When in Rome...

Buongiorno!

Dom and Matt giving their best Italian pose

We have arrived in Roma after 22 hours in flight, and 7 in transit. Baron survived his long solo flight, meeting us all in Dubai. Security was tight, but not as much as Dom expected.... he decided to make a scene by lying down in the middle of immigration after a garbled inquiry from a South African security guard!It all ended without further drama. Dom assures it was all the guard's fault... 

After an otherwise uneventful flight, we arrived in the Eternal City at four in the afternoon and without rest - we went straight 'videre Petrum' to see Peter (the Holy Father). Now despite he actually being out of town at Castelgandolfo, it was certainly worthwhile to see the centre of Christianity, St Peter's Piazza and Basilica. It is so much more beautiful than it is in photos and thankfully not crowded due to the lack of local Romans (Summer Holidays).

Vince and Dom praying on the Scala Sancta

We saw the Basilicas of St Mary Major and St John Lateran this morning, and did the Scala Sancta - the Holy Stairs (you go up on your knees on the staircase that tradition says was walked upon by Our Lord during his passion).

In front of the Coliseum

We've just seen the ruins of the Roman Forum and the Coliseum. Everything is so historical and ancient, even the public drinking fountains are ancient springs running under Rome.We've just come out of a beautiful church - St Peter in Chains, where we prayed the rosary and saw the famous statue of Michaelangelo's Moses. There's a copy of it in a park in Auckland.

Outside the chuch of Santa Croce
en Gerusalemme, where the true
relics of Our Lord's cross are kept

It's almost the end of day two, and we've already seen so many churches and ancient Roman mosaics that we are starting to do as the Romans do and take them for granted. There's plenty more to see, as Rome wasn't built in a day...(sorry, that's the last time we're saying that - editor's note)
The heat is barely tolerable at 28 degrees, definitely beats 11 in Auckland...


Spending tomorrow touring the Vatican, including the Sistine Chapel, the dome of St Peter's and the Scavi tour - underneath the Basilica to see where St Peter is buried.We'll be praying at the tomb of Blessed John Paul II and will keep all of our readers and followers in our prayers. Please pray for us too as we travel around and visit these amazing sites of early Christianity.
Ciao!!!