Parli Inglese? Do you speak English?

We have found very few Italians who speak English .... but there is plenty of English spoken on signage in the retail stores. We have been collecting pictures of some of them. We will confess that seeing and reading those words gives us a comforting sense of home.

 But finding these sweatshirts today took that comfort to a whole new level!!!!

Take a walk with us! The Capitoline Hill in Rome's Ancient Center

 An hour bus ride took us from our place to our first visit to Rome just 8 miles away to the Piazza Venezia and then we began our walk back through time!  Here are a few of our favorite sights:

The Victor Emmanuel II Monument. He was first king of united Italy.

On the left: The Aracoeli Steps leading to Santa Maria Church (read more below) were completed in 1348 to commemorate end of the plague.                           
On the right: The Cordonata designed by Michaelangelo (in about 1536) that lead up to the Piazza del Campidoglio.  

Michaelangelo designed the geometric paving on this oval piazza and the facades of the three surrounding buildings, now two museums and the city government offices.  

This interesting sculpture of the she-wolf suckling the mythical infant twins, Romulus and Remus, has been a symbol of Rome since ancient times. Since 1471 it has stood here by the Palazzo Senatorio, though many replicas can be seen in various places around the world. 

The Roman Forum. Constantly renovating the old and erecting new, this area ranged from a once chaotic place of food stalls, brothels, temples, government buildings, to later become a center for business, law and banking. Seems that dates range from as early as 5th century BC to as late as 203 AD. 

We wandered up, down, in front and behind the buildings on Capitoline Hill and found this little door and it lead into.....

Santa Maria in Aracoeli church dates back to the 6th century. 

The ceiling dating, from the 1480's, was amazing!!

Countless crypts like these lined nearly the entire floor.  Fascinating! Hope you enjoyed walking around this small part of ancient Rome with us! 

Farmer's Market in Rome

 What a great adventure we had exploring this farmers market just a few miles from our apartment!!! Many thanks go to our new American friends, the Meachams, for sharing Rome's surprises!  

You name it....they sold it....all fresh from the farm or ocean or bakery or cheese shop! There were probably around 100 booths in this open but covered market place.

What is that curious looking pastry? It is an Italian delectably delicious treat called Sfogliatelle (pronounced in one dialect ... Svie-uh-dell and in another dialect ... sfol-ya-tel-le). 

It was an awesome surprise to our favorite treat at one of the many booths. Can you see the crispy puff pastry in the shape of a shell or a lobster tail? This one was filled with a special delicious custard mixture.  It was fun to introduce our friends to one of our favorite treats!   Molto delizioso!!!

Here is a video glimpse at this fun place. Enjoy!

A Parking Puzzle

 Have you ever seen those parking jam game apps?  Well, here is a REAL parking situation for you to figure out! How is the red car going to get out? 

"Smart" cars might have the advantage of fitting into tight spots but this driver sure did put the adjacent cars in a pickle!! When they say that parking in Rome is a problem......they are NOT KIDDING!

We took this picture near our apartment and had to show you just how much of a puzzle parking can be!!

That being said, we are grateful for the car we have been assigned. It gets us where we need to go and so far (knock on wood) we have been able to find a spot to park in the vicinity of our apartment .... and.... we have not been trapped in.......YET!!     

Beautiful Interior Pictures - Courtesy of the Model

The temple is beautiful on the outside .......and on the inside!

There is a cut-away model of the temple interior in the Visitors Center. Below are close-up pictures I took of the model. So glad to share with you some of the spaces we work in everyday as we serve in the temple. 

The baptismal font is on the ground floor. The font is a unique oval shape and sits high on the backs of 12 marble oxen. The tiles inside the font are the most marvelous blue making the water look like the color of  ocean water. 

This grand staircase is the first thing you see after entering. 

Here is a better view of the floor tiles at the base of the stairs. They are in the pattern that stone artist Michaelangelo used in the Piazza del Campidoglio in old Rome. It is oval in shape with overlapping triangles forming a twelve-pointed star and is eye-catching.  

A chapel on the second floor is where the women workers gather each day for instruction before beginning their work shift. Pictured here is the Entry on the ground floor and the Sealing Waiting Rooms on the third floor.

Also on the second floor are the instruction or Endowment rooms with one leading into another. The first has beautiful painted murals on the walls depicting typical Italian hills, plants and animals and rolling plains leading to the rocky seashore and a large expanse of the sea. 

In this picture you can see one of the three Sealing Rooms on the third floor where families come to be united or sealed together for eternity. 

The crowning room in the entire temple is the Celestial Room. All instruction in the temple leads to being in this quiet, peaceful room. The vaulted ceilings, tall stain glass windows, and sparkling chandeliers draw your attention up and heavenward. The cares and worries of the world wash away for a while in this heavenly, peaceful space where it is easy to ponder the blessings of the temple, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and God's love for His children. 

A Field Trip to Orvieto in Umbria

We had a wonderful day exploring the town of Orvieto today with some fellow temple workers. Orvieto is located in Umbria, and is perched on a high volcanic crag. It is one of many picturesque medieval hilltop towns in Umbria.  

Orvieto's popularity comes from the beautiful Duomo which is it's centerpiece. It took some 300 years to build (begun in 1290). The breathtaking façade is made of mosaic tiles on a gold background and is one of Italy's greatest Romanesque Gothic cathedrals. 

The façade also has detailed carvings (c. 1320-30) that depict scenes from the Old and New Testaments. We enjoyed identifying the story of the creation, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, etc. but there were hundreds more scenes. In medieval times the common people could not read so artisans were commissioned to tell the stories from the Bible. 

The town is a maze of narrow, cobblestone streets with a very large selection of shops that sell gelato, pastry, pizza, meat, ceramics, clothes, art, etc. There are Etruscan caves, artifacts and structures to explore.

The views from the top of the hill looking down over crops and vineyard-covered plains and distant hillsides are amazing! It was a great field trip back into a little bit of Italy's history on a perfect, clear September day.