Tuscan Love

Ciao Friends! 

Welcome to Tuscany! This past weekend was absolutely beautiful! Every single moment had me in awe. Get ready for plenty of pictures! :)

It was about a 2 hour bus ride to Arezzo from Rome, and once there, we walked around, had a lunch break, so we went to a really cute family restaurant- We shared an appetizer, in which some of it was some sort of animal ( maybe cow) liver. I am glad that I didn't know what it was until we had left the restaurant ( I probably wouldn't have eaten it if I had known)...although, I do have to admit it wasn't half bad.  My main dish was pasta with wild Boar. This was delicious! My goal for when I go outside of Rome is that when I go to a restaurant, I will ask what their favorite/popular dish is, and I will get that. So that is what I did for the weekend, and I was very pleased to find that I loved each thing I ate. Not surprised, as I am in Italy! :)

Below are some pictures of our Friday afternoon in Arezzo. We came across a park that was nothing less that beautiful, climbed a fallen tree and almost fell off and sat on a wall that was about 100 feet from the ground (I clearly like to live dangerously..see pics)- Fall has officially arrived here! I was so happy to walk through the leaves crunching under my feet with the crisp air and breathtaking views of Tuscany. 

After this escapade, we walked into the Piazza called Piazza Grande, which is way more awesome than it looks because of the fact a very famous scene from the movie "La Vita e Bella" was filmed right here! This movie is one of my favorites..it is sad, but great! So cool to be there!

Day 2: Saturday in Siena (my favorite place so far)

The day pretty much consisted of climbing MANY hills and steps, enjoying some amazing food ( and burning off that food within 30 minutes by climbing more hills), going to St. Catherine of Siena's house (she is a Doctor of the Church, and now one of my favorite saints), and enjoying the gorgeous views.

                                                              St. Catherine's house

Later that night, we went wine tasting at a castle named Castel del Trebbio. Now, this was fun! I learned so much about wines, cheeses olive oil, enjoyed some really good food (I know I say that about everything, but it is true!), and last but not least, enjoyed the views overlooking the vineyards!

 The tour guide was super funny! He was cracking joke after joke and making fun of our American "wrong" ways of drinking and enjoying wine and food. He made the experience so much better.

Sunday: Pienza 

We were staying at a hotel in Cortona, also where some of the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun" was filmed and where the book was written. The view from our hotel was spectacular! I woke up and watched the sunrise, which was very peaceful. Then we made our way to Pienza for a few hours and then back home to Roma. I'll let the pics speak for themselves. 

This week will be a busy one, but nonetheless blessed. On Saturday, we are off to ASSISI!!!! I AM SO EXCITED! I have been waiting to go here for about 5 years! If you would like me to pray for any special intentions, you can contact me :)

Peace and Blessings!

Week 6 Adventures

Ciao Friends! 

So.... I was sitting on the Metro this morning coming back from class and it dawned on me that I haven't posted here since Sunday! This week has been pretty busy and time has flown by! Sorry about that!

It has been a good week, only getting better and better as the days pass by. Monday, we ended class a little bit early, so I decided to go enjoy the city for the afternoon. I walked alongside the Tiber River and just wandered about. I didn't have a set destination, so I just enjoyed the scenery as I went. It ended up being a 4 hour walk....but as always, totally worth it, as I came across a gorgeous view of Rome!

The first, is overlooking the Roman Forum, the Colosseum and many other ancient buildings. The second one is overlooking the many domes of churches, including St. Peter's in the distance (in the center of the photo). So peaceful and absolutely gorgeous...exactly the break I needed! The third photo is of stairs, MANY stairs. I climbed these to the top- This was quite the challenge.. and not very smart to do as I was getting over a cold at the time....lesson learned. But totally worth the view at the top, as that is where the first 2 pics came from.

On my walk home, I made a friend with a cat-I named him Tiger... (reminds me of when I was heading up to my grandmothers house when I was about 7yrs old and I stopped to play with the neighbors cats and worried my parents and grandmother half to death because they didn't know where I was.... Jeannie, I thought of you and laughed a little but at the memory... although I know you weren't laughing at the time!)

Tuesday wasn't too special of a day...just the normal routine of classes and hanging out. On the way back from Italian class, I captured this gem of a photo at 6pm. Perfect way to end the day. Heaven knows I love sunsets...

Wednesday was an AWESOME day, for many reasons! Class wasn't the awesome part... it was what happened after that was awesome. The Seminarians from the NAC came over to our school and brought homemade, AMERICAN chocolate chip cookies for us. Since they are the North American College, they have access to American food brought over to them by friends. So they share their treats with us. They will be coming to us every Wednesday for a study break and just hanging out with them. Best ever. After we enjoyed the cookies, a few of them had set up a basketball match between the 4 Seminarians and what was supposed to be 3 girls. Everyone heard about it, so it ended up being that 90% of out group went, and it turned into a full blown basketball game. This was so much fun to watch. The Seminarian won. I will be playing next week.  :) 

On the way home from that, yet another beautiful sunset was in order, there was music playing- my heart was overwhelmed with the beauty. We all kept saying, "guys, we are in Rome..this is our life right now..I love it!!" about 1 hr later, the Seminarians came back over to our school and we had a Bible Study with them. So this 7 hour hang out time with the Seminarians will be happening every Wednesday for the rest of the semester. Love it! They are the best. :)

 Today, we had a class visit to Santa Maria in Trastevere, as well as St. Benedict's. The picture of me is at St. Benedict's -it is said to be the house and chapel that he lived in when he was in Rome. So beautiful. It was an early morning, so if I look a little tired in this to you, that would be why! :)

Best part: Tomorrow morning, we will be heading to Tuscany with CUA/Loyola for the weekend!! So excited for this! While in the area, we will go to Siena, Pienza and Arezzo. We will also be wine tasting! Should be a great weekend! So with that said, I have to get going to Italian class and then pack up for the weekend! You will hear from me again on Sunday, hopefully with many amazing stories and pictures! Stay tuned! :)

Peace and Blessings!


Anne  

Pope Francis: Take 2

Ciao friends!!

Some of you told me you couldn't wait until my next post, and I am happy to hear that as this one is gonna be a really awesome read! Yet again, unexpected blessings came upon me this weekend and I am left joyfully speechless.

Thursday night dinner with the RA's was delicious. We had Risotto and Zucchini, which to my surprise I really enjoyed! Within a few minutes of finishing dinner, I was feeling really tired, as I had taken some cold medication that was meant to put me out for the night. Yeah, it sure did it's job, as I passed out within 10 minutes of getting back to my room at 10pm and woke up at 9:30am the next morning. Clearly I needed the rest!

Friday was a great day as well, as I saw a friend I haven't seen since high-school graduation. She is studying in France, and she came to Rome for 2 days- so we met up, had lunch and enjoyed catching up. She had not been in Vatican City yet, so we went to the Vatican Museums, which I had yet to see, and at the end got to walk through the Sistine Chapel. This was absolutely gorgeous-I can't describe my experience, I am left speechless. I took the liberty of giving her a quick tour of St. Peter's. Ah, seeing her face was priceless when she walked in for the first time! I walked her back to the Metro and that was the end of a great day with a great friend of almost 10 years.

Saturday was a day of complete rest. I slept a lot and took it easy, as I am getting over this cold and now am feeling a lot better, thank God! :)

Here is the awesome part: I went to another Papal Mass this morning! This one was for the opening of the Synod of Bishops for Marriage and Family that will take place throughout October. I happened to be in the same class as a friend who had gotten tickets and she said she had gotten 1 extra because she felt someone would want it. So she gave it to me! This picture pretty much sums up the experience! I was within 5 feet of Pope Francis!! Wow, I saw Pope Francis twice in 1 week I received 4 blessings from him....I'm extremely blessed. You all were included in my prayers.

Also, I forgot to mention on Thursday that I met Cardinal Wuerl-Cardinal for the Arch-Diocese of Washington DC (where I go to college)... He loves everyone at CUA, so imagine his joy when he found out I was with CUA...it was a great moment! Even better, this morning as he was processing in for Mass, the line was backed up, so he happened to stop right in my line of sight- he looked over, saw me and looked away. 2 seconds go by and realizing he knew me, he looked back at me and gave a huge smile to me, as I did the same. It was a mutual non-verbal, "Hey, I know you...good to see you", moment! It just keeps getting better and better! (Cardinal Wuerl is the one directly in the middle of the photo)

This coming weekend, I am going to Tuscany with all of CUA/Loyola group. This is my second trip out of Rome. It is mandatory for class (not that that's a problem!)-  I've been dying to go there! We will be wine-tasting for one of our classes. Awesome! Can't wait!

Peace and Blessings! 

Anne 

American Joy!

Ciao!

Wow, what a great week it has been so far!
Despite coming down with the cold that I was bound to get (the whole floor has had it, so it was just a matter of when I would have the great pleasure...), this week has been blessed beyond measure, always leaving me smiling and joyful. No sickness can get in the way of having a great time in Roma!
We had a class visit to 2 churches planned on Wednesday morning, but we did not know how this was going to happen, as there was a "planned Metro/bus strike" supposed to happen! I know....you are probably wondering, "whats the point of a strike if it's planned?".... Yeah, we don't get it either. Weird! BUT! The good news is that it ended up not really happening, which was a relief, because we would have had to walk 1 hr back to campus from the churches... which I was not up for as I was feeling pretty crummy due to the sickness.
Later, I went to an optional talk from our Director of the CUA Rome Program on the importance and significance of the Synod of Bishops on Marriage and Family which will take place here in Rome from this Sunday through Oct. 19, the Beatification of Pope Paul VI. This is a very busy, but nonetheless blessed time here in Rome for the Church!
After this great talk, we went to Aperitivo, which in Rome, is the practically the equivalent of Happy Hour in the US, but all you can eat + drinks at around 6-9pm for a fixed price of 9 Euros, then dinner late in the evening. Now, that was fun! I did not get any alcohol, instead I had a classic Shirley Temple, which was nothing but delicious! :)

Now onto today, Thursday! The best day of the week! I was blessed to be able to attend a Diaconate Ordination this morning at St. Peter's Basilica of 43 men of God from the North American College (NAC).  Afterwards, we went up to the NAC for a reception, which was full of free amazing food, ICE WATER (no such thing as having ice in your drinks here... so when I saw it I was quite happy) and so many Seminarians that my head was spinning! It was great!! :)
The not so fun part of the day was that I had an Italian Midterm at 3:30...So I hung out with the awesome Seminarians who are taking care of us this semester for a good 2 hours. They are the kind of people make your day so much better by just being in their presence! :)

I took my Midterm and I think and really hope that I did well. As long as I pass, thats really all that matters. Now, the weather said it would be thunder-storming all day, but it has been nothing but beauty. Until of course, 5 minutes before out professor lets us out, that the clouds start looking bad... We get outside, thinking we would be fine, and NOPE! We got torrentially down-poured on.  We were already wet, so we thought, "why not just walk all the walk home"? Yeah, now this was an adventure! We walked through Piazza Navona, and it was raining like crazy, and everyone but us ran out of the rain. Now, what did us Americans who were brain dead from our Midterm, tired from a long week and already soaking wet, do? We kept walking in a line, with our umbrellas opened, and casually walked through the Piazza. We were having the best time, laughing and getting soaked, as our umbrellas decided not to do their job very well. We look over and there are about 30 people taking photos of us! I would pay to see this photo!! Too great! Now that's how you have a good time in a thunderstorm! :)
At this moment, my nose has also decided to stop doing its job, so I can barely breath through my nose. Oh I just LOVE being sick! Compared to what I have had over the course of my lifetime, this sickness is not too bad, but still sucks! :)
Time to have a home cooked, Italian FREE dinner with the RA's with a friend of mine. After this: BEDTIME! It's been quite the adventurous yet exhausting day!

Please pray for me!

Peace and Blessings!

2 Popes+Andrea Bocelli=Blessed!

Ciao!

I am so excited to tell you about this experience of a lifetime that I had! Get ready, you're in for an awesome read and tons of pics! :)

To keep it brief ( as I do not have much energy at the moment)- We (40,000 people) celebrated the Holy Mass with Pope Francis in honor of grandparents/elderly. ** Jeannie, I prayed for you, for continued good health and happiness!** 
I woke up at 4am, headed over to St. Peter's Square at 5am. I was the first one there! Slowly, people started trickling in...I met a nice American couple, so we stuck together, (as they have never been to St. Peter's and had no idea what t expect.. not that I fully did either...but I had a general idea) We waited for 2 hours, and watched the beautiful sunrise over St. Peter's







When the guards let us in, it was like letting a pen full of cattle run loose! We all started running to the front, and I made it to the 10th row from the front!! Perfect view of everything/everyone! 





















A special person showed up- Pope Emeritus Benedict! The two Popes' embrace was beautifully tear-jerking! Heard Andrea Bocelli sing live "Time to Say Goodbye" in Italian. By far, the best day of my journey in Roma. Thanks be to God for all these blessings!


 Then another holy man appeared... someone I have been dying to see! PAPA FRANCESCO!

A number of elderly people came up to share their stories to Pope Francis, which was beautiful. I was able to understand bits and pieces, which made me super happy! 

 I caught Andrea Bocelli meeting Pope Francis on the Jumbo-tron! Awesome moment!  Pope Francis got in his Popemobile, and sped through the crowd...Unfortunately, he didn't come in our aisle, but it was close enough for me. ( That doesn't mean I don't want to meet him..I certainly do, I just am content with just being able to be there...In time I will meet him hopefully)

Now, when Mass was concluded, everyone (including 2  obnoxious little kids) around me wanted to get my spot, in hopes that they would meet the Pope. There was a lot of shoving, (almost fell 3 times because of inconsiderate individuals...grrr)  glares, and general craziness. I was not letting go of my spot that I rightfully earned... Not a chance! And it ended up that Pope Francis didn't come to us... So it didn't get as crazy as it could have..(almost) thankfully. But it would have been AMAZING to meet Papa.

A chance of a lifetime was well spent, and I am so happy that I got this opportunity..I am forever thankful! :)


This week will be a quieter one, as we one of our classes that meets 2 times a week is only meeting on Friday... time to rest and get my energy level back up!

On Thursday, I will be attending a Deaconate Ordination in St. Peter's Basilica! Yet another chance of a lifetime opportunity (as it will be in the Eternal City....!)


Peace and Blessings!

Spontaneity never hurts!

Ciao Friends!!

I want to apologize for not posting in a few days, like I said I would... One thing came up after another, and by the time I was finished and back home, I was too tired to write about it all! Which is a good thing! It means I am enjoying my time and taking every opportunity to enjoy Roma! So I will break up my weekend in 2 posts. The first will be of Friday and Saturday, and the second will be of today, Sunday. Consider yourself as warned- might be a lot to read, but as always, I promise it is worth it! :)

To begin, what I was going to confirm for you was that I was going to have the opportunity to attend a Papal Mass with Andrea Bocelli singing at it. Well, this was confirmed on Friday morning, and I picked up my ticket from the Swiss Guards- which was an intimidating experience, but awesome at the same time. As I was walking up the stairs towards the Swiss Guard, he yelled something and I halted! I thought he was talking to me- I thought I had broken some sort of rule (don't know what that would be..trying to break into the Vatican?? haha...) So I slowly inched forward, and realized what he yelled was to his friend, telling him that I was there. I spoke some Italian and asked for a ticket, and there it was- I got a ticket! Here it is below! I will be framing it when I get home!

Since I had to wait in the long line, I thought I might as well go into the Basilica... So I did, and just took some time to reflect. One thing I reflected on was the Pieta. Michelangelo's work. Fun fact (not so fun for the Pieta): a few years ago, a man took a hammer to the Pieta, out of anger to the faith and it was in severe condition. Pieces went flying and tourists picked them up and never returned them, unfortunately. So they had to do major work on the Pieta- i believe they had to completely take off Mary's arm and reconstruct it. So now they obviously have glass protecting it and a guard.... People these days... so sad that they go to such a crazy extreme. 

Another fun fact (this one is actually really awesome for everyone involved unlike poor Pieta): The second picture is of Pope Paul VI grave, and he is being beatified here in Rome on Oct. 19th! I will be in Assisi and Venice that weekend, but this is pretty awesome! :)  

After this, I saw a line for going up to the Cupola (dome) of St. Peter's. It was 5 Euros to take the 551 stairs up to the top- so I took that challenge! I loved it... but it did make me pretty dizzy! Round and round we went! Part of the stair case was slanted (2nd picture)... so we were leaning against the wall trying to get up this hallway! The first picture is looking down on the people from the inside of the Cupola! So cool... if only I knew at that time what I was in for next...!

Got to the top...and outside... this is what I saw.... OH MY GOSH. I'M SPEECHLESS. 

 
The statues picture: the ones top of St. Peter's are about 20 feet tall.. give or take a few feet! They seem small until you get up right next to them! Wow.

So there is my spontaneous adventure of Friday!

Saturday, I went to Mass with the NAC Seminarians who are working with us students at the Basilica of St. Augustine at 7:45am, which was very nice, and then saw some of Michelangelo's Caravaggio's. They are exquisite. Then we got Cornetti after (croissants)- I got mine with chocolate in it- I should have known it would be Nutella- To Europeans, Nutella is their chocolate... Soooo good!!! :)

If I thought 7am was early to wake up, try 4am! To be continued...Up next: Papal Mass!

Peace and Blessings!

Blessings Ahead!

Ciao!

Happy Thursday! Tomorrow, I will have been in Rome for 1 month! Woah, time has flown by!

So, this week has been a great one! So much joy all around! I am waiting for it to be confirmed, but tomorrow I might be telling you something really awesome that I get to do on Sunday! So stay tuned... and say a prayer that it all works out! :)

Tuesday and Wednesday have been probably the best days of the week so far. Tuesday, it was class as usual, which was very interesting... I love the material we were learning. It is awesome to learn about major historical events that happened only a few miles away from you... So cool! After Italian class, a friend invited me to go to Mass with him, and this was not usual Mass for me. I went to my first Traditional Latin Mass!! And I have to say, I absolutely loved it! It was quite the experience, and I am glad that I went!
Directly after that, I came home and thinking I would be resting as I hadn't been home since 2pm, and it was now 8:30pm. My friends stopped me in my tracks and said, "let's go to dinner!"  My friend was meeting her friend from back home, so I have a new friend! This friend just so happens to be interning at the Vatican....So what I will hopefully be sharing with you tomorrow is happening all because of her....someone I have only known for about 3 hours at the time. After dinner, we walked in the city and had a great girls night out in Roma. Here are some pics:

 Piazza Navona fountain at night!

<---(Cali friends and fam: If you can see it, look above the waiters head (1st board on left.... Cali represent!!!)
















Wednesday was a long day, as I have 3 classes (starting next week, I will only have 2 classes on Wednesday!) We went on a class site visit to St. John Lateran Basilica. Loved it! Late last night at 11pm,  right before bed, I decided to call my beautiful grandmother in SD. She thought that I made her day.... well Jeannie, YOU made my day end so perfectly! I love you so very much!
Thunder and lightning last night was absolutely insane! There was one that felt like it was in my ear, and I screamed... as did half the girls on the floor! Ha! But nothing is as soothing as falling asleep to the sound of rain! :)

Stay tuned.... hopefully I will have some news to share tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed!

Peace and Blessings

Anne