Vatican Museums -- Vatican City State

 Destination: Getting to Italy may be less than certain right now, but if you can get as far as Rome, the Vatican Museums reopened May 3 with restrictions. The stunning collections are well worth the price of admission.

Masses are offered throughout the day at the Vatican.Ask at the museum information desk for help.  

Photos: Top--Statues are seen above the exit to the Vatican Museums at the Vatican Feb. 3, 2021. The Vatican Museums reopened this week after a three-month closure as COVID-19 restrictions eased slightly in Italy. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Below-- A model of the Vatican City State was on display at the Vatican Museum in 2014. (Observer photo/Sharon Boehlefeld)

Why to go: The main museum on the grounds of the Vatican has several collections of artifacts, both religious and secular. But there are also archeological digs at the necropolis of the Via Triumphalis and at St. John Lateran in the city of Rome.  

Within the Vatican, museums include the Gregorian Egyptian and Etruscan museums, the lapidary Gallery, several papal rooms and the Sistine Chapel.

For those unable to travel to Rome, the museums’ collections can be seen on their Instagram account at instagram.com/vaticanmuseums/ and with their online “tours” at museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/tour-virtuali-elenco.html

If you’d like to keep up with the museum, you can sign up for a newsletter in Italian or English by clicking on the plus sign on the top of the page near the right. The menu uses pictographs for searching, information, tickets and merchandise.

Accessibility: Some parts of the main museum could be difficult to get to for those with limited mobility. Ask about elevator access. The Vatican Museum Office of Services and Public Relations can answer email questions at help.musei@scv.va.

(Grand) Kid friendly: All ages are welcome.

Info: Address — Vatican Museum, Viale Vaticana, 00165 Rome 

Phone — +39 06 69884676 or +39 06 69883145 

Website — https://m.museivaticani.va

— Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story

Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Arte Poli Gallery -- Rome, Italy

Destination: Should travel restrictions open in time, anyone heading for Rome may want to schedule a stop to see an exhibit only a few steps from the Vatican, on the 42nd anniversary of the election of St. John Paul II.

Masses are not held at the exhibit, but there are plenty of options in Rome. Check the internet before you go. 

Photo: Alessia Giuliani and her father, Giancarlo, both photojournalists, are pictured in front of their exhibit of photos from the pontificate of St. John Paul II in Rome Oct. 16, 2020. Both photographers contributed photos to Catholic News Service for many years. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Why to go: The exhibit opened to celebrate the Polish-born pope, and a father-daughter team of photographers who helped document his pontificate. 

Giancarlo Giuliani began covering the Vatican as a photojournalist in 1961. His daughter, Alessia Giuliani, joined him in 1999. 

The COVID-19 lockdown and ongoing restrictions meant that most of the events planned in Rome to mark the centenary of St. John Paul’s 1920 birth were canceled or postponed. 

But at the Arte Poli gallery, from Oct. 16 to April 2, 2021, visitors can glimpse the late pope’s personality through the Giulianis’ photographs and through objects the pope used, speeches written in his own hand and sculptures of him loaned to the exhibit. 

For the elder Giuliani there is no doubt who was his favorite pope to photograph. St. John Paul “was an actor,” who was comfortable in front of the cameras and who “would let us work,” he said. 

Giancarlo Giuliani, a contributing photographer for Catholic News Service for many years, accompanied the pope on 103 of his 104 foreign trips.

Hours: The gallery is open Tuesday-Friday,10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-6 p.m. Details about entrance and booking guided tours are available by phone or email.

Accessibility: Ask when you organize your visit.

(Grand) Kid friendly: All ages are welcome.

Info: Address — Galleria Arte Poli, Borgo Vittorio 88, zona Basilica di S.Pietro, ROMA 
Phone —  39-06- 68309510 or 39-33-81363298
Website — https://www.poliartesacra.com/en/index.php
Email — galleria@progettoartepoli.com

— Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story; CNS contributed

Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Shrine of the Holy Face - Manoppello, Italy

(CNS photos/Paul Haring)

Destination:  At the Shrine of the Holy Face in Manoppello, Italy, about 117 miles east of Rome, visitors see a transparent cloth encased between two glass panes within an ornate silver frame above the sanctuary’s altar.
Devotees of the Manoppello veil claim that it is “Veronica’s Veil” and that it was secretly moved to the little hilltop town in Abruzzo on orders from Pope Clement VII to protect it following the Sack of Rome in 1527.
Masses are offered at the shrine, but we found no regular times on the website.
Photos: The Shrine of the Holy Face (left) is in Manoppello, Italy. The Holy Face of Manoppello (below right) is on display at the shrine.
Why to go: Although the traditional Stations of the Cross include “Veronica wipes the face of Jesus,” none of the Gospels recount a woman wiping Jesus’ face as He carries His cross to Calvary.
A pious legend says Veronica later went to Rome to leave the relic with St. Clement, one of the early popes.
The Capuchin friars at Manoppello have been the custodians of a veil since 1630.
For centuries, few people outside the small town knew of the cloth and its image of Jesus. But a Capuchin priest, Father Domenico di Cese, made it his life’s work to spread devotion to the Holy Face of Manoppello.

When he first saw the veil as a young priest in the 1930s, the face looked like the same unidentified man who had rescued him from the rubble of a church after a major earthquake in 1915 when he was a child. Father di Cese died in 1978.
But in 1999 the veil caught the world’s attention when Jesuit Father Heinrich Pfeiffer, an art historian at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University, announced at a press conference that the cloth was the true “veil of Veronica.” He said  after conducting research, he discovered that the image on the veil could be perfectly superimposed on the face of the Shroud of Turin, the relic many believe is Jesus’ burial shroud.
The Vatican does not formally recognize the authenticity of relics like the Veil of Manoppello or the Shroud of Turin. However, since Pope Benedict XVI became the first pope to visit the shrine in 2006 and venerate the image, visits to the shrine have increased. But Benedict made no pronouncement about the image.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Of course.
Info: Address — Rector of the Shrine of the Holy Face, Via Cappuccini, 26, 65024 Manoppello (PE) Italy
Phone — 085859118 or 0854979194
Website — www.voltosanto.net (click on the British flag for English)

— Junno Arocho Esteves, CNS; Sharon Boehlefeld contributed to the story
Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Vatican Museums -- Rome, Italy

(CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Destination: If you’re heading to Rome in the next several weeks, a two-part exhibition — one at the Vatican and the other at the Jewish Museum of Rome — explores the significance of the menorah.
Masses are frequent in Rome. Check on the web for a location convenient for you.

Photo: A journalist looks at a replica of the 1st-century Arch of Titus, showing Roman soldiers carrying the menorah, in a exhibition at the Vatican May 15. The replica is the central motif in a two-part exhibition on the menorah at the Vatican and at the Jewish Museum in Rome. 

Why to go:  From a coin minted in the century before Christ’s birth to a 1987 Israeli comic book featuring a superhero with a menorah on his chest, the exhibit, “The Menorah: Worship, History and Myth,” documents the use of the seven-branched candelabra both as a religious item and a symbol of Jewish identity.
Among the pieces displayed at the Jewish Museum stands a towering mosaic inscription describing treasures buried at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. Dating from the 13th century, while the Crusades were raging, the mosaic’s 37-line inventory includes “the golden candelabrum” Titus brought to Rome.
The exhibit prominently features a replica of the 1st-century Arch of Titus, showing Roman soldiers carrying the menorah and other treasures into Rome. They also give a nod to the centuries-old legend that the Vatican is hiding the golden menorah from the Temple of Jerusalem.
Francesco Leone, the art historian who prepared the exhibit catalogue, told Catholic News Service the most historically reliable explanation of the Temple menorah’s fate is that it was taken as booty from Rome by the Vandals or Goths before the end of the fifth century and melted down.
Admission: The exhibit is scheduled to be open through July 23. One ticket — 25 euros — includes admission to the main part of the exhibit in the Charlemagne Wing just off St. Peter’s Square and to the Jewish Museum, located about a mile away at Rome’s main synagogue.
Hours vary at each museum and the Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays while the Jewish Museum is closed Saturdays.  Check details for both venues at the Vatican Museums website (below).
(Grand) Kid friendly: Of course.
Info: Address — Vatican Museums, Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome
Phone — +39 06 69884676 or +39 06 69883145
Website — www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/eventi-e-novita/iniziative/mostre/2017/la-menora.html
— CNS; Sharon Boehlefeld contributed to this story.
Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Take the Train Vatican City to Castel Gandolfo

(CNS photo)

Destination: Pope Francis’ desire for a church whose doors are wide open isn’t just a metaphor for encouraging a greater spirit of welcoming. He also has told the Vatican staff to lift the locks on places and spaces that were long closed to the general public -— the latest being the papal summer home in the hilltop town of Castel Gandolfo.
Masses are available all over Rome, but aren’t part of the tours.
Why to go: The head of the Vatican Museums, Antonio Paolucci, said the pope told him he did not want the rich botanical and architectural treasures of the papal gardens and villas to be wasted.
The tiny train station of the smallest country in the world is now open to ticketed tour goers so anyone can take a specially chartered train that leaves every Saturday for a round trip journey to Castel Gandolfo, just 13 miles away. Tourists can choose two itineraries and must book ahead online at museivaticani.va.
It’s the first time the apostolic palace, which houses the still-private papal apartments and the observatory dome of the pope’s Jesuit astronomers, has officially opened to the public.
Six large rooms display papal portraits, historical clothing and liturgical vestments. People can get an up-close look at a “sedia gestatoria,” or portable papal chair, popes’ embroidered cloth slippers and a gold and silver desk set used by Pope Pius VIII. Visitors also can venture onto a huge balcony to admire Lake Albano — an ancient volcanic lake.
Both itineraries have tourists leave the papal property right at lunchtime for three to four hours of “free time” in town before a late afternoon train back to Rome.
Options: A full-day ticket for $45 starts with a two-hour visit to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. After a one-hour walk through the Vatican Gardens, there is a one-hour train ride from Vatican City to Castel Gandolfo with a one-hour mini-train ride through the pontifical gardens. An $18 ticket includes only train transport and entrance to a museum space created in the apostolic palace.
Accessibility: It’s Italy, so most places will have stairs, cobblestones and hills to negotiate.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Of course.
Info: Web — museivaticani.va

— Catholic News Service
Send Destination ideas to SeasonedObserver@rockforddiocese.org

Vatican Splendors - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

(CNS photo)

Destination: Planning to head to the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia in September? Make time to see works of art and rare artifacts from the Vatican while you are there. Philadelphia is the only announced destination for the exhibit, which will be on a two-city North American tour.
While there are no Masses at the Franklin Institute, check www.worldmeeting2015.org/plan-your-visit/places-worship to find some. 
Why to go: More than 200 works of art, 40 percent of which have never been shown publicly anywhere, are part of the “Vatican Splendors” exhibit opening Sept. 19 at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute. (If you don’t go right away, you’ll have time to visit the exhibit later. it’s running through Feb. 15, 2016, in Philly.)The nearly 10,000-square-foot exhibit, organized into 11 galleries, will consist of significant objects collected by Vatican Museums over the span of 2,000 years.
It includes objects from the ancient St. Peter’s Basilica and tools used in the construction of the 16th-century basilica and the Sistine Chapel; artwork by Michelangelo; historical maps, signed documents and a bas-relief sculpture; works by Baroque masters such as Bernini and Guercino; intricately embroidered silk liturgical vestments; uniforms of the papal Swiss Guard; artwork that dates to the first century; and bone fragments of SS. Peter and Paul as well as relics discovered at their tombs.
The photo shows a statue of St. Paul from the Vatican collection.

Hours: There will be daytime, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and evening, 5-9 p.m., exhibit hours with different non-member ticket prices for each session. Group rates are also available. Onsite parking is limited. Check the website for details.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Absolutely.
Info: Address — The Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St. Philadelphia, PA 19103  Phone — 215/448-1200 Web — https://www.fi.edu/exhibit/vatican-splendors

— Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld; CNS contributed to this story
Send Destination ideas to SeasonedObserver@rockforddiocese.org

A Virtual Tour of Basilica of St. John Lateran - Rome, Italy

(Observer photo by Sharon Boehlefeld)

(Observer screen shot)

Destination: Wishing you could make a pilgrimage to Rome, but just can’t make it? You can still see one of the most important churches in the history of the faith, the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome if you have a computer and an Internet connection.

Why to go: The Basilica of St. John Lateran was the first Christian cathedral in Rome, ordered by Rome’s first Christian emperor, Constantine the Great. It became the pope’s own cathedral and, for the first 1,000 years of Christian history, it was his official residence. Constantine gave the property, which had belonged to the Laterani family (hence, the name St. John Lateran), to Pope Melchiade (311-314). Over the years, it has suffered damage and been restored several times. When the papacy returned to Rome from Avignon, France, in the 14th century the residence was in such bad shape, the pope moved to the Vatican, which had been a pilgrimage church until then.
Today, St. John Lateran remains one of the four patriarchal basilicas that make up the “Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome,” as designated by the Vatican. The others are St. Peter’s Basilica, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls and the Basilica of St. Mary Major. The other three churches are two minor basilicas — St. Lawrence Outside-the-Walls and Holy Cross of Jerusalem — and a shrine, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Divine Love.
In the top photo, a crowd gathers in front of St. John Lateran Cathedral the weekend of the canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II in April 2014.
The tour begins with an overhead view of the cathedral (bottom photo). The facade in the top photo is the eastern exterior, number 13 in the photo.

How to go: To take the virtual tour of St. John Lateran, go to the website and click on the numbers in the photo. As each “room” opens, slowly move your cursor to the right or left, up or down. Stop any time and the image will focus. Take your time examining the stunning views and listening to the choir singing.

Info: http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_giovanni/vr_tour/index-en.html

- Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld
Send your Catholic destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

First stop -- Pope John XXIII's birthplace

It's a tiny village, Sotto il Monte, -- under the mountains -- in  the he far north of Italy. And it's the birthplace of Pope John XXIII.
Our first stop was the church where he was baptized and later said Mass, but we also stopped at the family home in the village.

We had a wonderful tour of the rustic, courtyard house where he lived with 30 family members until he went to seminary at age 11.

Our guide for much of the tour was Father Giulio Mariani, PIME. A seminary for the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions is behind the old house, and is a repository of thousands of pieces of memorabilia relating to Pope John XXIII. The statue (left of Father Mariani) has a tradition -- and a shiny spot -- much like the statue of Lincoln's nose in Springfield, Illinois. Pilgrims, including those on our trip, rub the hand and forearm of the life-size statue.

But, by the time we had a wonderful lunch at the village's new cultural center about their native son and saint, got into a bus and drove six hours south to our destination, most of us had been awake for 24 hours or longer. I'll add details about the rest of the day later.

--Sharon Boehlefeld from Tuscany in Italy

Getting ready for Rome

St.Peter's Square (CNS/Reuters)

Getting ready for a trip abroad is challenging for someone like me who hasn’t been out of the U.S. since the last time my parents took me to Canada. And that was a long time ago. My more well-traveled friends have been willing to help me with suggestions – always be alert for pickpockets, take washcloths – and with equipment – electrical converters, passport holders.

For the trip to cover the canonization of popes John XXIII and John Paul II, our pilgrimage group from the Diocese of Rockford will arrive in time for the rainy month of April. Weather websites – I found are http://www.holiday-weather.com/rome/averages/april/ and http://www.accuweather.com/en/it/rome/213490/april-weather/213490 but there are others. These say we’ll have showers at least a couple of days during our stay, so the rain poncho and umbrella are going in my carry-on bag.

I’ve been doing some other research about traveling and I’ve actually found a couple of intriguing, and potentially helpful, web sites that might be useful for other novice travelers. Here are a few good articles:

To survive the flight, try some of these tips from Erica Ho. http://lifehacker.com/how-to-survive-a-long-haul-flight-with-finesse-1551468782

To pack better, read Lisa Lubin’s suggestions. http://www.llworldtour.com/how-to-pack-lighter/

For another take on packing – what to pack for women – here’s http://travelfashiongirl.com/10-piece-travel-essentials-packing-list-spring-2013/

And here’s a list for men that can be printed out on your computer. http://www.travelsmith.com/TravelSmith/US/TravelCenter/guide-packing-checklist/landing-path

This list also has some great packing reminders, though I know I won’t bring everything. http://www.vacation-lists.com/vacationpackingchecklists.html

I’m still looking for more information, but I believe the best advice I’ve heard so far comes from a frequent traveler to Italy who said, “You’ll love it.” 

I’m far from the only one getting ready for the canonization, though. According to this Catholic New Service story, the whole city it getting ready. http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1401346.htm

--Sharon Boehlefeld

Two popes to be canonized April 27

On Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, Pope Francis will recognize the sainthood of two of his predecessors -- John XXIII and John Paul II -- in a canonization ceremony.

Pope John XXII (left) and Pope John Paul II will be canonized April 27.

Canonization, according the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website, is "the formal process by which the Church declares a person to be a saint and worthy of veneration universally."
Catholic News Service reported that Pope Francis had been considering Dec. 8, 2013, but was concerned about the possibility that icy roads could have made it difficult for Polish pilgrims traveling by bus to Rome for the ceremony.
The other option, he said, was Divine Mercy Sunday, a celebration instituted worldwide by Pope John Paul.
Reporters on the plane taking the pope to Brazil for World Youth Day last July asked him to describe the two late popes.
Pope Francis said Blessed John was "a bit of the 'country priest,' a priest who loves each of the faithful and knows how to care for them; he did this as a bishop and as a nuncio."
He was holy, patient, had a good sense of humor and, especially by calling the Second Vatican Council, was a man of courage, Pope Francis said. "He was a man who let himself be guided by the Lord."
As for Blessed John Paul, Pope Francis told the reporters on the plane, "I think of him as 'the great missionary of the church," because he was "a man who proclaimed the Gospel everywhere."
Look for coverage of the Rockford Diocesan pilgrimage to the canonization, here, in April.
You'll also be able to follow us on Facebook at The Observer Catholic Newspaper.

--Sharon Boehlefeld 

(CNS photos)

Virtual Catacombs Tour - Google Maps

(CNS photos)

Destination: You have to travel no further than your computer for a tour of the Catacombs of Priscilla and of Ipogeo di via Dino Compagni, both located in Rome. A collaboration between Google, the Vatican and private owners of the Ipogeo site has resulted in a virtual tour of the catacombs you can take from your home.
Why to go: Nearly 8 miles of tunnels are part of the tour of the Catacombs of Priscilla, and the catacombs of the Ipogeo di via Dino Compagni, located in southeast Rome are privately owned and not open to the public, so the virtual mode is the only way to visit them.
The map (left) shows part of what you might see on Google Maps when you start the tour. The inset photo shows an image that will appear on your computer, use the large arrow at the bottom to navigate around the page. The image (right) is another view of the catacombs.
How to go:  Type the name of either catacomb into your favorite search engine or directly into Google Maps. You should see options similar to the one  in the large image above. Click on See inside to begin your tour.
You’ll need to click and hold your mouse on the screen to navigate around the rooms and tunnels. An arrow will appear on your screen (see inset above) when you can move into another room. You’ll need to release your mouse to click on the arrow, then wait for the image to focus again before clicking and holding your mouse again to “turn around” in the room or hallway.
(Grand) Kid friendly: If you feel at all intimidated by the virtual tour process, invite the grandkids in to help you.
Info: https://www.google.com/maps

- Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld; CNS contributed to this story
Send your Catholic destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org