"Rome..for Christmas" a Rome Travel Page by mapakettle

A life long dream for my wife has been to visit the Vatican, and to vist during Christmas was a step beyond what she ever believed we would do.

Well, dreams do come true, because we were there. We attended Christmas Mass, as well as the Pope's greeting on Christmas day, and were as close as any visitor could get to Pope John Paul. What a wonderous feeling, the aura this man gives off, unbelievable. We were positioned immediately behind some school girls from Spain, who chanted over and over, "we love you father", and sang snippets of school songs. The feeling of love, of belief, of belonging filled every square foot of space within the wall of St. Peters Square. (Piazza S. Pietro)

The police did a wonderful job of handling the huge crowds, and did so with patience and kindness. For every question my wife asked, this one particular lady police (woman) gave long and detailed explanations, answering questions I'm sure have been asked countless times before. I have great respect for the Rome police force.

A hint for those who wish to see the Pope give his greeting, attend the mass Christmas morning, and be one of the first people out of the church after Mass is over. We did and were, and ended up only yards from where the Pope gave his address.

We visited the usual sights, but bewarned, not every site is open over Christmas, and those that are have reduced hours. I will outline what I recall on the 'tips pages'.

If you plan on visiting the Colosseum, be sure you use the washroom prior to your visit. They have porta-pottys, and you line up for their use. Just a word to the needy.

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Pope's Blessing Dec.25/2003

Rome is a city for walking. Maria and I walked from one end of the city, to the other, with great confidence and sense of safety. The only flaws were the 'businessmen' selling their wares outside of every major attraction. They lined bridges, and obscured wonderful photo ops, but, to be fair, they have to make a living too. We saw the police perform a 'sweep' of one area outside the Colisseum, but they just grabbed the four corners of the blanket their goods were displayed on, and hefted the whole thing onto their shoulders and strolled down the street. I imagine this is a part of their daily routine, and they accepted it with grace and good natured banter. After the police moved on, they set up shop and started again. Beware however, the handbags are not the quality that you will find in regular stores, but then you aren't paying the same price either.

The one sight that I particularly wanted to visit was the Trevi Fountain. I have seen this view in countless movies, and wanted to see it in person. Well, been there, done that. The most interesting thing I saw was this lady with a long pole with a magnet attached to the end of it, systematically probing the water and collecting the coins that people were tossing into the fountain 'to promote their return'. I assumed this person was employed by the city of Rome, but no, once again, an enterprising sort. Apparently the money in the fountain was originally meant to be directed towards the 'poor', but somewhere along the way, monies were misdirected, and ended up in politicians personal bank accounts. This info came directly from a Dutch Tour Guide who gave us many other tidbits as well. Take it for what it is. I like to believe that the lady with the pole was doing her civic duty, and cleaning up the debris in the fountain.

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Santa Susanna...I found it very peaceful

I can't say I fell in love with Rome as many others have. I found it to be overwhelming, too much to see, way too much traffic, and very noisy.

I didn't feel the 'vibe' as it were, I didn't feel the soul of the city, and nothing really jumped out at me that I would run and tell others about.

To be fair, we were there at a bad time, Christmas holidays , it was cold and windy, and I had the flu to boot. Not the best person to be relating their holiday travels. However, that said, I loved our visit to Santa Susanna, the home of the American Catholic Church in Rome. I felt so at home, so at peace within these four walls. Just something about this church gives comfort. I am not American, nor Catholic !! Well worth a visit.

We are already making plans to return to Rome. I have to find what I missed, and Rome certainly deserves a revision of what I have already written.

The people were great, shopkeepers and waiters attentive, and hotel clerks outstanding. Rather short staffed at certain sights, but I blame that on the season.

Rome, we're coming back, and we expect to throw our coins into the Trevi Fountain as well. Lady with the stick, adjust your magnet.