Fun Stuff

What's been good about our Rome trip is that we have had plenty of free time to go wherever the Wind blows. So on Tuesday, we went downtown.

Everywhere you turn around here, there is something old and cool to see. 

We knew this was going to be a big day, so we found us an American breakfast. Good stuff.

I've been wanting to find me a stovetop coffee pot. As we wandered around, we found a friend who hooked us up. 

This marketplace was cool. All the produce and nicknacks you could want.

Our big plan was to rent some bicycles and roam around Rome.

So we did. We were surprised to learn that the Colosseum wasn't built until the late first century AD. It was also not the place of a lot of early Christian martyrdom. That happened more at the location of Nero's Circus, which is the modern-day Vatican. Wild. 

Biking is a good way to get around this city. Have to be a bit brave, though. 

We'd find somewhere we'd like to see and then lock up our ponies. 

Here is a typical drinking fountain around town. This water is part of the Roman aqueduct system developed back in BC days, which plumbs water into the city from mountain lakes.

There's always a hole in the copper downspout. If you plug it, it gives you a place to drink from.

Refreshing. 

Eventually we ditched the bikes and returned to foot. There's many church supply shops around here. Barbiconi is a must stop for every priest. Here, we scored a monstrance for the parish. Good stuff! 

The Church of Santi Domenico had a great tribute to St. Frassati. Cool guy.

The Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minerva is where St. Catherine of Siena lays to rest for all to venerate. 

The original Calling of Matthew by Caravaggio is in the French church San Luigi dei Francesi.

This German church is one of Josh’s favorites. Good stuff. 

Here's the description. 

Then we met back up with Fr.  Patrick, who showed us around his workspace, the dicastery for the causes of saints. He showed us the archives and we gotta put our hands on the files for saints like John Vianney, Mother Teresa, John the 23rd, as well as saw the files for Acutis and Frassati. Cool stuff!

Nice view from their office space windows.

Later that evening, we met up with a friend of a friend who took us out to dinner at a pizzeria in old town.

This is classic Roman fine dinery. 

This pillar is an actual remnant of an old Roman theater. Wild.

Fr. Mario, a parish priest for the Diocese of Rome, and his sister, treated us to a great Italian meal. Super fun.

That’s ranchin’ Roman style. Great day taking in the culture. Magnitude like this is hard to comprehend. You just have to receive it. We’re thankful for this opportunity and we look forward to one more day of fun. Ranch on.