Home  | Parish  | Map  | Schedule  | Staff  | Calendar  | History  | Art  | Links  | Feedback
 

(Return to Father John's Log!)

OLM 
Parish Reporter in EUR & Roma!

(click on tiny picture to view original)
       Saturdays afford a chance to catch up on what has not been seen around Rome in the final weeks of this sabbatical. On November 7, I visited a new part of the area called EUR. This sort of suburb of Rome was built to provide new housing and also venues for Olympic Games in the time of Mussolini and later. Mussolini's dream never materialized but EUR is now a place of living, serenity and newness near the older city of Rome.
 

 EUR - Serenity, Newness and Quiet

 
The calm and beauty of a man-made lake greet you as you get off and out of the subway in EUR. This shot looking at the Olympic Stadium is pastoral and a welcome change from the frenetic pace of Rome.
 
 
 After a short walk around the lake, this vantage point further enhances the calm and inviting aspects of this "new" city near Rome. Again, the man-made lake is clear and refreshing.
 
  The domed Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul overlook the busy shopping district of EUR. The top of the stairs is flanked by statues of Peter and Paul as you approach this grand building.
 
 
 A Shrine to St. Francis of Assisi, patron of Italy, is on one side of the nave of the church. It is a mosaic and reflects the light and airiness of this church building in these placid surroundings teeming with life just down the stairs.
 

BACK IN ROME - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15

 

 The Rome renovation continues. On the left another scaffold cover is made to look like the building it hides. On the right, a beautiful Bernini sculpture of Theresa of Avila adorns a church across  from   Santa Susanna.
 
 
   All around the city in addition to the usual archaeological sites, churches and ruins, there are many other things visible to the discerning eye. The city of Rome holds something for everyone. If you are daring and can get around without being intimidated by construction, traffic and noise, you can have a grand time.
 
 
Walking the city, there are signs of change and new life. Restaurants abound. More and more Chinese Restaurants can be seen. They are indicated by signs and the red lanterns shown on the left. Also, for those with bad habits you have to find Tabac shops which are the only places where they are available.
Wending your way around the city, traffic is a continual challenge. The buses and cars watch for you in the crosswalks. The one set of vehicles which are the most dangerous seem to be the motorcycles which abound. On the left, they await the return of their riders to take on all forms of traffic.
 
 
  Another aspect of the city makes Rome like any other metropolis in the world. The presence of graffiti and billboards make your head spin. The underground when one looks at the trains has nothing over the New York City subway system with its decoration? of the cars and walls. Even people like Herbie Hancock are touted for upcoming concerts along the streets along with political posters and the like.
 

   A final image to share on this page is the trek up the hill to the college via a 100+ step staircase. The shot from the top doesn't look too bad but maybe as a finale to this sabbatical I will have the chance to get a complimentary shot of this same approach from the lower level before the exhausting ascent.

    -fr john glogowski, sabbatical 1998 roma
 
(Back to the Log!)
 
Home Parish Map Schedule Staff Calendar History Art Links Feedback