Stories from Italy - The Ugly Duckling

People often say that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves. 

          ~Salma Hayek

We had been traveling for what seemed like days-- we got up around 6 am to drive to Chicago to catch an afternoon direct flight to Rome. The flight was 9 1/2 hours long, and that was followed by the usual hassle of getting our luggage, getting through customs, and meeting up with our tour group leader who led us to the bus that would take us to our hotel. We had hoped to sleep on the plane, but found that impossible with the crowding and noise. We arrived at our hotel in time for lunch Rome time, which was  almost bedtime back in Indiana. Several of our more experienced world traveler friends had recommended that instead of taking a nap, we should stay up until bedtime in Rome. We were told this was the best way to acclimate our internal clocks to the new time.

So, after a lunch and a brief walking tour around our hotel by our guide (to show us where the pharmacy, the bank and the grocery stores were), we had free time until 4 pm when we would meet the rest of our group. I came prepared with maps and had read up on the area around the hotel, and after asking our guide his opinion, we headed to a small (by Roman standards anyway) basilica that was close to our hotel.

Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri (St. Mary of the Angels and Martyrs) was built within the walls of the ancient Roman Baths of Diocletian. The baths were huge, taking up a large portion of this neighborhood, and were a popular gathering spot for the ancient Romans. After Rome fell, they stood empty and over time, they deteriorated into ruins-- but the walls and floors remained intact. Pope Pius IV commissioned Michelangelo to design and place a church in these ruins, to serve as his personal chapel and ultimately as his burial space. This was done in the late 1500's. Later, in the 1700's, Pope Clement XI had a "meridian line" placed on the floor by an Italian astronomer, which is essentially a very fancy sundial that keeps track of time and notes such things as when Easter occurs. All of this we learned before we visited, so we were eager to see what it looked like.

 

Like any major world city, Rome can be pretty intimidating, especially in the first hours of a visit. The church is located on the very busy Piazza della Repubblica, which has several lanes of traffic zooming around a central fountain. We had to cross this traffic twice to get to the church. We were tired and not a little grouchy at this point. The sun was bright and hot. 

 

The church itself is unassuming on the outside. There are still Roman ruins on the outside that were not incorporated into the church. The facade of the main entrance is small and kind of squat looking. Lots of brick walls, not many windows visible. It was really quite ugly. I found myself wondering what the big deal was about this place anyway...

 

We stepped inside and it took a minute for our eyes to adjust to the indoor light. The church was full of tourists milling about. The hallway was massive, and echoed with the footsteps of hundreds of people on the marble floor. As our eyes adjusted to the light and our ears adjusted to the lack of outdoor traffic noise, we were dumbstruck...

 

We were in a soaring cathedral, with massively high arching ceilings that despite their size seemed to soar weightlessly. There were painted frescoes everywhere, and huge marble statues situated inside marble arched niches along all the walls. We could not see the main altar, so we walked deeper inside the church. 

Then we heard the music. We had happened on a dress rehearsal for a choir and orchestra concert of some kind. What we heard was Baroque music with full voice and orchestra-- perhaps Bach? Neither of us recognized the music but it was glorious. As we walked into the main area of the church, the altar became visible and the sounds of the music clearer. I stopped dead in my tracks with the wonder of it all. 

Both of us were awed by this place. When the music stopped, the musicians dispersed. We were able to tour the rest of the building, take quite a few photos, and even got to go back behind the church into an unrestored area of the Roman baths. We also saw the meridian on the floor and a display dedicated to Galileo, including his pendulum used as a time keeper of sorts. 

We emerged from the church smiling, refreshed in a way that is impossible to describe. We had been in the presence of greatness, some would say of God... and we were ready to tackle the rest of Rome with new energy.

Now that I am home and have time to reflect on this experience, I am reminded once again that often things in life are not what they seem. Not only places, but people too, can be totally different than first impressions indicate. When I take the time to get to know them, often I am amazed by the unseen beauty within.