Buon Viaggio! (Rome, IT)

It is the last day of the visit of Vin Lembo, Deanna Jantzen, Denise McCarthy, and Peter Lembo.  They return to Boston tomorrow.  We met in the morning for Mass at del Caravita, then continued our walking tour of Rome.  After leaving Caravita, we stopped at the Church of St. Ignatius where this group photo was taken.  As we entered the church we ran into Father Scott Brodeur of the New England Province who had just finished presiding at the 11:30 Mass.

Main altar of the Church of St. Ignatius.

Apse of the Church of St. Ignatius

As we continued our walking tour, we passed Piazza di Torre Argentina where, to Peter's delight, we looked at the many cats that inhabit the ruins.

We then crossed over the Tiber River into Trastevere in search of a restaurant recommended to Deanna.  When we arrived at the restaurant, we discovered that it is only open for dinner and opens at 7:30 PM.  As we turned the corner, we came across a wonderful restaurant that has not been "discovered" by tourists.  It was bustling with the locals of the neighborhood.  The restaurant is La Gattabua, which roughly translates to "black hole" or "dungeon", since the restaurant is in the basement of the site of a former jail.  The food was delicious, and the service very friendly.

Piazza de Mercanti

After a leisurely lunch, we began to explore Trastevere.  Around the corner from La Gattabua is the Church of Santa Cecilia, where we stopped and took some photos.

Main altar of the Church of Santa Cecilia

Marble statue of Saint Cecilia in the main altar.

One of the many monuments in the church.

A cardinal's coat of arms on the floor of the church.

A fresco on the wall of the church.

The decorative bookends of the courtyard fountain.

After I wished "the gang" a fond buon viaggio as they entered their taxi in Trastevere, I walked back to Casa O'Toole, but not before stopping at the Church of Santo Crisogno in Trastevere a taking a few photos.

Portrait of Benedict XVI over the main door of the church.