October 30, 2005
Topic: Rome
Nice to get an extra hour of sleep last night. The opera didn’t get over until nearly midnight and it was 12:30 a.m. before we were back in our hotel room. Things were running a bit late here this morning though. Didn’t get breakfast until almost 8:30 a.m.

We went to mass at All Saints, the Episcopal church near the Piazza del Popolo. Anglicans didn’t have permission to even hold services in Rome until the early 1800s, and the church was actually built until the early 1880s. Mass was sung (including a choir from Essex that was visiting, and because the feast of All Saints is this week, the other Anglican congregation in Rome (St. Paul’s-within-the-Walls) was there for a joint service. We had briefly discussed going to St. Paul’s instead—good thing we didn’t! All Saints also sponsors a mission about 4 ? hours from Rome, which primarily serves Nigerian immigrants and several members of that mission were there today for a baptism.

After mass we grabbed a quick lunch and did laundry. On our walk back from All Saints, we saw the Monument where Augustus Caesar and his family were buried and also Canova’s home and studio. The laundromat was being supervised by Mario who basically assumed that every customer had never done laundry before. He kept a close eye on all of us as we sorted and prepared to wash. The token machines weren’t working, so Mario took care of getting the machines going. He was quite chatty; even though he kept telling us he didn’t speak English, he managed to make himself understood and kept a lively conversation going the whole time we were there.

Laundry done, we went for a walk. Sit-down coffee seemed like a great idea, so we braved the Piazza Navona to go to a cafe we like but hadn’t yet gotten to. A mime was performing right in front of the cafe and had at leats 200 people (no exaggeration) watching him perform. He actually was quite entertaining and didn’t repeat any of his antics for the half-hour or so we were there. I’ve never seen crowds the size that were out today. Makes me wonder what Rome must be like in the summer.

We tried to find the print shop again. No dice. But I did get a couple more gifts I needed and we did get into San Agostino to see Caravaggio’s Madonna of the Pilgrims. He did such amazing things with light!

We had dinner tonight at Pierluigi, a restaurant recommended by a friend in the states. Our big blow-out meal in Rome, but it was well worth it. We did all the courses from antipasto to dessert. Fortunately, they don’t rush customers in Rome, so it’s possible to take breaks in between courses.

No photos today…