Soccer or calcio is the sport of choice in Italy, however rugby is also commonly played by Italian men. One does not typically associate rugby with Italy but a good number of Italians seem to enjoy playing it just as much as they like playing soccer. Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a rugby match in Citta di Castello with Molly and Patsy. We were invited to attend by one of John Rose’s English friends also named John; he was the head coach of the men’s senior team. When he invited us to come watch the senior team, I imagined a bunch of older men running around the field; I didn’t realize that “senior” meant the older guys in their 20s. The match took place in the outskirts of Citta dI Castello, in a field that had been turned into a “pitch” for rugby. The grounds were muddy which according to John, makes the game more fun. We met a few of the players and the captain of the team, who was a very large line-backer looking guy, with lots of muscle and an air of authority about him. Upon arriving, we were greeted by several young boys who did not leave our side until the end of the match. Before the match, we were asked to take a picture with the entire team for good luck! It was a great souvenir to bring back from my very first rugby match! The actual match was very interesting to watch. I had never watched a rugby match and I knew nothing about the rules. I quickly learned that rugby is one of the manliest sports in existence. The sport combines mud, sweat, dirt, muscle, tackling, blood, rough physical contact, fighting for the ball, charging, and proof of one’s manhood by playing with no pads. Unlike American football, one half in rugby last for a full 40 minutes with little to no time-outs. The players play hard for the full length of the half. The match ended with a victory for Citta di Castello!
This past travel break, Patsy and I decided to go to Roma! We bought a train ticket, booked a hotel and went with no plans! We found out that this was not a good idea when we arrived in the Roma Termini with no idea where our hotel was and no idea of the location of the tourist office! We eventually found our hostel after walking out of the way to get to it, only to find out that it was right down the street from the Termini. Our hotel room was a very nice two person room that ended up being very good for what we paid for it. After settling into our hotel, we decided to go see the Spanish Steps and the Piazza Spagna. I had seen this piazza during the day, but at night it really came to life. The street lights lit the lane filled with lovers and culture seekers. Contrasting with the elegant display in the Gucci window across the street, we were a stereotypical pair of American “tourists.” We had McDonalds in one hand and a maps in the other, and bewildered confused grins on our faces trying to hide the fact that we had no idea what we wanted to do. Though, we had a lot of fun walking up and down the streets near the Piazza Spagna, examining all of the designer store windows. The Trevi Fountain, much like the Spanish Steps, looked completely different at night from the day. There were still tons of people crowded around it as always, but it was more beautiful at night with the lights making the water sparkle. We sat by the fountain for a good solid hour and watched the people who were around the fountain. There were many nationalities present at the fountain. I thought about how many people had stood by this fountain since it was built in 1762. I watched as every person threw a coin into the fountain over their left shoulder in hopes of returning to Roma one day. My guide book said that about 3,000 Euros are thrown into the fountain every day. We ended our first night in Rome eating at a trattoria on a back street close to our hotel. It was very traditional and there were not many tourists in there at all.
The next morning we got up and went to The Colosseum, the standing symbol of Imperial Rome. Even through the pouring rain and flooding, it stood majestically through it all. One of my favorite movies is Gladiator, the tale of a general who was forced to become a slave but won the heart of the Roman people. The Colosseum was reconstructed digitally in this film, and according to historians a viewer can get a good look at what the Colosseum would have looked like back in ancient times. I was never able to get so close (as I did this past weekend) to the hypogeum or underground tunnels that housed the animals and slaves while it was being used. The underground passages have been a lot more excavated than they used to be. Watching the movie Gladiator sparked my interest in the games and uses of the Colosseum. The Colosseum was the source of entertainment for people in ancient times. They did not have movies and TV so historical accounts and “battles” were reacted for the people, even if that meant a person or an animal was brutally murdered. The most popular forms of entertainment involved an “animal hunt” in which a wild beast was chased around the arena and killed. Many exotic animals were imported from Africa, Asia, and other locations to be used for the cruel games. Gladiators and slaves would fight each and animals often to the point of death. Also mass capital punishments were performed in the Colosseum for the public to see. Even through the rain, I was in awe of such a massive building that had withstood the test of time. The rain started to pick up and eventually the Colosseum walkways began to flood and we had no umbrella. Patsy and I were forced to buy tourist umbrellas so that we could leave the Colosseum without getting drenched. The streets of Rome were flooded and water poured into our boots; we were freezing and drenched from the lovely weather of Rome! All we could do was laugh because we had been told that Rome was supposed to be sunny and warm.
We continued our duck weather day in the Vatican. I had seen the Vatican before, but I had never seen all of it. Patsy and I decided that life in the Vatican is a secret because we saw a few monks and nuns, but we never saw them doing anything but walking somewhere mysteriously. The other secret about the Vatican is why the Pope is never present. There were many tourists in the whole of the Vatican, some on a pilgrimage to the center of faith, and some wanting to catch a glimpse of this historic powerhouse. The Vatican museums are an impressive collection, the result of many years of collecting done by the various popes. One thing that I thought was interesting was the extensive Egyptian collection in the Vatican. We walked through all the museums. My two favorite sights were the Sistine Chapel (of course) and the Rafael fresce including The School of Athens. I sat and observed the two paintings in particular, using my analyzing skills learned in art history. We decided that we need the Bankers to come with us everywhere and be our personal tour guides. We went to St. Peter’s Basilica on the last night. There were not many people there, and the atmosphere was very eerie. The last time I enter the Basilica, there were thousands of people, but this time there were only about 40. I could feel God’s presence in this cathedral even though I am not Catholic, but Protestant. I really enjoyed taking in the splendor of the elaborate details that had been constructed in the church since it was first built. I finally understood why the Catholic Church had such elaborate churches, because they wanted to make God’s house worthy of his presence there. Even though in the bible it says that the church is the body not the building, back then it was a cultural thing for the Catholic Church.
We did lots of tacky tourist shopping in Roma! There were plenty of tourist traps everywhere to keep us entertained and out of the rain! There are certainly no shortages of peddlers trying to selling you something, putting things in your face and constantly hassling people. I think I was asked by 50 men if I wanted to buy an umbrella! My broken record response for everything was “no grazie!” Most of weekend consisted of aimless wandering around in the Eternal City. No plans equaled a nonexistent schedule which was nice, but we didn’t get to see as much as we would have preferred. We had dinner on the last night in the piazza beside the Pantheon. The Pantheon itself was closed for renovation, but we still got to enjoy the view of half of it from the piazza. There were guitar players and musicians all around. We decided to eat dinner in a café in the Piazza. The fountain spouting and the candle light made the evening charming, a great way to end an interesting weekend in Roma.
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