This blog was originally posted on bckminisrael.com.
Rome
Today we leave Greece and hit the “road”, ending up in Rome. Lot’s of fun ahead.
Uh oh. To get to the Coliseum we have to walk through the arch. It was shaped like a yoke, to indicate when you walked through you were willing to be controlled by the ruler of the city. Christians would walk around it rather than walk through. What are you choosing to do?
Ok, so we’ve gone around the Arch and made it to the Coliseum. The jewish people made it here to. They used 40,000 Jewish male slaves to build it. And, the Jewish people paid for it with the loot taken from Solomon’s Temple.
So, a typical show started with a man v. starved beast. While 72,000 people lunched they would watch the people who broke the rules come in bound up, and then burned to death, followed by the gladiator show.
Look what is standing in the place where so many were brutally killed? A cross. If anyone would have told the people of the time there would not only be a cross, but a Christian Church service in this building, they would have laughed hysterically.
From the coliseum, if you look just right, you can see the balcony from which Mussolini gave his speeches. Why? Because it bothered him he couldn’t see the Coliseum from there so he had building torn down to improve his view.
Need a bath after all that? Better carve out two hours. Every day people would come to the baths. First they would do a steam/sauna, then go into a tepid pool, followed by a cold water pool. After that they would wash themselves, and at the end they would have a servant massage them with oil, or do it themselves. i think I could handle that ritual. What about you?
Saints and Sinners
Oh when the Saints, go marching In . . . come with us as we march around Italy, learning tidbits about some important people who have gone before us.
Our tour starts at the Vatican, where over 120 of the 200+ popes are buried. In the medieval age, the popes were mainly about power. All came from wealthy families. Some were good, some not so much.
On our way to the Sistine chapel, we pass a tapestry. The eyes of Jesus literally follow you as you pass
by. It took 27 years to make and we can’t duplicate that to this day. Unfortunately, no pics allowed in that chapel.
According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside down, and his bones, which were found in
the 1950’s are in the church named after him. (The church is part of the Vatican). There is a good chance they are his but they can’t put it a 100 percent.
He is laid to rest here, in the Basilica of St. Paul. That this houses his bones is indisputable. The colors are so warm, soft and inviting. So unlike many of the other churches.
Amazing Assissi
Come follow me as we meet a rich man who actually gave up everything!
“Teacher,” the young rich man said. “I’ve obeyed all the commands since I was young.” Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Go, sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Mark 10:20-21
At 24, he had already been arrested twice and was known as a “playboy. While praying, he heard a voice coming from the cross. It said . . .”Go, fix my churches. They are falling apart.” Three times he heard these words.
At first he thought it meant to physically fix the church. Then he realized it was the message of the church that needed fixing! The “church” was full of wealth and power and had drifted from Christ’s humble message of love and service and peace.
So Francis gave up everything (his father was so mad he was eventually disowned) to further the true
message of Jesus. He served the poor, ministered to the sick, and even gave up shoes, for they were a sign of wealth.
Today the town of Assissi is a peaceful haven, not only for people but also for animals! Saint Francis Assissi believed in being kind to animals, which was quite radical in the day.
Fun Under the Tuscan Sun
Picturesque Florence, pick pockets, purses and Pisa! Our time in Tuscany is certainly not boring. Let’s get started.
The leather here is amazing. Many bought purses and I bought a coat. What’s on your list? Next stop the museum. How did Italians get their hair so blonde? They died it, of course . . . with urine! Next up.
Moving on, we see the church where the great reformer Girolamo Savonarola preached against corruption of both the church and the people. He instituted the burning of objects that might cause sin in 1497. The fire was 60 feet high and infamously named the “Bonfire of the Vanities.” Unfortunately for him, he was later hung, burned himself and his ashes thrown into the Arno river. (Pictured here).
We have now made it to “sexy square” where you will find many statues of men without their clothes. When the pope came to town they would be covered up.
In addition to statues, Florence produced three famous books, Machiavelli’s “The Prince”, Dante’s “Inferno” and Collodi’s “Pinochio!”(There is even a Pinochio church in Florence).
Now on to Pisa, where it’s raining a bit. A a mother-daughter team took advantage of us being distracted with our umbrella’s and one of us got pick pocketed! Fortunately all they got was $$$.
Pisa
Welcome to the field of miracles. Each building is beautiful. Uh oh, the bell tower is leaning…
Next we check out the separate building built just for Baptisms, that occurred twice a year, once at Christmas and once at Easter. We saw a baptismal built in the 1100’s. Before the 1500’s Catholics used to be baptized by immersion as an adult. In separate ceremonies by gender, a person would descend naked into the water, and when they came out be given a white robe to put on, indicating their sins were forgiven.
Engineers have actually come up with a way to fix the leaning tower, but that would hurt the economy so they
are leaving it be, just as we are. See you tomorrow!
Verona and Venice
We end our tour in what many consider the two most romantic cities in Europe, Verona and Venice. Check out Juliet’s balcony, take a gondola ride and relax in St. Mark’s square. We are ending our trip in style! Thanks for coming along.
We arrive at the outskirts of Venice and have to board a ferry to get to the city. As we approach, it looks like the whole city is under water, which in a sense it is.
Before you know it, we are off the boat and in St. Mark’s square. St. Mark, the evangelist (the one thought to have written the gospel) is popular here – why? In 828 the Christians in Venice sent two people to steal St. Mark’s bones from Alexandria in Africa and they are now laid to rest here in a gold plated, beautiful church filled with mosaic
Close to St. Mark’s church is the jail where they kept prisoners. This is the “Bridge of Sighs” where prisoners would peek through to get one last glimpse of Venice before their fate was decided.
We got to go on a gondola ride!
This blog was originally posted on bckminisrael.com.