Blessed by the Pope - Rome saved me.

by Maria Fedtchenko (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

I didn't expect to find United Kingdom

It was early April- I remember because the cold weather turned my thin fingers stiff and beset them with a tincture of purple-bluish shades. I observed them through sunken eyes that were wrinkled at the corners- but not with the warm kindness that most old people have. The epitome of frailty: but not even old. I was just 16 and only now, no longer oblivious to how my health had deteriorated in the past year. Despite being an early bloomer, even I never expected a midlife crisis to hit me this fast. What I knew was that I was miserable. With this sudden, uninvited awareness- I scrambled up the pennies I had collected from babysitting, told my mother to take 3 days off from work and booked us a trip to Rome (two weeks before my GCSE exams). First named the Eternal City back in the 1st Century BC, I found my own frailty juxtaposed to a city of vitality, which had resiliently survived upheaval- continuously strengthening and rebuilding. When you enter the city it is as if each piece of architecture demands your attention, calling out to you like the symphonies of a carousel in a children's amusement park. You are filled with awe and the excitement you vaguely remember feeling as a kid. Yet, neither Michelangelo’s Moses nor the Mosaics in Santa Maria in Trastevere, share the artificiality of a children's amusement park - every creation is of a superlative artisan class. Am I still in reality? Situated in the east bank of the Tiber, the Colosseum originally known as the Flavian amphitheater, stands proudly at 50 meters high and is esteemed by all. At one point it roused masses of audiences and gladiator fanatics through its 80 entrances. Now it accepts the natural disasters that tarnished its walls as nothing more than an aspect of graceful ageing. Tourists still rally within the walls, listening to the stories of this elder. But whilst you are hungry to explore this city, you find yourself famished for more than architecture, for the “gelato” is the real reason Julia Roberts ventured to Rome in the well known “Eat, Pray, Love” film. The artisan dessert, sometimes crudely translated as “Ice-cream”, is no competition for its American pioneered counterpart. As its tasteful sweetness caresses your mouth, you are introduced to a newfound density, your senses are stimulated by the aroma of the mellow pistachio notes, or perhaps the unique scent of the traditional “torta della nonna”. Whilst at 16 I was not expecting to find love in a man like Julia had- I did find it in Italian food. Italian carbs have a sultry seductiveness that is no match for a Greggs Franchise. If you ever find you have neglected your relationship with food, visit Italy. She tempts you to revive your bond, forgives your inexperience - you’ve not tasted her before. The final day of our trip fell on Easter Sunday, it was a welcome coincidence and an opportunity to experience the “Urbi et Orbi”, the special apostolic blessing given by the Pope. Heralded on the balcony, that is centered in St Peter's Basilica, thousands observed as he blessed the “city and the world”. There was this common awareness that this was more than Catholicism, this was even more than a rassemblement of tourists who had fortunately planned out their trip to fall on these dates. For once we were all as still and solemn as the walls of the Basilica. This was a blessing we all needed. So what did I find other than an assortment of new “ice-cream” flavours? You see, the thing about Rome is it has this authority that makes you beg the city to reveal its secrets. But when has Rome ever easily surrendered? It feeds you, not just with its food but with its energy. You are released back into the world with a new sense of gratitude and a feeling of liveliness. Although you will never be as strong as her, each day you get stronger - because hey, even Rome was not built in a day. (On a side note- I also got the best Italian GCSE grade in the class.)