They immediately disembarked when they reached Rome's Main Terminal and went to the subway part to get a ride to the Vatican.
They were able to join the crowd in time to attend mass outside St. Peter's Basilica. St. Peter's Square was set up the same way whenever there was a Papal audience. Apparently, they arrived on a day the pope decided to hold mass at the square. It was a treat for Maine. It was her first time to visit the Vatican and she got lucky enough that the mass she attended was officiated by none other than the Pope himself. The mass was in Latin, and she was amazed when she heard Richard respond in the language. She even heard him sing the hymns that was sung in Italian. She smiled, loving the sound of his voice especially when he sang. Her heart was aflutter, seeming happy.
After the mass, the Pope went around the quadrangle, blessing the people who were there. Every so often, the Pope mobile would stop and one of his body guards would approach the crowd and carry a child back to the pope to be blessed. Richard situated them on a seat that made sure the pope mobile would pass them, and Maine got another treat when the pope faced their group and blessed them. She was in tears. She never would have expected this moment to happened to her on the first time she stepped in Rome.
When they were allowed to clear the area, Richard led her to fall in line so they could enter St. Peter's Basilica. He reached out and took her hand. He never let it go while they were in the line.
"Sorry," Richard said as they slowly progressed in the line. "I forgot that the museums are usually closed on a Sunday except on the last Sunday of the month. I'll just bring you back, next time."
Maine just smiled at the thought of returning. She gave Richard's hand a squeeze to tell him it was alright.
Once they've passed the metal detectors, Richard directed her towards the side of the basilica. They were told that there was a mass at 12:15pm and blessing of religious items will be done afterwards. Richard led Maine to the shop. While they were looking around, Richard saw a small pendant of St. Benedict, the Patron Saint of Europe. It was silver and the details in the engravings were remarkable, even with its small size. After speaking with a store attendant, he was able to discreetly purchase the pendant before Maine came with her own purchases.
They were allowed to enter the basilica during mass but they were only allowed in the area where the images of the Pieta and Pope John Paul II, among others, were placed. The entrance to the tomb of St. Peter was also cordoned off so as not to disturb the mass. Maine noticed that near the altar to the right, there were people coming in and out. When she asked Richard what it was, he explained that it was an area for confessions. There were priests who knows different languages so you can confess in your native tongue.
So while waiting for the mass to finish, Richard gave bits of trivia that he remembered about past popes that were put on display inside glass cases. Maine listened as he quietly narrated to her facts in history about how the Vatican brought them out from the crypts. He talked about the basilica's history and the architectural details that he was familiar with.
Maine listened, but focused more on the tone of Richard's voice rather than the history lesson itself. She found his voice pleasant and comforting. He spoke quietly but clearly, and there was a sparkle in his eyes that told her how much he was enjoying. A smile crept on her face as she found herself mesmerized, like she was seeing him for the first time. The different kind of palpitation on her heart was back, and she smiled even more.
It was only after the mass that they were allowed to come near the altar to have their items blessed.
When they finally left the basilica and were about to leave the city, Maine saw Richard fish out an empty water bottle from his bag and he went to a fountain where so many people were gathered, also carrying their own water bottles. He returned with the bottled filled with clear water. She saw him drink from it before refilling the bottle again. He offered the bottle to her.
"There's still a couple of places that I want to show you," he said as she took a swig from the bottle. "We need to stay hydrated. Those fountains are everywhere in Rome. They're continuously flowing and they provide free clean water to the public. That is actually the biggest one I've seen. The other fountains are smaller in comparison. You must be hungry. I'll take you to this place that serves excellent pizza. Just don't ask them to put pineapples. Italians seemed to be weirded out by the Hawaiian style pizzas."
Maine just laughed at his statement as she returned the water bottle to him. After Richard kept the bottle in his bag, he reached out and took Maine's hand and led her to a small bistro just outside Vatican City. Maine felt herself blush as Richard's hand held hers. He held it tightly, as if afraid to lose her in the crowd. Richard didn't rush her as they walk with the crowd. They kept a slow pace with Richard letting Maine absorb the scenes around her.
They reached the bistro that Richard mentioned and they were seated outside so Maine could enjoy people watching while they ate. She let Richard order for them, and once again heard him speak in Italian. She was once again amazed by how he spoke the language. His accent was pretty convincing and she could see how comfortable he was in speaking the language.
Once the waiter left to ready their order, Maine asked, "you seem to know Italian pretty well."
"I owe it to Gian Carlo," he explained. "He was willing to teach me Italian whenever I stopped by. He was very patient with me. He not only taught me how to read and speak properly but he made sure I got my inflections right. There's a different drawl when a Roman speaks Italian from someone who speaks Italian in Milan. It's like there's a different accent when you're from London compared to someone who lives in Nottingham."
"And now I wonder why you can't pull off a decent English accent," she remarked as she propped an arm on the table and cradled her head as she leaned forward.
Richard chuckled, "I could never get the British and the Aussie accent properly. As well as Kiwi. I could never pass for a Kiwi. Martin could do the accents well though. Now he could pass for any of those. I do have a pretty convincing French accent though."
"I would love to hear that."
"You will," he replied with a smile. "When I take you back to Paris."
-oo-
Author's Note:
A bit of a disclaimer: I'm not really sure if the pope holds mass at the square during ordinary Sundays. I know he does that during special occasions. But since the museum is closed, I thought I'd give Maine a treat by seeing the Pope upclose.
Pope John Paul II's body is displayed at St. Peter's Basilica as well as 2 other popes who were canonized. And yes, the fountains around Rome are drinkable. Since I haven't really been to Milan, I don't know if those fountains are all over Italy or just in Rome. Hehe...