Howitzer

So I’m finally in Rome. The destination I was so excited about in the beginning is no longer so exciting now that I’m actually here. I think I’m a bit tired of being a tourist, and overwhelmed by all of the art I’ve seen on this trip. I’ve now seen art in Madrid, Paris (lots), Amsterdam, Florence (lots). Oh well. I’ll make the most of the last leg of my journey, because I know I’ll regret it later.

Rome is a pretty nice place. Compared to Florence, Rome is definitely more urban, more touristy. The entire city center is filled with ancient or religious buildings of historical value. In fact, there are over 900 churches in the city. I find myself spotting a church every five minutes. In America, you would call that being surrounded by rednecks. In Rome, it’s called being pious. I like the people in Rome however. They are very welcoming and good-hearted.

The food continues to be similar to Florence. The pasta plates are smaller and more expensive that I imagined, although at least I feel full after each meal. I think I’ve reached a point where I’m going to stop ordering secondo plates of meat. It’s all just grilled or roasted beef, pork, and veal anyways. I think I’ll focus the rest of my trip on trying different pastas. I really do like the pastas in Italy. My friend once described them as more than just a means to bring sauce to your mouth. I’d say that’s a pretty accurate description. Eating the pasta is more tasty than eating the sauce. There are so many different shapes of pasta, and each shape brings a different texture to your mouth.

Rome is filled with so many churches that I was originally really excited to visit it. I’m less enthusiastic now, but I did visit a church, Santa Croce in Jerusalem, which had numerous important holy relics. The most famous among them was the Title of the Cross, a wooden board which described Jesus’ crimes and who he was. Also present were two thorns from the Crown of Thorns, which Christ wore, a piece of the Holy Cross, a piece of Jesus’ Crib, the finger of St. Thomas, and one of the three nails used to crucify Christ. I wasn’t allowed to get as close as I wanted to inspect the relics, so I had to settle for squinting at them from afar.


I found it really curious as to why holy relics are so revered. I can understand the appeal of gazing at a holy relic in wonder, and using it to help you imagine all the legends that occurred. It seems however, that the Church is very protective of its relics, to the point of refusing identification and testing of the relics. I find it really hard to believe that so many relics have been preserved from 2000 years ago, especially pieces like the Holy Cross, or the Crown of Thorns. I am especially incredulous at the idea of discovering the Holy Cross buried in the middle of the desert, during a crusade. I think legend has it that someone received a vision from God, and then discovered it. So either God must be real….or the Holy Cross is fake. But perhaps the real value of the holy relics is to help you reflect on biblical events. I don’t know.

Rome also has many monuments built by the ancient Romans. Yesterday I saw the walls of Rome. Quite impressive that they were still standing and sturdy-looking after all these years, and all the sackings that Rome experienced. Some of the marble monuments show heavy signs of corrosion though. It’s sad to see the columns and buildings with large, dark pit marks, where the acid rain has eaten away at the soft marble. It makes me realize the transience of all the other pieces of art, culture, and history I’ve seen. Eventually everything I witnessed this trip will be devoured by time.