There is so much to Rome!

Hello Family and Friends,

     We continue in our exposure to our Roma service and great learning. We have had the opportunity to serve with wonderful people and one couple, Matt and Christine Geddes, have just left to return to their home in Rexburg, Idaho. But they left us with so much "greater knowledge about the symbolism that is here in Rome and in the Temple." Matt is an artist and sees such symbolism  with an artistic eye much quicker than many of us ever will!

The symbolism found in and around Rome has been so beautifully incorporated into the glass, the walls, the floors and furnishings in the Temple--when you have it pointed out to you--wow is it ever exciting.  I'll share just a few of these symbols as they were "taught" to me. 

The rug at the entrance to the Temple with the campidoglio on it.

 

CAMPIDOGLIO (CAMP-E-DO-LEE-O):

This represents the Center of the universe--done by Michelangelo. It means umbilicus and can be found in the center of Rome on Capitoline Hill

There are several campidoglio throughout the Temple, in marble on the floor in the Entrata (entrance beyond the Recommend Desk). in the Baptistry and in rugs at the entrance and in the Baptistry waiting area.

OLIVE BRANCH: Rama d'Olivio

It means Pace (peace) and Vittoria (victory)

 This can be found around the edges of the rugs, and in the stained glass throughout the Temple. 

ACANTHUS: Acanto Leaves

Represents Vita Eterna (Eternal Life)

The plant can be seen all over Rome and all over Roman and Greek columns. 

In the Temple, you find these "leaves" everywhere--on the rugs, on the Baptismal Font, around the doors, hinges, handles, everywhere.

So , with our better understanding of what the campidoglio represents, Ron and I ventured out (on our own) to find the Piazza del Campidoglio that Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Paul III in1536 to complete the overall arrangement of the square on the occasion of the visit to Rome of the Spanish Emperor Charles V

The best picture of the campidoglio is this sketch. For today you have to get really high to get the whole picture of its beauty.

The Piazza has these huge begonia planters around several of the edges--they are real!!

But one of the first things we set out to find was Gianicolo Hill Fountain-

• Colle de Gianicolo: This hill is located next to the neighbourhood of Trastevere and if you have the time and energy, the tough hike up the hill is worth the effort for the great view of Rome you will have.

We then made our way down the hill on a winding cobblestone street that leads to the neighborhood of Trastevere .It is located on the opposite bank of the river Tiber, south of the Vatican, and is very picturesque.  The name Trastevere is from Latin, trans Tiberium; ‘beyond the Tiber’. This old working-class neighbourhood with its narrow alleyways and medieval houses is a particularly lively affair at night – thanks to the many tourists – with lots of restaurants, trattorias and pizzerias.

As far back as the days of emperor Augustus, Trastevere has been one of the city's 14 districts, and it was also walled. Several important Romans built villas in this neighbourhood, including Julius Caesar. The charming ambience of the neighbourhood with its maze of many narrow and winding streets comes from medieval times.

We had one of our best "Pinse" here for lunch.(A Pinse is a modern interpretation of an ancient flatbread recipe--Romans who bake pinse claim it's the ORIGINAL pizza.They are an oblong flatbread pizza with the toppings arranged in sections.)  The flavor combinations are unimaginable--but always (well except for those with anchovies) turn out delicious. 

It has been raining a lot these past few weeks and we were quite dismayed at how muddy the Tiber River is as it winds its way through Rome.  It is quite swift in some places, and so the churning of the waves of the river can best be described as "milk chocolate rolling down a candy fountain." (Yeah--tell that one to those early inhabitants of the Jewish Ghetto who endured this muddiness each winter as the Tiber almost always overflowed its banks.) There are several bridges that cross the Tiber at several points throughout the city.Some of those bridges have great character. I think it is so very interesting that this great city actually has a river flowing right through its "heart".

As we came back over from Trastevere--we found ourselves near the Roman Forum and excavated ruins of the city that help you see how the Romans lived.

We saw this in an "Information center" that we paid 1 Euro each to use the bathroom. Any guesses as to what this is? 

A Cell Phone charging station!!

We were quite pleased with how well we navigated the public transportation--from Bus by our apt building, to the Metro Station to Central Rome, to another bus to get us close to the "hike up to the top of Rome--and then to be able to make our way back to the Metro (on foot) and get on a train to take us all the way back to our first Metro stop and then to find the Bus that would take us "home". We checked our "steps app" and found we were close to 13,000 steps on this trip. Not bad for a couple of 70+ Seniors!!  Fun Day!! More to come.

With our Love and Gratitude for blessings unmeasured. We love this Gospel! 

Anziano and Sorella Mumford. Hurrah for Israel!  Hurrah!!