Via Appia: It Never Rains in California

Once I’d negotiated the Metro from Termini to San Giovanni in Laterano stop, I thought I was home free. The directions said, “Look for the clock tower and walk toward it”. I saw one and walked toward it. Unfortunately, it was the wrong clock tower and I walked about a mile in the wrong direction. That meant I also had to walk a mile back in the right direction. That’s when it started to rain.

At first, just a mist, then a light drizzle. I could see San Giovanni getting closer. I was really glad the backpack only weighed 17 lbs! Just as I got to the major intersection outside the Lateran, the sky opened up. I pulled the hood out of my windbreaker and walked across the intersection. I was getting soaked. Worse, the laptop case was getting wet and that worried me. So…I ducked under a roof overhang, dropped my backpack, opened the side zip and took out the last thing I packed: an umbrella.

Once back in the Lateran square, I found the right street and got to the Irish College. From landing at FCO to being buzzed in the door at the College - three hours. I was exhausted. Just thinking about it exhausts me again!

Alison and Kelley are the office staff. They phoned Father Albert, who popped over to introduce himself with the promise of showing me around once I’d had a chance to rest. I wonder how he could tell that I needed to rest?

Kelley showed me to the ‘guest house’. The guest house formerly was a convent. It’s big. It’s marble. It‘s austere. There’s no internet access in the convent. There’s no TV. There’s no phone. And there was no heat. There was no hot water. Honestly, I didn’t care - I just needed to sleep. I was getting the shakes from being tired and hungry.

After a three-hour nap, I went back to the office where Father Albert met me, as promised. He accompanied me to the convent and showed me how to turn on the hot water. That seemed to be all right.
He had less success with the heater in my room and finally gave up and brought the space heater from the office over so I’d have heat for the night.

Then he showed me around the College. It’s a wonderful place with a rich sense of history, culture, tradition, and spiritual formation. The most impressive thing was the renovation in the chapel. It’s spectacular - have a look at the photo!

Father Albert introduced me to Monsignor Liam, who is an old friend of Michael’s. In fact, Albert also had been a student here when Michael was at the College. They invited me to lunch with them in the refectory the next day. (So far, that’s the best meal I’ve had, btw.)

The sun returned. Kelley and Alison suggested I move over to the small cottage since it had heat. I finally agreed and settled in just a few yards away from my original digs. The St Joseph cottage is charming. Unlike the convent, the cottage is quite homey and I can stay until the next people booking it arrive, on Saturday the 27th. *

The cottage is a mix of plaster walls and arched brickwork and heavy wooden beams. There are pocket doors, my favorite! I had to figure out how to flush the toilet, which has no handle or chain. (there’s a button on the bottom of the wall tank) and I wondered what the valve on the wall was for (I think it diverts hot water from the radiators to the shower). The electric kettle was pretty easy. The key(s) to the big, old, wooden door out to the street takes a little practice.

My next door neighbors are Americans who have lived in Jerusalem for 40 years. I knocked on their door and introduced myself. Lee is now retired, having been professor of archaeology at Hebrew University. He’s teaching for two months at the Gregorian University here. Myra is an artist who’s interested in book-making (making books, not taking bets!) Lee studied at Jewish Theological Seminary, right across the street from Union. I spent a fair bit of time at JTS myself, so we had something to chat about. Myra is a Barnard/Columbia grad. And in the ‘how small a world can it be?’ realm - though he moved away at age 4, Lee was born in Bangor, Maine. They’ve already been here for two weeks, so they were able to tell me where to go for groceries (Di per Di) and where there’s a good bakery (two blocks past the Lateran palace).

The housekeeper, Giovanna, speaks less English than I speak Italian, but she understands that I like the sour cherry jam, so she’s put extra in the fridge. She assumed that since I liked the cherry jam, I’d like cherry yogurt too. It’s pretty good, and the ‘good bacteria’ probably is a plus. Oh yes - the accommodations come with some fruit, cereal, coffee, etc so it’s possible to make a light, continental type breakfast. I’ve sort of lived on that, and cappuccino & pizza from “L’800” - a nice café and ‘everything shop’ about 100 yards from the College’s main gate. The tech guy is out sick but will be back tomorrow between 2 and 5.

At the other end of the road is the Coliseum. Albert advised that it’s a two-minute walk (downhill). More about that later too.

Day one was like real-life - not ideal, a few little glitches, but hey -