Ferragosto - Summer Vacation

Italy’s biggest summer holiday –Ferragosto– is in full swing and that means up to two-thirds of all the country’s inhabitants are at the seaside, or in the mountains. Today’s Feast of the Assumption is the centrepiece of Ferragosto, but by last weekend some 16 million Italians had already jumped into their cars to create what is always the biggest traffic jam of the year. This is called l’esodo, or “the exodus”. The odd thing (at least for non-Italians) is that most people are fleeing from crowded towns and cities and heading to even more crowded holiday spots.

But Italians relish crowds. And traffic jams. And long queues and lengthy waits. That’s why all 60 million of them seem to end up at the same six or seven holiday destination spots. A deserted beach would be no fun at all for most Italians because it is more prestigious to be where everyone else is.

Quoted with permission: Robert Mickens' column "Letter from Rome"

in the 8/15/2009 edition of The Tablet, a London-based Catholic periodical.

In our neighborhood of Garbatella Ferragosto means

that the shops are closed and there is plenty of parking.

Even the playground is often empty during Fertagosto.

The only open doors now are to the church and the gelateria.

There is not even a place to get a cup of coffee!

Here is a sampling of the neighborhood signs announcing vacations.

Sanctuario Madonna del Divino Amore

In the 13th century shepherds venerated a fresco of the Virgin Mary that was on a tower of a castle belonging to the Savello-Orsini family outside the walls of Rome. (The site is about 15 minutes by car from our apartment.)

The story goes that in 1740 a pilgrim, on his way to Rome, was attacked by a pack of wild dogs. He was near the tower and he saw the fresco and called out to the Virgin for help. Immediately the dogs calmed down and retreated into the surrounding countryside.

Within five years this "miraculous" fresco had been removed from the tower and placed in a small church built nearby and became this became the shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love.

Above: The exterior of the 18th century shrine.

Below: The interior of the shrine church with the fresco on display.

Starting in January of 1944, with Rome in danger because of World War II, the image of the Virgin was taken to different churches in the city. On June 4th the fresco's last stop was in the Church of Sant' Ignazio. Hundreds of Romans gathered to pray for the liberation of their city, and the people made a vow to the Virgin to renew their lives, build a new shrine, and perform charitable works in honor of Our Lady of Divine Love.

One week later, Pope Pius XII led a journey outside of Rome to the holy image to express gratitude for saving the city. Within ten years, orphans were being cared for in a convent next to he shrine church. Mission centers were started in many parts of Italy and others were opened around the world, the most recent (2000 )in Nicaragua. The new shrine was eventually built and dedicated by Pope John Paul II in 1999.

This view of the new shrine also shows

the original church on the hill above.

The new sanctuary was designed by the

Franciscan priest Constantino Ruggeri from Pavia.

Cardinal Ugo Poletti, Vicar General of Rome from 1973 to 1991, said:

"Brother Constantino does not build with cement but with light!"

On the opposite side of the building from the altar, there is a separate room with this monumental tabernacle and exposed Sacrament for Eucharistic adoration.
This is a view of the grass covered roof of the new sanctuary, which blends in with the hills of the Roman countryside. On the left you can also see the location of the original tower with a copy of the fresco.

I found it interesting that the original fresco has remained in the small 18th century church building. The new sanctuary has a contemporary representation of the fresco so it is not drawing attention to the paint and plaster of the original fresco, but instead brings one into a space for reflecting on Divine Love!

Miracle Players in the Forum

I enjoyed The Miracle Players production of "The Life of Michelangelo" in the Roman Forum at the beginning of August. The audience, seated on travertine steps, was taken on a journey of this artist's life and works in a crazy street theater comedy presented in English. The group has been doing this for over ten years. Last year I saw "A History of Rome-Part 1." I look forward to attending next summer's offering.

Under the Tuscan Sun (and moon)

Under the Tuscan Sun

Last week we spent a few days in the region of Siena in Tuscany. As we were driving from place to place the scenery kept unfolding itself as if we were going through an art gallery, looking at one canvas after another of beautiful landscapes.

Under the Tuscan Moon

Our first nights were spent in a bed and breakfast in the Castel Spedaletto in the Val d'Orcia. It was built in the 12th century as a hospice for travellers and pilgrims along the Via Francigena, the road from Canterbury to Rome.
Our night in Siena was spent in Il Chiostro Del Carmine, a hotel that was restored from a 14th century Carmelite Monastery.

SPQR: Baths of Caracalla

SPQR on the top of a sidewalk billboard in front of the Baths of Caracalla, opened in 216 AD. In ancient Rome it accommodated 8,000 people a day. Today it is one of the largest and best preserved of the ancient thermal complexes and during the summer it is used for opera productions.

SPQR are the first letters of the words in the Latin phrase Senatus Populusque Romanus, "The Senate and the People of Rome." It originally referred to the government of the ancient Roman Republic, and used as an official signature of the government, appearing on coins, stone and metal inscriptions, and on the standards of the Roman legions. SPQR is the motto of the city of Rome and appears in the city's coat of arms, as well as on many of the city's civic buildings, public fountains, manhole covers and billboards.

Rome Had Snow in August!

The date was August 5th. The year was 358 AD.

Today I attended Solemn Pontifical Vespers in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to commemorate the feast of Our Lady of the Snows, standing between two rows of monolithic marble columns, surrounded by 5th century mosaics, under a gilded 15th century ceiling displaying the first gold brought back to Europe after Columbus' voyage and donated by Ferdinand and Isabella the the Spanish Pope Alessandro VI Borgia.

The Roman Catholic Liturgical Calendar assigns this day to the Dedication of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

Legend has it that Mary herself indicated in a dream to Pope Liberius (352-366) where her great church was to be built. She confirmed this by having snow fall on the site even though it was August.

Cardinal Bernard Law, former archbishop of Boston and now rector of this basilica, presided over the service. During the vespers I prayed for the victims of clergy sex abuse, especially those who suffered during the time Cardinal Law was archbishop of Boston.

The climax of the vesper service was a cascade of white rose petals from the ceiling during the singing of the Magnificat.

As I left the basilica workers were in the piazza below this column getting ready for an evening sound-and-light show that will include snow.

You can see some of the "trial snow" near the workers shoes.

Walking Sticks in the Abbey

One of the highlights of visiting the Benedictine Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore in Tuscany is experiencing the life of St. Benedict fresco cycle. The earliest paintings on the cloister walls are from Benedict's later life by Luca Signorelli. There are 27 panels by Giovanni Antonia Bazzi, called il Sodoma, and one painting of St. Benedict in Sicily by Bartolomeo Neroni, known as il Ricco, a pupil of il Sodoma.

Here are a couple "walking sticks"

to give you a peek at the frescoes.

From one of the frescoes of the life of Benedict(1505) by il Sodoma.

From a fresco of Benedict and companions

travelling to Monte Casino (1497) by Signorelli.

Around the corner from the cloister I found a hallway with some frescoes of the Desert Fathers (1440) attributed to Giovanni di Paolo.

This post is dedicated to Fr. John Baptist, CP,

a friend in Rome who is looking for a walking stick.