PERUGINO - THE MAGI FRESCO IN CITTA DELLA PIEVE

It's the 12th day of Christmas 2014 and I'm yet to receive the 12 drummers drumming, but its also our last full day in Italy before we return to the UK. Just a a couple of hundred yards from our front door, down a couple of alleys and through a narrow passage there's a pedimented red brick building, the Oratory of Santa Maria dei Bianchi, which contains one of Citta's best known fresco paintings and because of its subject matter I thought I'd post it here today. It's by Pietro Vannucci (c1450-1523) better known as Perugino - the Renaissance master painter who was born here in the little town of Citta in the middle of the 15th century.

ORATORY CHAPEL OF SANTA MARIA DEI BIANCHI
VIA VANNUCCI - CITTA DELLA PIEVE

It's a large work on the back wall of the oratory and I've been to see it a couple of times. The subject is the Adoration of the Magi and its represented in an in interesting way. Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus are in the central foreground beneath  a classically inspired wooden stable receiving the three Kings at Epiphany. There are many other figures in the composition including a long procession making its way through the landscape towards the event..

THE ADORATION OF THE MAGI  c1504
ORATORY OF SANTA MARIA DEI BIANCHI - CITTA DELLA PIEVE

The fresco has all the characteristics of Perugino's later work including a distinctive use of aerial and mathematical perspective to suggest great depth to the landscape, a sensitive use of harmonious colours, subtle lighting and a balanced composition all of which combines to generate an atmosphere of peace, serenity and warm emotion. Many viewers of this beautiful fresco love the way Perugino has set the scene in the contemporary local Umbrian landscape near the town - Lake Trasimeno can be seen in the distance.

Tonight we are once again visiting the live nativity at the small town of Monteleone d'Orvieto which I wrote about just a year ago - its right at the beginning of the list of postings if you want to take a look.

IT'S JUST A YEAR SINCE I STARTED BLOGGING ABOUT UMBRIA, TUSCANY AND ITALY IN GENERAL AND THERE ARE NOW 24 POSTINGS AVAILABLE ON LINE. THEY DESCRIBE HOW WE CAME TO PURCHASE A HOLIDAY HOME IN BEAUTIFUL UMBRIA. AND OTHER ARTICLES EXPLORE PLACES, ART HISTORY AND A DIVERSITY OF OTHER TOPICS. I HOPE YOU TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THEM.

THERE'S LOTS MORE TO COME AS WELL SO PLEASE REGISTER YOUR INTEREST IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE NOTIFIED OF NEW POSTINGS. THANKS - IAN

ROME'S PALAZZO COLONNA - A FEAST FOR THE SENSES FOR SURE

It's the last morning of our four day visit to Rome and time to leave the Barberini Hotel to make our way back to Ciampino airport to pick up our Fiat Panda for the journey to Umbria.

SOME OF THE BUILDINGS OF THE PALAZZO COLONNA - ROME

There's one place, however, I've wanted to visit in Rome for several years and its not been possible because its only open on Saturday mornings and today is Saturday so our journey north has to be delayed by a few hours!! It's the Palazzo Colonna at the foot of the Quirinale Hill near Piazza Venezia. It's still a privately owned residence so the opening hours are the prerogative of the family who have occupied it for more than 800 years and they can open as much or as little as they wish. It's not that long ago that the Palazzo was only open once a month. And the reason I want to go there I can hear you asking? - well one of its rooms - The Grand Hall - has featured in my Baroque furniture and interiors lecture for years and its a jaw dropping showstopper!

Essentially the "Baroque" is a European style which began in Rome at the end of the 1500's and evolved quickly spreading to all parts of Europe by 1700. It's origins are fascinating and begin within the framework of the Catholic church. The Council of Trent (1545-63) met to address the church reforms needed to combat the impact of the Reformation and one of the outcomes was that the authorities advocated the use of the arts as means of communicating directly, in a non-elitist way, with church members, many of whom were illiterate. It was suggested that work commissioned by the church should be clear in its message and 'emotional' in its impact. Towards the end of the 16th century the paintings of artists such as Caravaggio and the Carraci brothers evolved to embrace these approaches and architecture and interior church decoration soon followed suit in the early 17th century. The work carried out by Bernini inside St Peter's in the form of the huge bronze baldachino and other fixtures comes to mind. It wasn't long before this theatrical, dramatic and exuberant approach in architecture and the arts permeated in to the domestic sphere and it was Rome's powerful families (many of them connected to the Catholic establishment),who used its ideas and precepts to aggrandise themselves and reflect their status and power in Roman 17th century society. The Colonna family provide such an example.

THE GRAND HALL OF THE PALAZZO COLONNA COMPLETED IN 1700

The Palazzo Colonna is one of the oldest private palaces in Rome construction starting as early as the 14th century. When Oddone Colonna was elected Pope in 1417 the palazzo became the papal residence between 1420 and 1431. Surviving the Sack of Rome in 1527 owing to the Colonna family's good relations with the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, it was altered and extended by successive generations, especially in the 17th century, the time when the Grand Hall was built and decorated. It was Cardinal Girolomo Colonna and his nephew Lorenzo Onofrio who commissioned the 76 metre long interior in 1650 and it took 50 years to complete. The original architect and designer was Antonio del Grande but later contributions also came from Bernini, Schor and Fontana.

CEILING DETAIL FROM THE GRAND HALL OF THE PALAZZO COLONNA

The decorative theme of the interior and its two adjoining smaller ante rooms is the aggrandisement of the Colonna family and especially the role of Marcantonio II Colonna who led the Christian fleet and defeated the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The scheme was an integrated fusion of architecture, fine art, sculpture and furnishing on the grandest and most opulent of scales. The battle and Marcantonio's role in it is revealed in the illusionistic painted ceiling and the fabulous marble inlaid floor and gilded walls provide a wonderful setting for the related sculpture and furnishings. Particularly interesting are the carved and gilded wooden console tables with slab marble tops of the finest quality. The substructures are essentially sculptural opportunities for carvers and gilders to exhibit their skills and the subject - recumbent Turks shown in submissive forms supporting the table tops - is not a theme that would find acceptance in our politically correct times today.

RECUMBENT TURKS SUPPORT THE SLAB MARBLE TOPS OF THE CONSOLE TABLES IN THE GRAND HALL
OF THE PALAZZO COLONNA

 If you visit this marvellous property - and there is a lot more to see than this single suite of rooms, not least a magnificent art collection put together by Cardinal Girolamo and his nephew Onofrio - one strange object you have to look out for in the Grand Hall is a cannon ball embedded in the marble stairs which lead down in to the hall from the battle room. The heavy iron sphere was fired in the direction of the palazzo from the Janiculum Hill in 1849 when the then Roman republic was under siege. It was the French army, under the orders of General Oudinot that fired it in support of Pope Pius IX's attempts to deal with the insurgents, It's a curious thing to find on a staircase in this amazing room.

THE EMBEDDED 1849 CANNON BALL IN THE STAIRS OF THE GRAND HALL 

PALAZZO COLONNA

So - if your planning a trip to Rome and haven't been there before - and its wonderful at any time of year - as well as going to the top ten tourist attractions which include the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel and the like - do a bit of planning beforehand and select some slightly more obtuse off the beaten track places to put in your itinerary - there are hundreds of them and I still have a list as long as my arm for our next visit. 

TRASTEVERE - BOHEMIAN ROMAN CHIC

I'd read about the Trastevere district in one of the Inspector Zen novels. It lies west of the River Tiber and south of the Vatican and its a fascinating area of narrow alleys and tightly packed domestic buildings. It used to be an area occupied by artisan and working class families but these days its a "cool" place to hang out and a major destination for many visitors who come to stroll round its atmospheric streets and visit its many bars and restaurants. We decided to go there on the beautiful sunny morning of December 26th and took a bus from Piazza Barberini to Piazza Venezia. It's a relatively short walk south from there down the Via di Torre Argentina, though one can take a number 8 tram from nearby Lago Argentina if desired. We crossed the Tiber over the Ponte Garibaldi - a late 19th century bridge designed by Angelo Vescovali and dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi - father of the Italian unified state. Crossing over it there's a good view of the dome of St Peter's to the right and on the left a view of Isola Tiberina- one of only two islands in the Tiber river. The other, a larger one, is near the Tiber estuary at Ostia.

ISOLA TIBERINA FROM THE GARIBALDI BRIDGE - DECEMBER 2014

ISOLA TIBERINA - 16TH CENTURY PRINT

Tiberina island, whose shape resembles a ship, has been connected to both banks of the Tiber by bridges since ancient times and still is today. The bridge linking it with the Ghetto on the east side, the Ponte Fabricio and built in 62BC, is Rome's oldest intact bridge. The other, the Ponte Cestio which can be seen in the photo and connects the island to Trastevere, dates from the 1st century BC. In early Rome the island was used to isolate unfortunates who had contracted contagious diseases and this early chapter in its history is linked to the building of a temple on it dedicated to Aesculapius, the Greek God of medicine, in the 3rd century BC. The healing and medicinal theme connected with the island was continued by the building of a hospital on the island in 1584.

THE NARROW ATMOSPHERIC STREETS OF TRASTEVERE

After absorbing these views it was onwards to our destination and about 100 yards beyond the bridge we turned right in to the narrow alleys of old Trastevere in search of the church I knew about in the Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. We couldn't resist an espresso in one of the many atmospheric cafes and it was interesting to watch market stall holders setting up their pitches to catch the post-christmas tourists. Another of my junk collections, which gets larger every year, was added to by the purchase of  pinocchio christmas tree ornament - a colourful rendition of the late 19th century Tuscan puppet boy whose nose got longer every time he told a lie.

THE LATEST ADDITION TO THE CHRISTMAS DECORATION
COLLECTION BOUGHT FROM A STALL IN TRASTEVERE

One of the earliest Christian churches in Rome can be found in this district and its a cracker. Though work on a church may have started as early as 220AD records indicate the church was founded by Pope Julius I in 337AD, allegedly on the site of a miracle fountain of olive oil that appeared on the day of Jesus Christ's birth and symbolic of the coming of the grace of God. It was rebuilt in the early 12th century during the reign of Pope Innocent II - a member of the Papereschi - a prominent Trastevere family. Though its had a replacement portico designed by Carlo Fontana much of the original building survives through to the present day without the Baroque additions added to many earlier Roman churches in the 17th century. In this sense it is representative of what many medieval Roman churches probably looked like before the counter Reformation.

SANTA MARIA IN TRASTEVERE

The main thing to look at on the front elevation lies above the three windows at first floor level. There can be found a wonderful band of 12th century mosaic work depicting the Virgin Mary and Jesus with 10 ten lamp carrying attendants. Many books indicate these are visual representation of the wise and foolish vestal virgins described in Jesus's Parable set out in the book of Mathew, chapter 25, verses 1-14. More recently this theory has been discredited on the basis that several of the maidens look more like male figures and only 2 are carrying unlighted lamps - not the 5 mentioned in the New Testament.

12th CENTURY MOSAIC FRIEZE ON THE FRONT ELEVATION
OF SANTA MARIA IN TRASTEVERE

Many guide books suggest coming here in summer in the evening so that when the sun goes down the mosaics glisten in the fading light. That's a good enough reason surely to come back at another time of year?

Inside the church is no less impressive and I was first of all struck by the magnificent lines of columns to be found either side of the main nave - these are said to have been recycled during the 12th century from excavations of the Roman Baths of Caracalla.

ROMAN COLUMNS USED IN THE BUILDING OF THE 12TH CENTURY
NAVE AT SANTA MARIA IN TRASTEVERE

The next glory to be seen in this beautiful church is the 12th century mosaics to be found in the apse above and behind the altar.

The apse mosaics are truly stunning. Those in the upper section depict the glorification of the Virgin where she sits amongst Jesus and the Saints and they were done at a similar time to the ones on the outside. They also show a revived interest in classicism on the part of late Byzantine Greek craftsmen. There's an interesting mixture of iconic and human features in the depiction of the figures which I'd also seen in the wonderful mosaics of  Saint Apollinare Nuovo church in Ravenna viewed earlier in the year. The depictions in the lower section of the apse, which show scenes from the life of the Virgin, were completed at a later date, about 1290, and were executed by mosaicist and painter Pietro Cavallini. They show some interesting stylistic differences to the earlier examples. If you manage to get to this church it's worth looking at all of them in detail and making a comparison between the two sets of work.

APSE MOSAICS FROM SANTA MARIA IN TRASTEVERE

After being used to seeing so much Renaissance and Baroque art in Rome in previous visits it was refreshing to discover this gem of a church. It would be yet another Roman treasure to put on the list for another visit at a different time of year.

TRAVELLER'S TIP
Whilst many churches in Rome throw open their doors to the public and often like this one don't make a charge, remember that the Christmas holidays can be disappointing to those visitors expecting everything to be open the day after Christmas Day - it isn't. After visiting Santa Maria in Trastevere we walked the short distance to Villa Farnesina to find it closed so we should have checked beforehand.

Oh - I also wanted to say that it's a good idea to take a small pair of binoculars to look at details high up from ground level. They can be an invaluable aid and I wish I'd had mine with me in the church just described. It would have made such a difference to viewing the details in the mosaics!

THE PAPAL CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE LATERAN, ROME & A FAMOUS STAIRCASE BESIDES

It's Christmas Eve and I'm excited about the day's forthcoming visits - all Vatican themed and connected with Rome's importance as the centre of the christian church. I also know the visit to St Peter's this evening for mass with Pope Francis will be a once in a lifetime experience.  How did you manage to organize this I can hear you saying? - well its an interesting story. St. Peter's basilica is famous for many things and one of them is that it's the largest church in the world - at full capacity it can hold 60,000 people and it would be those sort of numbers that would be present at tonight's service. But how to get a ticket for the hottest Christmas Eve event in town? All the details of how to obtain free tickets for all happenings at the Vatican are on the excellent Vatican City website. Tickets for Christmas Eve midnight mass are free but need to be applied for in advance and the website tells you how to go about doing this. Not surprisingly the later one leaves it, the less chance there is of success and the site warns that applicants stand the best chance when they request only a small number of tickets. A few days before we left for Rome I looked at the Vatican site and assumed it would be impossible to attend this Christmas Eve service - the tickets would have been long gone.

Somehow, I don't know quite how, I discovered a reference to a Roman company called Carrani Tours which said it ran a Christmas Eve event which included a ticket for the Papal Mass. The independent review of the tour indicated it was surprisingly reasonably priced for what it included so I tried the site only to find that the company only took bookings from agencies it was connected with and not from members of the public. Further research suggested getting in touch with another website called "GetYourGuide" to try and book the tour through them. This is another site I can highly recommend. You register your details as a site member, say where you want to go and when and they then list the tours available. Sure enough the links to Carrani's tours came through including the Christmas Eve one with all the details. The booking process was easy and done in just a few minutes and we soon had the printable voucher in our hand; we could set off to Rome knowing the event was part of our Christmas Eve calendar.

Back to Christmas Eve morning. I wrote in a previous posting about an impressive church I'd seen from the coach when we travelled from Ciampino airport to Termini station earlier in the year. Afterwards I did a little research on it and discovered it was a Vatican church outside the state border and one of the utmost importance to the papacy, Called San Giovanni in Laterano (St. John the Lateran) - it is the primary church of the Bishop of Rome. This is an office held by the Pope and because it contains the cathedra or chair of the bishop - its Rome's only cathedral. Historically all popes were crowned here until 1879 and inside are the tombs of 6 popes including the last one not to be buried at St Peter's - Leo XIII. This was going to be the first special visit of the day and after breakfast we walked over to the Barberini metro station to take the train directly to San Giovanni. When we arrived at street level 20 minutes later the hugely impressive facade of the church was just a few steps away.

THE FRONT ELEVATION OF ST JOHN LATERAN
DESIGNED BY ALESSANDRO GALILEI IN 1735
CHRISTMAS EVE 2014

By any standards this church is a showstopper on a number of levels, whether it be in relation to its fascinating history, its impressive art and architecture or in connection with some of its somewhat bizarre eccentricities. To enter a building like this is an emotional experience, even for a non-believer and it sends shivers down the spine.

The earliest church on the site was Rome's very first Christian basilica founded by Constantine the Great in 324AD on part of the site of a Roman patrician palace which had belonged to Plautinius Lateranus who was executed by Nero for plotting against him. It was the first building of public Christian worship in the city and became a model for all the catholic churches that followed it. It was originally dedicated to Christ the Saviour and became the seat of the Bishop of Rome from this early time. Subsequently it enjoyed mixed fortunes through to the late medieval period - for example in the 9th century it was looted by the Vandals and in the 14th century it burned down twice. This doesn't detract from its importance however - Charlemagne was baptised here in 774AD and 5 Councils of the Catholic Church were held here in the middle ages. Before the papacy moved to Avignon in the early 1300's this church functioned as the Vatican basilica of St Peter's does today and its adjunct buildings also acted as the papal residence up to that time. The church was renovated and altered in the 17th century with the modification of the huge nave by Borromini, the work carried out between 1646-9. The present impressive Baroque facade, based on that of St Peter's, was added by Alessandro Galileo in 1735. Today mass can only be celebrated in the main church by the Pope and one of the most important catholic services of the year is held when the Pope celebrates Good Friday mass here.

Its impossible to describe here all the amazing things to be found inside this wonderful building so I'm just going to highlight a few of the ones I looked at that Christmas Eve morning. Remember - it's not a comprehensive list and I'm sure you'll discover your own highlights if you go there.

• Huge central bronze doors which originated from the Senate building in the Roman Forum

• Borromini's modified nave with  massive piers containing niches for an humongous set sculptures dating from the 17th century of the 12 Apostles by various artists. They certainly make one reflect on the size of the average human physique.

• An intricate marble floor by Cosmati contrasting with the fabulously rich gilded and compartmented 16th century gilded wooden ceiling by Daniele da Volterra

• Behind the first pier on the right s Giotto fresco of Pope Bonface III's Jubilee

• The Papal altar with silver reliquaries purporting to contain the heads of St Peter and St Paul all beneath an elaborate gothic baldachino

• In front and beneath the papal altar the bronze tomb of Pope Martin V

• Behind the Papal altar the late 19th century reconstructed apse containing copies of  Byzantine inspired mosaics

• In the right transept the tomb of Innocent III who met his end by poisoning whilst in Perugia

• And finally the fabulously intact medieval cloister by Vasalletti (father and son) completed between 1215 and 1223. Admire the wonderful  spiral columns and 13th century mosaic details and the walls inset with architectural fragments from earlier churches on the site. On one side of the cloister a room containing treasures from the church including an intricately woven and decorated gold medieval semi circular cope. When we visited we were totally on our own. What a surreal experience to quietly tread the floors of an interior that's been there and used for over 800 years. There is a small admission charge for entrance to the cloister and museum.

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Our final visit before leaving St John Lateran was to another building outside the church and just across the road - it was to what is known as the Scala Sancta - The Holy Stairs and I'd never heard of it until this visit to Rome.

The catholic church is known for amassing, worldwide a collection of holy relics associated with events related to the history of the christian story. There are more alleged fragments of the true cross in existence than wood needed to build a Italian alpine chalet, not to mention the thousands of fragments of saints' bones and skulls to be found in catholic churches round the globe. Well - the holy stairs are the best "relic" I've come across so far. They consist of 28 white marble steps which lead from the hallway of the building they are installed in - put there by Pope Sixtus V in 1589 after the old Lateran Palace had been demolished to make way for a new one. They give access to the Sancta Sanctorum (Holy of Holies) - the personal chapel of the early Popes. They are alleged to have been brought to Rome in 326 AD by Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, their significance being that according to christian tradition, they are the steps from the Praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem and the steps that Christ ascended and descended at the time of his trial.

What seems like an eccentric ritual to many today has been performed by the faithful who have visited the site over the centuries. The stairs can only be ascended on the knees and one is supposed to say a prayer as each step is mounted. For protection purposes and no doubt to prevent the marble steps from wearing out - the stair are covered by 28 walnut planks. I hasten to add that I did not undertake this task on Christmas Eve (though many were doing so); my knees would never have lasted out, so I chose to go up to the first floor by one of the four other staircases available - two set on each side of the holy stairs. Those that have achieved this mighty task also descend to the ground floor using these conveniences; even the faithful were never expected to return the way they had come up!! The upper walls and ceiling above the holy staircase are decorated with frescoes and the whole installation was restored in 2007 with aid from the Getty foundation. Many celebrities have performed the ritual over the centuries including a number of popes.

THE HOLY STAIRS AT THE LATERAN PALACE ON CHRISTMAS EVE MORNING 2014

Martin Luther is alleged to have climbed the stairs in 1511 saying at the top "who knows if it is so?". This is said to have been the result of an admonishment from the Holy Spirit! When Charles Dickens visited in 1845 he is commented "I never in my life saw anything at once so ridiculous and so unpleasant as this site". It is worth paying the small entrance fee to see the papal private chapel upstairs dedicated to St Lawrence and built in 1278 There's an interesting head and shoulders portrait of Jesus said not to have been done by human hand and early mosaics too. By the time we came out of the chapel and ready to go downstairs again the holy staircase was packed with people on their slow journey to the top - I didn't see a single person give up! All in all this visit was a truly memorable experience and it would put it on your Roman bucket list if  you haven't done it already.

So - after declining the challenge of the holy stairs we took a bus back to Piazza Barberini via a scenic route which took in the Colosseum, The Forum and Trajan's Column - we needed a rest before setting out for St Peter's.

A private mini bus came to collect us from the hotel lobby at 4.30pm and we drove to the Carrani Tours office near Piazza Republicca to meet the rest of our group. There were about 40 of us in total and we were divided in to two sub groups. We were allocated to Marcello's group - out Italian guide who would conduct the tour in English - the other group would have an Italian speaking guide. We set off in a high quality coach and first stop was just down the Via Tritone, near our hotel in fact, so we could walk to Niccolo Salvi's Trevi fountain set against the Palazzo Poli and completed in 1762. This is the tourist site of tourist sites in central Rome and normally it wouldn't disappoint, but sadly for us it was under extensive restoration and it was difficult to pick out the central figure of Neptune hidden by the scaffolding, never mind the flanking horses and tritons. The fountain had also been drained to there was no opportunity for us to toss in the proverbial coins to guarantee a return visit to Rome, but at least there was a walk way over it to let people see as much of the statuary as possible. Evidently over 3000 euros are normally collected from the fountain on most nights and these are donated to a supermarket to help Rome's disadvantaged. I don't know who's been making up the loss whilst the work is done but I hope someone is.

RESTORATION WORK AT THE TREVI FOUNTAIN
CHRISTMAS EVE 2014

A walk through more narrow streets and a quick look at the facade of the Papal University took us back to the coach parked by the Palazzo Colonna and we were off again for the ride to St Peter's Square. The coach took a route via the Piazza Venezia and the Via Vittorio Emanuelle II and then across the Tiber bridge and in to Via della Conciliazione. This is the only way one should approach St Peter's and I was particuarly looking forward to it tonight as I'd never taken the route in the dark before. To see the huge basilica illuminated by floodlight from this grand boulevard approach is a truly stunning sight and a never to be forgotten experience.

VIEW OF ST PETER'S BASILICA AFTER DISEMBARKING OUR COACH
ON CHRISTMAS EVE 2014

After getting off the bus we had a brief opportunity to take a few photographs whilst the square was still relatively empty - it was 6pm - and it was time to be taken by Marcello for a Christmas Eve dinner in a local restaurant near the Vatican. It turned out to be a fun venue and we also met up with the people on the other coach which made the place more atmospheric. The four course buffet dinner with wine and a prosecco toast was surprisingly good.

JON POSES FOR A CHRISTMAS EVE DINNER PHOTOGRAPH

OUR ATMOSPHERIC CHRISTMAS EVE VATICAN RESTAURANT

We sat next to a young man on his own from Chile and met another young couple from New York City who'd also booked the tour at the last minute like us. At about 7.30pm Marcello rounded us all up for the short walk back to St Peter's Square and by the time we got back there it was much busier and queues were forming for those with tickets for the papal mass. It took our guide several minutes to find the end of the line and I was shocked to discover how long it was - it snaked in a double loop all the way round the square and back again round its perimeter. Would we make it inside in time?

STANDING IN LINE TO GET IN TO ST PETER'S
ON CHRISTAS EVE

We stood with our new young friends from New York. We moaned just a little that the tour outline had not explained that it would take up to two hours to get inside the basilica. Rumours were also spreading that entry wasn't guaranteed to even those with tickets. Yikes - were we to be condemned to watching everything on the TV screens in the piazza? Gradually we moved round the square and we were able to get great views of the huge papal christmas tree and the outsized presepe (nativity scene)  in front of the ancient obelisk. Every time I come here (this was my 4th visit) I admire the brilliance of the sublime 17th century Bernini embracing colonnades surmounted by saints which enclose the piazza and make everyone feel part of the special community it encloses. The atmosphere in the crowd tonight was warm and friendly and at the same time respectful and although the line was moving very slowly the time seemed to pass quickly. Soon my watch was showing almost 9pm and by this time we'd arrived at the security screening. A quick scan with a Vatican wand and we were through and able to walk quietly up the steps to the massive portals of the basilica - it was time to enter the church,

Inside the vast and cavernous nave looked full already and with only half an hour before the mass was due to start at 9.30pm, we already knew we weren't going to get a seat. We chose to stand at the back close to where the papal procession would begin and it proved to be a good choice We could see Bernini's huge bronze baldachino down the nave where the pope would celebrate the mass and he was going to pass by us very closely. We'd seen him once before, last December when we turned up in St Peter's Square one Sunday morning in December to hear him deliver the angelus prayer. At 9.30pm precisely - the Swiss guards near us stood to attention and a tannoy announcement asked the congregation not to applaud when the procession started thus respecting the solemnity of the occasion.

As the front of the procession passed us the thought flashed through my mind that if ever there was an institution dominated by elderly men it has to be the catholic church - not a woman in sight and only one or two younger clerics in the procession. The pope was at the back and after these fleeting thoughts  I was pleased to see him. I admire this 77 year old Jesuit pope from Argentina, the first ever non-european ever to hold the office and I respect his decision not to live in the papal apartment and adopt the rich trappings of the office. I was fascinated to read earlier in the day that his parents had been born in northern Italy and had emigrated to South America at the time of Mussolini's fascist regime. His concern for the plight of the world's poor and disadvantaged seems to be already a hallmark of his papacy.

POPE FRANCIS PROCESSES DOWN THE NAVE OF ST PETER'S
CHRISTMAS EVE 2014

Though I am not a member of the catholic church myself, I was raised in the Church of England, I found this Christmas Eve mass a moving event. The setting was inspiring and the spoken and sung latin liturgy is truly spiritually uplifting, even for an old cynic like myself. A Vatican printed service booklet will make a permanent souvenir of our taking part in this "one off" event.

THE POPE CELEBRATES MASS IN ST PETER'S
CHRISTMAS EVE 2014

 I've spent many Christmases in times past in settings devoid of the Christmas message and this year I was genuinely pleased to be reminded of it. I was taken by surprise the following day when Her Majesty the Queen in her own Christmas Day message said the following words:

"For me the life of Jesus Christ, the prince of peace, whose birthday we celebrate today, is an inspiration and anchor in my life. A role model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ's example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none."

I was moved by these words on Christmas Day and when the Queen spoke them I felt the same sentiments had been apparent in the mass we'd experienced in St Peter's the previous evening. They are values and sentiments we can all subscribe to whatever backgrounds we come from and whenther we believe in God or not - it's a universal message as important today as it was 2000 years ago.

We decided not to take part in the communion part of the mass (I was never a confirmed member of the church of england) and it was an amazing experience to leave the basilica and stand on the steps of this great church before going down in to the crowds outside. This was a Christmas to remember and we looked forward to the walk back to the Hotel Barberini.

LEAVING ST PETER'S BASILICA ON CHRISTMAS EVE

TRAVELLER'S TIP
This was an excellent overall Christmas Eve tour in Rome and I would recommend it. The ticket for the mass as St Peter's was the icing on the cake. It's not for those in a hurry though - there's a long wait in line outside St Peter's and the mass itself lasts 2.5 hours. It is however memorable and it was reasonably well organized by the tour operator. We could have had a ride back to our hotel in the coach had we wished to take that opportunity.