Frank introduced our special guests at breakfast, telling everyone that Marco was an integral part of the tour in a capacity they would soon find out, and were joining us for a few days. He introduced Mamma: Signora Maria-Terese Francesca Bolle Marson, who has lived her entire life in Italy and has never seen most of the sights we were visiting on the trip. She doesn't speak much English, so her son or one of us (me or Frank) would be translating for her. Mamma beamed and waved at everyone. Then she remarked on how much food there was. We translated that she was saying she had never seen a breakfast like this, are we sure it's not a dinner? (What did I tell you? This country doesn't eat breakfast...) People cracked up. Mamma's going to end up with a fan club.
I gave my breakfast talk - the one about the Roman Empire's religious tolerance. Ironic since were in the Jewish Quarter last night. The clients were free for the day to do as they wished, just be back to get on the bus by 5:30 for our private Vatican tour. I spend two hours "at the office" in the lobby, with Mamma and Marco with me, deciding which church we were going to Sunday Mass at (imperative for Mamma) and me making reservations for us to go to the Borghese Gallery. Yes, I had been there on the last tour, but they hadn't ever seen it.
We hopped in a cab to head over to Santa Maria Vittoria for Mass. It's a beautiful little jewelbox of a church, with an amazing Bernini piece in it. St. Teresa in Ecstasy, check it out online, I can't take a decent picture of it. Mamma was having trouble paying attention to the priest, she was gaping the whole time around her at the church. Afterward we proceeded to Villa Borghese and once inside the park we stopped at the lunchwagon for sandwiches and chips and picnicked on a bench.
They thoroughly enjoyed the Borghese. I got so excited in my explanations of the statues and paintings that I couldn't even try to speak Italian in doing it, just leaving Marco to translate for me. At one point he put his hands up and said "Aspetta. Aspetta. Non riesco a tenere il passo con quello che stai dicendo a dire a Mamma." Wait. Wait. I can't keep up with what you're saying to tell my mother. "Piano," slow.
We got back around 2PM so that she could have a rest before we went to the Vatican. This was the whole reason she was here and I didn't want her falling down in the middle of traipsing through the expansive Vatican. This has been more activity than she's had in quite a few years.
She's a trouper, that lady. She made it through the museum and I only wish I could have had a camera on her face (don't even think about holding a camera in the Sistine - they will take it away from you even if you point it at the floor) when she walked in to the Sistine Chapel. My mouth hangs open when I see it, but this is a woman who has waited 83 years to see this. It's a miracle to her and a testament to her faith as far as she's concerned. This is where the leader of her Church, of her world, is elected and consecrated. Forget the paintings on the ceiling and the walls, this is where "her" leader comes from. It's the point of power for her.
We piled on to our coach for a short trip to the Trastevere neighborhood for our group dinner. An excellent time was had by all. Mamma had three glasses of wine (just like the rest of us, a lot was imbibed during the festivities) and then the musicians came in and to play old traditional songs and she got up and sang with them! You know the wedding scene in the Godfather where Mrs Corleone is encouraged to get up and sing at Connie's wedding and she and that old man are singing what is obviously a dirty old ditty? Yeah, so that happened. Marco was having a ball watching her having a ball. When everyone got up from the tables and danced, she made her son dance with her. Some of the men in our group were dancing with her as well. It was very sweet. A joyous evening.
"Who is this woman?" Marco said at one point. He hasn't seen her this festive since his sister's wedding in 1991. I'm just happy to see them happy. Frank said he wants to bring her along on every tour. She's a hit.
At Marco's prodding they got me to sing on the bus on the way back to the hotel. "She sings at the piano bar in the hotels with the musicians. She hasn't made the singing for you yet? Oh, you must have her sing to you..." I'm going to kick the crap out of my friend when the clients aren't around, but I'm a hit too.
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