about it, I have to admit it's unnerving. Fear aside, the view amazing from the top. It presents a clear view of the entire city of Pisa and some of the surrounding regions. You can also see from the top the very clear cross shaped duomo right beside it.

A view from the top

Cathedral from the top

The baptistery is also a neat exhibit, but be sure to hang around for the echo demonstration. The octagonal building has perfect acoustics. Any sounds made from the center of the room will linger and echo for a fair amount of time. The guide let out a good range of notes to give us the full effect. It's a lovely sound that reverberates all around you.

Baptistery view from the 2nd floor

Also an attraction in itself is the sheer amount of tourists taking that classic picture of holding up the leaning tower. They look really funny holding their hands up in the air. Some are even more daring and hold up the tower with their feet. *Gasp*

That's the hit and run of Pisa. In by 10 and out by 2. Not without a pizza (in Pisa) though and some (more) gelato!

For a good rest: the Santa Croce

To the eastern part of the city of Florence there's a Franciscan church that stands out for an interesting characteristic. It is a church that became popular as a final resting place for many Florentines.

The entire church is intentionally unimpressive, as opposed to other much more grandiose churches at the time. The idea is again a Franciscan theme of humility and poverty. Over the years though, the public people of Florence would constantly provide donations to the church. Despite being quite large and still well decorated, it still portrays a simple image.

Inside the church complex, there tombs and sepulchers all over the place. Many are even on the floor of the main church. This is a practice that goes with the Franciscan ideal of humility. It serves to remind the living that we are dust that may be trampled upon, and invites one to meditate on death and life beyond it.

Though originally it was the common public who first chose this place to be buried, eventually more illustrious members of Florentine society would choose this as their burial site.

Galileo, who wasn't on good terms with the pope at the time, has a sepulcher here. The Franciscans secretly took his body after he died and buried it in the sacristy of the Santa Croce. They felt that everyone deserved a Christian burial. Eventually Galileo was vindicated, and now his body rests in the main church under a grand monument.

Galileo's tomb with his bust

Directly across Galileo is the tomb of Michelangelo. Despite the artist's wishes to have his body remain in Rome, the Medicis, Michelangelo's primary patron and most powerful family in Florence, brought his body back to Florence.

Michelangelo's tomb

Also buried here is Niccolo Machiavelli, who is famous for his book "The Prince". Finally, there is a monument to Dante. Despite many attempts by the Florence municipality to get his body, all their attempts have been denied.

Machiavelli's tomb

Inside the church museum, they have the famous Cimabue cross. Originally in the main church facing the congregation, it was eventually removed for preservation and replaced with a copy. It's notable because it's the first time that Christ on the cross is depicted suffering as opposed to triumphant. It's a lesson that the Franciscans wanted to impart on the public. Jesus, though God, is still a man like all of us. Thus He knows very well all our needs and weaknesses.

The Cimabue cross, in need of much restoration still

The amount of restoration work here is quite painstaking. In the 17th century, there was a great flood that reached the height of 7 feet. This obviously damaged the art in the area significantly. Over the years, slow meticulous work has been done to preserve the works and restore them to a state that can be enjoyed today.

BONUS: The robe worn by St. Francis of Assisi

The City Museum

Ahh... Venice. Despite the steady drizzle, there is something about Venice. I could not help but feel a bit giddy as I rode the waterbus out of the bus station and into the heart of the Grand Canal. The fact that the whole city is amidst a lagoon is common knowledge, but being there in person certainly makes one marvel at the entire city.

A view of St. Mark's Square

The oh-so-famous gondola

The theme for this city for me is without a doubt water. Obviously there are the canals and small rios. Aside from that, it rained for the entire time that I was here. So not only was there water beneath my feet but also above my head. I didn't let it dampen my spirits though as I made my way around the city.

After hitting up St. Mark's Square, the basilica and Doge's Palace, I decided to take a break from all the museums and exhibits. Instead, I treated the entire city of Venice as a museum. I threw my map away, and started walking. I ended up in all sorts of places, and I probably couldn't find them again if you asked me to. The entire city is like a large labyrinth. I completely lost count of the times that I would walk around until I wound up facing a wall. Or ever worse, walking about on a path that leads up to a waterway.

Squeezing my way through

My walk would lead me through all sorts of alleys, some just wide enough for one person to pass through. Often, you feel like there's no way a certain alley could lead anywhere. Then all of a sudden a church will spring out of the next corner or suddenly you're in an open space with a theater.

Then of course there are the waterways. Only gondolas and private boats could enter the narrower ones, but I was able to take a waterbus the length of the grand canal. It was simply amazing. I find it both impressive and amusing that the most beautiful facades of the city are facing the water. Wide open to the elements, they still display Venetian affluence and vanity. To think that some are only a shadow of their former elegance simply increases my amazement.

Now how do I get there??

I can't imagine being a citizen of Venice. Not only is it so confusing to navigate these streets, but I would perpetually have to play host to all these tourists! At least in other cities, you could tell who were locals. Here in Venice it seems everyone's a member of some tour, or simply another traveller as revealed by their cameras around their necks.

Certainly a great place to be a tourist though.

Cimitero Monumentale

Just a quick aside on a neat yet eerie destination. In Milan, there's a large cemetery at the northwestern part of the city. Getting there is a bit humorous. Once I got off the nearby train station, I noticed that a lot of people were speaking Chinese! It seems I had stumbled across the Chinese part of town. Walking there I could see Chinese stores selling all sorts of goods. It was fun to see all these people. It pretty much emphasized the fact too that Milan has a strong international community.

Here's the cemetery!

Heading into the cemetery was chilling. For a while, I was quite alone in the whole place. Aside from the gatekeeper, I was by myself beside towering monuments to the dead. Creepiness aside, these monuments are quite impressive. From little busts of passed loved ones to life size statues.

This towers in the middle of the cemetery

It's a full range too, from religious statues of angels and the risen Christ, up to the most mundane of workers digging. There are statues of weeping men and women, some of youth in jovial poses. Some monuments are even quite modern. It truly depends on the fancy of the family.

All sorts of statues to see

I wonder what his story is...

Out here and exposed to all the elements, they cannot be well kept at all. Nonetheless, it's still a grand expression of their love for their departed.

Padua and St. Anthony

Arriving in Padua feels like cutting a trip short. It's literally half an hour out of Venice, so most people don't even spend the night. They just treat Padua as a day trip. In fact, it may be better suited for one.

That didn't mean the hostel was empty though. Saturday night was a full house. I met a half Italian, half Canadian man who encouraged me to check out two additional places near Florence: Lucca and San Gigignano. If I have time, I may just do this.

Going back to Padua though, taking the tram into the city is a bit weird. There a lot of people gathered up in certain areas. There's the main square, the park and the basilica. Aside from these areas though, Padua seems like a very quiet place.

Padua is far from insignificant though. It's most famous of course for its saint who bears its name: St. Anthony of Padua. St. Anthony wasn't born in Padua, but in Lisbon. Padua is the city Anthony associated himself with though, and thus he is buried there. His basilica is a popular pilgrimage site because not only is his body buried there, but in the room with his relics, his uncorrupted tongue is in a reliquary!

The basilica of St. Anthony

The square of the saint

Padua was historically a place of learning, since it has one of the oldest universities in Italy. In fact Galileo Galilei himself taught here for a decade or so! I passed by the street where his house used to be. Unfortunately, the university was closed while I was there, since it was the weekend. I didn't get to see the room he taught in.

The street where Galileo once lived

Padua is also home to the world's oldest botanical garden. It's a world heritage site for being the first of its kind. It pales in comparison to botanical gardens of today, but back then it was the birth of studies like botany and pharmacy. It also supplemented the study of chemistry very much.

The Venus fly trap!

Just one fun gem in the city is a Foucault pendulum. It's a amazing simple device that was used historically to prove that the earth rotates on its own axis, as opposed to the sun revolving around the earth. It's here because Galileo proposed this but was not able to scientifically prove this. Foucault did eventually, and so a pendulum sits here.

The Foucault pendulum. 20 meter metal wire and 16kg iron ball

Montserrat

Deep in the heart of the Montserrat mountains, there is a church perched near the summit. I was very much looking forward to this trip. It would be like a mini pilgrimage for me. My cousin Maya and I would take a train an hour out Barcelona, then finally a cable car to the area.

One of the minor chapels

The basilica of Montserrat is dedicated to statue of the black virgin. The story surrounding the entire place is quite mythical. Supposedly, the statue was carved by St. Luke the evangelist. As they were transporting the statue, passing by Montserrat, the statue suddenly became too heavy to lift. Thus it was said that the virgin chose the spot to rest.

Upon arriving there and getting off the cable car, I was stunned. There were so many people! Tourists of all sorts, children on school trips. It surprised me to find that this is actually a popular destination as opposed to the hermitage I expected it to be.

A view from the cable car station

All the people aside though, it is a nice area. To get around, one can walk on many of trails on the mountain. If walking's not your style, there are little trams that go up and down to certain points.

One of the best things we saw there was a stations of the rosary. Yeah, not cross, rosary. On one of the mountain trails, there are fifteen statues or sculptures that depict the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries. This all ends in a small chapel called Santa Cova. This cave converted to a chapel is the original site of the virgin statue.

The agony in the garden

The longest trail of Montserrat (which we didn't do) is two hour hike up the heart of the mountain. This leads all the way up to what used to be the secluded houses for monks, or anyone who is interested in doing some meditation. It's a good 1000 meters above sea level.

When we went up partially, the weather was chilly and there was a mist all about. You couldn't see 10 meters past your place. All this gave off the feel of a poorly written horror film. Two young people going for a hike on a misty mountain. Kulang na lang we split up. Still I can imagine this place as being a good place to get seclusion from the city far below, and even the rest of the monks down at the basilica.

Not a mistake, this is a picture of the mist

Then of course there's the basilica itself. One of my highlights was seeing the statue of St. Ignatius. The story is that St. Ignatius, upon his conversion, went to Montserrat and offered his sword to the virgin, giving up the life of a soldier for spiritual warfare. It was also nearby that he wrote his spiritual exercises.

Here he is Ateneans (and Xaverians)