Italian Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving morning, George, Giorgio and I took a train down to Sorrento (south of Naples) for our holiday. When we arrived we saw the town all bedecked in Christmas decorations! 

The town is normally filled with tourists, however since tourist season is over, most of the people in the town were the locals and there were only a few of us tourists. It was a nice change of pace for us to come to a small town away from the crowds that we are used to in Roma. 

The town is filled with wood inlay, ceramic, limoncello and pastry shops. Thank goodness for us quite a few of the stores were closed due to tourist season being over. If they had been open it would have much harder for us not to buy anything! The wood inlay work they do here is gorgeous and the limoncello and pastries are delicious (yes, we caved and tried some!).

This was a courtyard next to one of the churches in the town.

We found a small park along the waterfront overlooking the Bay of Naples. Giorgio had a ball here running up and down the sidewalk and looking out over the water. He gets so excited about water and there was no exception here. He knelt down, getting as close to the railing as he could, pointed and kept on saying "wow" at the water!

Mt. Vesuvius

Just outside the old part of town there is a lemon and orange grove that we went to. They let you walk around and then in the middle of it they have a tasting area where they let you taste the liquors they produce. Mmmm! They make not only limoncello but liquors with oranges, fennel and one with lemons and cream. They inspired George to try to make his own versions of these liquors!

In the evening, we went to a restaurant that was recommended to us by our hotel as serving very authentic family style Italian food. Boy was it good! If we could not be at home with our families eating turkey, stuffing and pie then this was the next best thing. We had an appetizer sampler and some of the appetizers reminded us a little of Thanksgiving food. We had this brocoli and cheese dish (a little like brocoli and cheese casserole), a pumpkin roll, and an eggplant rolled up with cheese and tomato sauce (a little like my dad's eggplant parmesan.) Little George stuffed his face, as is appropriate for Thanksgiving,  and in particular loved the fried baby calamari!

On Friday, we hopped on a bus going up the Amalfi coast and stopped in the town of Positano. The bus ride was an adventure to be sure. The bus driver, in classic Italian style, speed the whole way even around the many hairpin turn going up and down the mountain side. Little George apparently inherited my motion sickness and ended up getting sick all over me on the ride to Positano. After we got off the bus and walked around a little, he was talking and squealing in delight over the water.

Positano is a gorgeous village! Not many people were visiting while we were there (again because tourist season is over) which was great! We had the beach almost to ourselves, I was not tempted to go shopping and we just got to enjoy the town as it is without the many distractions crowds can bring!

We walked from the top of the town, where the bus dropped us off, to the waterfront. Every where you looked was a stunning view.

The beach was gorgeous! Only a few other people where there, the weather was perfect, and we had the most incredible view!

We stuck our feet in the Mediterranean! Giorgio was very insistent about getting in the water. The water was a little cold so we quickly got out!

However Georgie still had fun on the beach. He was fascinated by all of the pebbles and particularly enjoyed hitting them together and throwing them!

George's favorite part of the day= getting a hug from his little Georgie! Someone is a daddy's boy! Giorgio loved every moment with George. After not having Dad around as much as he would like, little George wanted Dad most of the time!

We slowly walked back up to the top of the town to get on the bus back to Sorrento. Luckily little George feel asleep in the baby carrier before getting on the bus so he did not get sick again!

On Saturday, we explored Sorrento a little more. We picked up some fruit for little George to snack on throughout the day and noticed the lemons at the fruit stand. Yes these huge things are lemons! They are what Sorrento is famous for!

After lunch, we took a train to Pompeii. George had been before and remembered quite a bit from his classes, so he was a wonderful tour guide. It is amazing how much of these homes, shops, streets and the art work in them are preserved.

It was an interesting task trying to figure out how to best traverse the streets of Pompeii with a stroller.

Cookies were the key to keeping Georgie happy while George and I looked around.

Little George began enjoying the visit about haft way through our tour. He was particularly interested in the fawn at the House of the Fawn. We had to hold him back because he wanted to touch quite a few things including the fawn!

In one of the baths

Stray dogs are everywhere even in ruins. I think this was little George's favorite site.

On Sunday, after mass at Sorrento's cathedral and one last meal of Neapolitan pizza (we ate lots of pizza while here), we headed back to Roma. It was wonderful to get away to a small town for a few days for Thanksgiving and be together just the three of us!

Little pieces of home: Trinitarians & Friends

George and I are looking forward to coming back to the States and have started talking about the things we miss about home. Of course at the top of the list is family and friends. Anytime I hear from family or our friends, it makes home a little closer. Meeting up with Jessie, Cailtin's sister, at the Vatican was a highlight of this past week and brought home to me here in Rome. The same is also true for a few churches here in Rome. The Vatican is a place I seem to gravitate towards when homesick but this past week and haft I have happened across three churches all connected to the Order of the Most Holy Trinity. Entering a Trinitarian church, filled with images of the order's history and seeing Trinitarian priests walking around made me think of the good old days at DeMatha. It was awesome to be in these churches that are so connected to an order that has a special place in my heart.

The first Trinitarian church I visited was San Tommaso in Formis. Last week, Giorgio and I joined Judy and some of her college friends on a walk to the Lateran. We made a few touristy stops on the way. One being the Bocca della Verita... (our hands were not bitten :P)

We walked past the Circus Maximus and up the Caelian hill. As we were walking along, I noticed the seal of the Trinitarian order. Surprised but super excited, I walked into the courtyard and into the church. This church was actually the church that Pope Innocent III gave to St. John DeMatha to make it the Order's headquarters. St. John DeMatha and other Trinitarians lived in the monastery attached to the church and made part of it into a hospital.

13th century mosaic of Trinitarian seal

The church is built into the Claudian Aqueduct

Statue of St. John DeMatha in courtyard

Pope Innocent III approving the founding of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity

Christ freeing the captives

Exterior of the church. Georgie loved running up and down the walkway!

Accidentally finding and being able to visit this church made me giddy for the rest of the day! How cool is it to be in a church that is part of the foundations of the order that I worked for and to see images of events that I had taught about in my classes! It brought me back to DeMatha and back home!

When I was out with George and Giorgio this past Saturday, we visited a few churches. One of the churches George really wanted to show me was San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane because it was designed by Borromini. Well surprise, it is also a Trinitarian church.

The Trinitarian cross, which was everywhere in the church.

Statue of St. John DeMatha on the church exterior.

Statue of St. Felix Valois on the exterior.

Part of the dome are four medallions depicting events in the Order's founders. This medallion depicts the meeting of St. John DeMatha and St. Felix of Valois. (I took photos of the others but they are not clear.)

A painting depicting Christ exchanging hearts with St. Michael of the Saints.

This is an altar dedicated to St. John Baptist of the Conception.

An image of St. Charles Borromeo (who the church is dedicated to), St. John DeMatha and St. Felix of Valois

The cloister's courtyard. This is one of Borromini's famous designs. George was very excited to be seeing it.

The third Trinitarian church I visited this past week, San Crisogono, is actually really near to our apartment and I have walked by it numerous times. As I was heading to the market on Monday morning and decided to stop into this church. A funeral mass was going on so little George and I stayed for mass. (I have been to so many funeral masses here in Rome. It seems like every time I go to daily mass, the mass is a funeral mass!)  Afterwards we walked around visiting and took tons of photos. While I was taking the photos I kept thinking of how great it would have been to have visited these Trinitarian churches and to have taken these photos before working at DeMatha. I was always looking for beautiful images depicting the events I was teaching. Now here I am in Rome and these images are around me in abundance.

San Crisogono

I have walked through here so many times and never noticed!

Christ is holding the Trinitarian scapular and Mary is holding a purse, symbolizing the ransoming of captives.

Our Lady of Good Remedy supplying St. John DeMatha with money to ransom captives. 

Trinitarian Saints in Glory along with Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, whose chapel this is in. 

Mary reciting Matins with St. Felix of Valois  and angels, something that happened on September 8th 1212

More Trinitarian saints in heaven

"Ecce Homo"- Jesus is wearing a Trinitarian scapular around his neck

Relic of St. John DeMatha

Chapel designed by Bernini

The founders of the Trinitarian order with the Trinity above them.

I have been visiting so many gorgeous churches here in Rome. They will be one of the things I miss most about Rome. With the end of our time here coming soon, I am trying to see as many of Rome's churches as I can!

If I do not post before Thanksgiving, then happy Thanksgiving to you all! We are not going to have a classic Thanksgiving (mmm turkey, stuffing and pie!). Instead we are using the little bit of vacation time that George has and heading down to Sorrento for a long weekend!!