| Shrines of Inspiration Vatican Museum (Sistine Chapel), Catacombs, Mamertine Prison, Trefontane, Palazzo del Quirinale. Ancient Wonders Colosseo, Foro Romano, Palatino, Fori Imperiali, Pantheon, Castel Sant’Angelo, Vittoriano, Fontana di Trevi, Circo Massimo, Teatro di Marcello, Tempio di Vesta, Area Sacra Argentina. Popular Public Centres Piazze di Spagna, del Popolo, Barberini, Colonna, Navona, Campidoglio, del Quirinale. --------------------------------- Scavi (Excavations) Tour underneath St. Peter’s. Excavations Office – 00120 Vatican City (Office Hours: 9:00am – 5:00pm) Ph: 0011 39 [0]6 6988 5318 Fax: 0011 39 6 6988 5518 Email: scavi@fsp.va Closed Sundays & holidays. Duration: 1½hrs. Cost: 9euro. Bookings essential, the earlier the better. Mass with the Holy Father in his private chapel. Requests must be made in writing and will be more likely to succeed if you have a “reason” (e.g., your bishop will be in Rome, serious illness, special circumstances). Stress your love for the Holy Father. A letter of introduction from your Bishop can make a difference. Nevertheless, I know that the simple, "I'm-nobody-special letter" has been successful. Keep in mind, not many people are given the privilege. In your letter (or fax) you must indicate which days you are available, and provide a contact phone number and address in Rome. Address letters to: His Excellency, Most Reverend Stanislaus Dziwisz, D.D., Adjunct Prefect of the Pontifical Household, 00120 Vatican City State, Fax: 0011 39 6 6988 5863 Mass is at 8:00am. If blessed, you will be phoned the night before and asked to meet at Portone di Bronzo (Bronze Doors), St. Peter’s Basilica, at 7:15am. Tour of the Vatican Gardens. The tour (in English) lasts for 2 hours and costs 9euro. Bookings essential: Ph: 06 6988 4466. The meeting (starting) point is just inside the “EXIT” of the Vatican Museums. Prefettura della Casa Pontificia (Tickets for Papal Ceremonies). You can get them at no cost from the Swiss Guards at the Bronze Doors, the Piazza of St. Peter’s. To reserve tickets: Rev. Br. John Baldwin (an Aussie) Ph: 0011 39 [0]6 6988 3865, Fax: 0011 39 6 6988 5863. At the end of the general audience each Wednesday (10:30am) the Pope blesses any religious items you have brought. The Angelus Address is given every Sunday at midday (12pm) while thousands of pilgrims gather in the Piazza of St. Peter’s. Apostolic Blessings. Elemosineria Apostolica, 00120 Citta del Vaticano Ph: 0011 39 6 6988 3135 Fax: 0011 39 6 6988 3132 Name of applicant & address; name and surname of addressee, occasion & model of parchment Model SP4 = 6euro; Model G Bella = 23euro [+ postage 4euro]. Mass in the Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy in the Colosseum. Saturdays: 4pm - Sundays: 10:30am. Entrance for La Santa Messa is at the ninth arch from the general exit going clockwise. Arrive about 10-15 minutes early and someone will be waiting at the gate to let you in. After the Mass on Sundays (10:30am) there is an “unofficial” opportunity to visit the rest of the Colosseum. N.B. – One ticket gives entry to the Colosseum & Palatine Hill. Accommodation. La Domus Aurelia (Emmanuel Community) Single 40euro, Double 62euro, Triple 80euro Via Aurelia, 218, 00165 ROMA Ph: 0011 39 [0]6 393 659; Fax: 0011 39 6 3937 6480 Email: domus.aurelia@emmanuel-info.com Foro Italico - A. F. Pessina (Youth Hostel) 15euro per night (light breakfast included). Viale delle Olimpiadi 61, ROMA Ph: 0011 39 [0]6 323 6267; Fax: 0011 39 6 324 2613 GENERAL HELPFUL INFORMATION Crypt & Dome of St. Peter’s: Entry for the crypt (where many Popes are buried) at the base of the statue of St. Andrew near the main altar. Look for the sign: Le Tombe dei Papi. No cost. * For the dome, while in the portico (antechamber), just before entering St. Peter’s, turn right and follow the sign to the Cupola. Sorry, it costs, but the view is definitely worth it. Take the lift. Catacombs: Take Bus No. 218 over the road from the Baptistry of the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Public transport tickets: (Biglietti 0.77euro) available from Tabacchi outlets everywhere (look of the big “T”). They entitle you to 75 mins. travel on train (Metro), bus or tram. Siesta: Virtually everything, except the Major Basilicas, is closed from about 12:30pm-3:30pm. Bus No. 64: Termini Station to St. Peter’s Basilica every few minutes. But be warned! guard your wallet/purse with your life. Beggars: They are everywhere! Some are genuine, many are not. I suggest you follow Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s advice and never give money. Perhaps you might like to buy someone something to eat. Drinking Water: You can drink the water from all the fountains in the piazzas of Rome. Crossing the Road: Thank God for Guardian Angels. Be brave and don’t look too much, just go for it. Gelati: Gelateria della Palma, Via della Maddalena, 20/23. With 100 flavours I think it is the best in Rome. |
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| There's No Place Like Rome Claire Booth Luce, former United States ambassador to Italy and a convert to Catholicism spoke of Rome in this way: “To grasp Rome one would require the eye of Michelangelo, the mind of Aquinas, the soul of Dante, the resolve of Caesar, and the lifespan of Methusaleh. It would then take a hundred large volumes to describe the experience.” |
| 8. San Clemente 9. Santa Maria in Trastevere 10. Santa Cecilia 11. Santi Cosma e Damiano 12. Santa Sabina 13. Il Gesu 14. Santa Pudentiana 15. Santa Prassede 16. Santi Giovanni e Paolo 17. Sant’Anastasia 18. Santa Maria degli Angeli 19. Sant’Andrea della Valle 20. Santi Apostoli 21. San Marco 22. San Bartolomeo 23. Scala Santa 24. Sant’Andrea al Quirinale 25. Santa Maria Sopra Minerva 26. San Pietro in Vincoli 27. Sant’Ignazio 28. Sant’Agostino 29. Sant’Agnese in Agone |
| 30. Santa Maria d’Ara Coeli 31. Santo Stefano Rotondo 32. Santa Maria Nuova 33. San Luigi dei Francesi 34. Santa Maria in Domnica 35. Santa Maria del Popolo 36. San Marcello al Corso 37. Santa Maria in Traspontina 38. San Sisto Vecchio 39. Santa Maria della Vittoria 40. San Lorenzo in Panisperna 41. San Carlo al Corso 42. S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane 43. Santa Susanna 44. Trinita dei Monti 45. Santa Maria di Perpetuo Soccorso 46. Chiesa Nuova 47. San Martino ai Monti 48. San Spirito in Sassia 49. Santa Caterina da Siena 50. Sant’Antonio da Padova |
| MY TOP 50 CHURCHES The Big Seven: 1. San Pietro 2. San Giovanni Laterano 3. Santa Maria Maggiore 4. San Paolo Fuori Le Mura 5. Santa Croce in Gerusalemme 6. San Lorenzo Fuori Le Mura 7. San Sebastiano |
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