One Year Later, 28 December

So we are now at the close of 2013, in terms of world events well we had the usual disasters, wars, massacre of population and very little Peace on Earth. One Supreme Pontiff resigned not the first to do so in the history of the Holy See replaced by the first Jesuit ever to reach that exalted position. The new Pontiff  is a very good PR man and knows how to catch people by surprise, in a way the old Polish Politician Jean-Paul II could not, despite all the Media hype. We have also come to learn of his role and lack of action in the whole child abuse scandal. Of his powerful friends who were deeply involved and were he failed to act because he was pursuing a political agenda closely tied to Polish Politics. A moral failure on his part in my view which does not deserve his elevation to Sainthood. Luckily Pope John XXIII (1958-1963) will also be elevated to Sainthood, a much more deserving choice.

Then the Civil War in Syria, we came close to a military intervention again in a conflict the West did not understand and had little interest, though for reason of public policy politicians had to show the masses they cared. Once the matter of the chemical weapons was settled, the West lost interest and the Civil War continue apace. As for our so-called friends in the Syrian Opposition it looks like Russia knew all along that they were not trustworthy and President Assad is the devil we know, a classic case of I told you so, the Russians are laughing now and the Americans well have poor quality intelligence but then again that is not new. The series of articles in the New York Times of 29 Dec 2013 explain the whole Benghazi affair and the many failures of the CIA, yet again.
Then there was Egypt and Morsi and the Brotherhood. The Egyptian crisis will continue for some time to come, not to mention the many crisis in the whole region, Tunisia, Algeria, Yemen, Qatar.
Iran elected a new President it appears some change may be at hand, will see. Hopefully no war with Iran it would be a huge mistake. The so called Arab Spring that was not really a change for democracy, how can you have democracy with extreme poverty, lack of economic opportunity, illiterate people, lack of basic sanitation and clean water and corruption. It looks almost like a luxury this democracy thing. In North America we are very naive, too often thinking that people want to copy us and our culture.

There were other conflicts in Africa, Mali and Central African Republic where France and their President are playing old Colonial Masters coming to help the poor Africans. Would it not be better to simply let Africans settle their own score? Am sure they are quite capable without the help of France.

In Canada well we saw more GOP and Tea Party Politics thanks to our born-again Evangelical, Rapture seeker Prime Minister, several of his ministers have shown how out of touch they are with reality, spitting on the poor, the elderly, the disabled, Veterans, pensioners, the public service and poor children, in the immortal words of Minister James Moore, ''It is not my responsibility to feed my neighbours children'' or in the words of Minister of Veterans Affairs, Fantino, ''We have no responsibility to our wounded Veterans'' or better still Minister of Justice, Mackay ''the homeless should sell whatever they have so they can pay their fines". This same government is now involved in a political scandal which is destroying the faith we might have had in our democratic institutions. For years Canadians lived in this dreamy stupor believing that we did not have corruption in Canada, we now know that we are a very corrupt country where many political appointees are on the take and have Mafia connections. Canadians have also woken up to the fact that our Governor General cannot do a thing about any political situation, no matter how dangerous it might be given the near dictatorial powers Mr. Harper has given himself, that being a flaw in our own Constitution of 1867. The GG's role kiss babies and eat cake, basta.

I will not go into the depressing situation with the Mayor buffoon of Toronto the former metropolis of Canada, a role the city held for a brief period between 1977 and 2006, before being replaced by Calgary.
Toronto today is bankrupt and is the fruit bowl of Multicultural Policies that simply do not work in the real world, no matter how hard Canadians wish to believe in our national myths.

I will not bore you with the rest of the news which had little to make anyone smile. I am sure you have your own favourite news story.

But let's look instead on the brighter side of things, this year has been my first year in retirement. I volunteered with our National Museums, spending over 360 hours working as a volunteer.
I learned a great deal and it has been an interesting experience.

We travelled in May to Salzburg to the Pfingstfestspiele Music Festival. We had like in years past a wonderful time and we are returning in 2014. Then in August we travelled to Stratford Ontario for the Theatre Festival, a first for me, fell in love with this lovely city.

During our stay in Stratford we met with fellow bloggers we had been corresponding with. Meeting people in person after speaking and commenting on the internet is always a bit daunting but it was a rewarding experience and met like minded fellows and made new friends. See their blogs at http://sporeflections.wordpress.com
and http://harpersvalley.wordpress.com We will most likely meet them again this August at the Festival.

Then in November we flew to Rome met with many old friends and then on to our cruise on AZAMARA which took us to Spain. It is our second cruise with this line and we love it. www.azamaraclubcruises.com

Spending 23 days in Europe and visiting many famous sites was a pleasure. We discovered Valencia, Gibraltar, Séville and Granada. The beauty of the Alcazar and the Alhambra, treasures of our past. This trip was our gift to ourselves on our 35 Anniversary, (1978-2013). At the end of our trip we met in London with our friend D.N. who suggested a wonderful fish restaurant J. Sheekey and entertained us with a delightful conversation on music and the arts. I am always in awe of his prodigious memory for details. We stayed in London with my fiancée C. at her very central flat near Baker Street. She also took us to a great restaurant Brasserie Zédel.

On this blog I am ending the year with 92,000 clicks, thank you for all the comments. This is our 3rd year in Ottawa we have re-connected with friends and have our old regular circle back.

Being retired is not difficult and life takes on a different look, I now have other priorities which have nothing to do with work and more to do with what I like and want to do. I do not regret for one moment having retired. As for 2014 I do not have any resolutions, I do not really believe in them. Will see what this new year brings.

In Capri at Dr. Munthe's House

 

Rome-Trastevere

Today is our first full day, this morning we got up, showered and went for breakfast at the Caffè, we had cappuccino and I had a Tramenzino of cheese and ham toasted and then an Espresso. We then went to the TIM Italia Office to buy a new phone card for my cel with 250 minutes only 16 Euros.

We then walked in the neighbourhood, Trastevere is across the Tiber from Rome as the name implies.
This means that most early Christian Churches are in this neighbourhood, most built between 360 and 420 AD. The reason for this is a political one, like so many things in this world. Early Christians were mostly Jews who lived in Rome or had lived in Rome for generations. It was seen as a Cult like Scientology is today by most Romans who worshipped Roman Gods connected to their culture and history. When Emperor Constantine decided to switch Official Religions on the people of Rome it did not go down too well. He had a near Civil War on his hands, no one could understand why the old gods were being abandoned for a new god who was a Jew from Palestine, who nobody knew much about, but was rumoured to have been a criminal. The Army had its official religion which was similar to the Christian Faith, but no one was willing to accept new temples to be built to worship this new god. So Constantine had to do the political thing and had churches built outside Rome in Trastevere or on land outside the City boundaries like the Lateran where the Cathedral of Rome now stands on land that was private and owned by the Emperors family, St-John Lateran. St-Peter basilica was built in a cemetery on Via Cornelia, a place not likely to bring many Romans to look around. In the end Constantine abandoned Rome and moved the Capital of the Empire to his new city Constantinople (today Istanbul).

Tomb of Pope Innocent II, (1130-1143) 

Main Altar, Santa Maria in Trastevere

We visited Santa Maria in Trastevere which is the Church of the Canadians in Rome, Cardinal Ouellet from Quebec is the head of that Church on top of other functions he occupies in the Roman Curia at the Holy See. Pope Innocent II (1130-1143) is buried there. The Church has many different sized columns taken from various temples of Roman gods and its floor is decorated with Imperial Roman Mosaic also taken from old temples. There is a beautiful iconostasis of Christ above the master Altar.

We also had a look at Santa Maria alla Scala (in the staircase) which is attached to the Papal Official Drug Store since many centuries ago. The pharmacy is lovely and it has kept its old decor though nowadays it is a modern drug store. In this church there is also a famous miraculous icon and people leave little pieces of paper with a note to the Virgin asking for a special favour or miracle, there are hundreds of little notes. The priests who administer this church had 500 years ago commissioned the painter Caravaggio to paint a scene with a theme on the Virgin Mary. Caravaggio wanted something realistic and so he used the corpse of a famous prostitute who had drowned in the Tiber a few days earlier as his model of the Virgin Mary. This famous painting is in the Louvre Museum today, the priests were so scandalized when they recognized the features of the dead prostitute that they refused outright the painting.  

Santa Maria alla Scala and Pontifical Drug store 

Side view of the church with brickwork of the 4th century

We had lunch with a friend just outside the Aurelian Walls in our old neighbourhood a 15 minute bus ride from Trastevere up the hill across the Tiber near Porta Pia. It was nice to go see the old neighbourhood. Things have changed and they have not. Restaurants are empty now at lunch time, the owner told us that these difficult economic times made everyone afraid. There is talk that Italy as a country could disintegrate, the wealthy North (North of Rome) could secede and abandon the South (south of Rome) to its own devices. This would be a true disaster. We have seen more beggars now in the streets, many are simply old people who have been squeezed and cannot manage any more.

 Fruit stand on Viale Regina Margherita

Our neighbourhood, intersection of Via Nomentana and Viale Regina Margherita

We had a lovely lunch and then went to walk along Via Nomentana towards Viale Regina Margherita
Will wanted an ice cream and we went to a shop we know well. The owner told us that he sold his business, things are difficult and he wants to do something else. We did notice that one of our favourite restaurant had disappeared and has been replaced by a pizza joint, another steak house had also disappeared replaced by a McDonald, the horror. Our fruit and vegetable vendor was still there and we chatted with him, he is doing great and so is the flower shop. I felt a little disoriented by all these changes, it is visible that people are worried. Many young people are immigrating since there is no work for them here. It is said that for the under 35 year old the unemployment rate is 40%.

This evening we are going further down the Tiber River on bus no 23 to the area of the Pyramid of Cestius to a new trendy restaurant to meet with friends called Porto Fluviale at no 22 Porto Fluviale.

                     Centro Piazza Venezia

On our way home we went through Piazza Venezia, the centre of Rome, and then crossed the Tiber at Ponte Garibaldi unto Via Trastevere. Just a block away from our B&B we came upon a cheese shop, the rich, creamy and sweet smell of Italian cheeses brought us to look at the wonderful assortments. Including hams of wild boar meat. What a fantastic meal you could make right there and then with a few purchases.

Boar meat hams 

Italian cheeses and wines

I still have to talk about EATALY a huge modern food emporium devoted to all Italian made foods on 4 floors unbelievable place. Located in the old Airport Train terminal now a huge food market with 8 restaurants simply beautiful for the gourmand and gourmet. You can also take the High Speed train to Milan, the connection Rome-Milan takes only 2:56 minutes at train speed of 330 Km. More on this later.

Tomorrow we are to meet with a friend who is an historian and archeologist to visit an historical site with special permission to enter. The weather is lovely and we are enjoying ourselves though a little nostalgic.

two new books

With the changes at the Vatican lately, I have decided to read two new books on the Holy See and how it operates not only as the HQ of the Roman Catholic Church or the Universal Church as they like to call it at the Vatican but also as a huge business empire involved in banking, real estate, geo-politics and Italian politics. Despite the fact that Italy is a Republic and the Holy See is a separate State, the Vatican meddles excessively in the lives of Italians throughout political interference and money payouts to Italian politicians.

The first book, The Vatican Diaries: A behind the scenes look, I found truly interesting and entertaining, written by John Thavish who after 30 years as a journalist specializing on Vatican Affairs has written a memoir or an eyewitness account of his time covering Popes and the Vatican. Lots of personal observations on John Paul II and his Rock Star style and on Benedict XVI.
Trips aboard the Papal plane on voyages around the world and daily business making world news.

He gives a good account of the scandals and the personalities involved, you quickly realize, as one colleague told me years ago, that you do not work at the Vatican to find your Faith, you will probably loose it.

The second book I read, Ratzinger was afraid, by Gianluigi Nuzzi, . The title of the book is different in various countries and the original was written in Italian. This book was written from the documents stolen by the Pope's Butler, Paolo who was then arrested and jailed. He was pardoned by Pope Benedict and now has a job as a cleaner at the Bambino Gesu Hospital in Rome which is run by
the RCC. This book is somewhat like Wikileaks and is dubbed Vaticanleaks.

I did not enjoy as much, first it is poorly translated, you need to know some Italian to realize that the English word used is incorrect. Also it is simply a sensational style book, you have private correspondence or secret documents from the Pope's desk or from one of the Cardinals working closely with the Pope, this is all internal documents without context and it requires that you be aware of the background story and know the actors named. There is a long passage on world economics, Italian politics and speculation on what to do from the Vatican's point of view to influence the outcome by the then Head of the Vatican Bank who was advising Benedict XVI, a little tedious.

What you do understand is that there are 3 villains at work here. The first is the all powerful Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone who is in the Holy See Government the equivalent to a Prime Minister and is the number two of the RCC. He is now on his way out with the change over with the new Pope Francis I who will appoint someone else.
Then there is the arch-conservative former Secretary of State under Jean-Paul II now Dean of the college of Cardinals Angelo Sodano.  Cardinal Sodano knew all along from 1982 about the pedophilia scandal but under orders of Pope Jean Paul II kept everything under wraps and very quiet. Jean Paul II saw the abuse scandal as a needless distraction from his own agenda. Angelo Sodano was a trouble shooter and very adept at buying silence the old fashion way, using his powerful office to do so.
He used compliant politicians, governments and the media who were too happy to give a positive spin to what ever Jean Paul II was doing instead of looking into negative aspects.

Then comes the Editor in Chief of the Vatican Newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, Giovanni Maria Vian who controls the news and the message out of the Holy See and often will set the tone for other Catholic newspapers on various stories.

You also have the arch-conservative Private Secretary to Pope Benedict, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, known in Vatican circles as Father George. He was the door keeper and screened what the Pope would see or hear about. Finally Pope Benedict appears as a frighten man who did not want to manage the huge machine and was more and more bewildered by the various scandals and faux-pas appearing around him.  Benedict appears as a man who lived his life isolating himself in the milieu of the Vatican City. The Apostolic Palace a cocoon far from the real world outside. He took his meals with his servants, ladies who belonged to an ultra-catholic organization and who like him had conservative views. In the book this appears in sharp contrast to Jean-Paul II who would be out and about and who had his meals with many dignitaries he would invite at his table for discussions or monologues depending on your view of who speaks.

Not to forget the role around the Papacy of powerful organizations like Opus Dei, Communion and Liberation or the Military Order of the Knights of Malta play an important role because their members are wealthy, powerful and belong to the political elite of many countries. No wonder the average Catholic is a bit lost and confused on the goings on when observed from your parish.

These two books certainly give a good look inside the Vatican but both require prior knowledge of the operations of the Vatican organization to achieve a fuller understanding, however you are left in no doubt that the reason of State (Raison d'Etat) always trumps all other cards.

It will now be very interesting to see what changes Pope Francis, a Jesuit, brings to the Curia. So far all we have seen is cosmetic. My impression is that Francis is obviously bringing a simpler style but that he is a very firm manager and has a clear idea of how he wants to stir the ship.

Two Popes, on the left Benedict XVI on the right Pope Francis I. Very different style look at the difference from the throne, the shoes, the dais and the outfits worn.

 

To renounce the Papacy

On Monday morning 11 February, the anniversary of the Signing of the Lateran Treaty, I was awaken to the news that the Bishop of Rome, Pope Benedict XVI had renounced his title and functions as Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. It did not take long for the press in Canada and elsewhere to get all excited, if not hysterical over this piece of news. What is also of concern is the lack of correct information and factual information or perspective on this news.
So many terms have been used and so much information was just simply wrong. If you do not have factual and correct information how can you reflect or understand anything. We live in an age of flash information and we have never been so misinformed, it is very discouraging at the best of time.

Few of us can claim to know Benedict XVI or who he is as a person. His reputation has been established for better or worse by the media and their confused interpretation of events at the Holy See. Comparing the current Pope with his predecessor Jean-Paul II is also not helpful, two very different men coming from two very different background and countries with different experiences.
Jean-Paul II was a Pole who grew up during World War II in a country marked for annihilation by Nazi policies and then worked during decades of harsh Communist rule stage managed from Moscow. Jean-Paul II was a clever and hard nose politician who knew what he wanted to achieve. I remember being told by Vatican Official once that he was very impatient and wanted everything done quickly, he was not the typical Vatican insider. His last months of his life were difficult, kept alive with a medical cocktail prepared daily by his doctors, often in great pain and confused, everything was stage managed by his Polish entourage so the public could believe that his mind was alert. Benedict then Cardinal Ratzinger saw all this and as a close colleague found it painful, but the Polish entourage was in charge and they wanted to remain in power.  

This is what we have to remember of the Holy See, from the very beginning when Emperor Constantine established Christianity as the religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth Century and created the position of Bishop of Rome at the Lateran, the political manoeuvring started and continues to this day. It is a very complicated story and it has more to do with politics and power than Faith in One God.

Benedict is very well educated, a scholar in Latin and on other topics. He is also a very pragmatic person and in his own words for the good of the Church has decided to renounce his function as Supreme Pontiff. It is rare to see someone, anyone, renounce such a powerful office. Usually people in power become convince that they are indispensable and refuse to leave, even when it has been demonstrated it would be better for them to leave office.

What has also not been mentioned here is the fact that when a Pope dies or in this case renounces his title, all other Cardinals must also abandon their portfolio. Benedict had a weak number two, Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone not up to the responsibilities given to him in the management of this huge machine which is the Holy See and the World wide Church. There was failure in management and communication and Benedict was reluctant to replace people like Bertone who clearly were not up to the challenges. To many scandals including the one created over his butler who was found guilty of stealing private documents, may in the end bring the Pope to conclude that it was better to leave so that a new Pontiff could truly clean up house. A courageous gesture and one of wisdom and clarity which may help the Church in the long run.

The Pope weathered many storms, like the sex scandal which had been brewing for years under Jean-Paul II but never came to the surface, the world was busy with other events like the end of the Cold War and the long illness of the Pope and the team around Jean-Paul was far more politically minded and astute in Public Relations. Benedict inherited the mess and did all he could to bring closure. We can credit him with implementing measures to put an end to these abuses. Maybe he could have done more, maybe he could have been more political or more with an eye to the popular press to satisfy the public at large, but that was not his style. Benedict remains a man of his generation, more conservative, more European in out look, not comfortable with the rock star style of his predecessor. I also believe that with time Jean-Paul II papacy will be re-evaluated by history as the truth will finally come out on what he failed to do for the good of the Church.

It is true that the Church today appears out of step with our modern reality, but then again the Church has always been out of step, example the Galileo affair, the Reformation movement or the movement for the Unity of the Italian Republic or the eternally festering dispute with the Orthodox Church on who comes first in Christendom, the Bishop of Rome or the Patriarch of Constantinople.
Today the issues are different but it remains that the Church does not change to suit popular taste which are seen as a passing fad.

If you think that things are bad in the Roman Church, look at the Anglicans or the Lutherans or the Orthodox, similar political disputes and disagreements. Muslims are not any better with fights between the Shia, Sunni, Druze and Alawites. Or in Israël between the Orthodox Jews and the more Liberal Jews.

In the last few days the popular press including some so called serious newspapers have talked of the Pope quitting his job, resigning, he has done neither. He renounced his functions which are governed by Cannon Law article 332. No there is no signing of papers or retirement parties, no pension for life.
Like any Sovereign he cannot quit or resign, he does not have a job and he is chosen not elected by the masses. The Holy See is not a democracy but a Theocracy, something many people do not understand.

The Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano pointed out that in 2009, Benedict had visited the earthquake devastated area of L'Aquila and had made a point of visiting the tomb of Pope Celestine V who had renounced the papacy in 1294 of his free will. Benedict had said then that he would do the same if he felt unable to continue, he had left his Pallium at the tomb of Celestine V. The Pallium is the white woollen band with pendants worn by the Pope as a symbol of his authority.

the small building on the right of the photo will be Pope Benedict's home in the Vatican garden.

Now the Cardinals will assemble in the Sistine Chapel, sorry tourists it is closed for the duration, and will discuss and vote on a successor. Benedict will retire first to Castel Gandolfo just a few minutes outside Rome, the summer residence of Popes and then after the election will move to a house in the immense gardens of the Vatican Hill near the old radio Vatican tower to live out his days. It is not a palace and a rather plain two story building with a small chapel and a garden surrounded by a high greenery wall.

And for those who commented that maybe there should be fix terms in office and all kinds of civilian job related modernity a la US political system, again the Holy See is not that kind of organization. The Pope reports to God and not to us, maybe it is better this way, humans tend to be a fickle bunch. I also do not believe the doom sayers who say the Roman Catholic Church is going to disappear. On the contrary it is thriving and growing rapidly in all parts of the world with the exception of Europe and North America. So our thinking is skewed by our North American biased view of the world.

fresco God the Father in the Royal Spanish Church of San Pietro in Montorio, Rome

  










  

Palazzo Farnese, Piazza Farnese, Rome

Since my arrival in Rome I have wanted to visit the Farnese Palace in central Rome near the Campo di Fiori. However given that this building is the Chancery of the Embassy of France, it is not so easily done. A few weeks ago my friend Lionel C. suggested that we visit the Palace with Professor Yannick Nexon of the Inventer Rome group. This group organize tours of sites in Rome for French speaking resident and visitors of Rome. Their staff are University professors and archaeologists, many with years of experience doing research, writing, teaching and lecturing on Art and Culture in Rome and in Italy and when appropriate how it all relates to France.

The Farnese Palace has a very long history with France and its diplomats in Rome. It all goes back to the time when the Palace was actually built by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese later known as Pope Paul III. When one thinks of the Farnese, you are also thinking of the Farnese Hercules and the Farnese Bull and other art treasures, most are now in the National Museum in Naples. Needless to say that I was very excited with the prospect of visiting this Palace with its association to the history of Rome but also of the relations between the Papal States and France in the context of European politics over several centuries.

Yannick Nexon gave a very good presentation, he first explained that he would not speak on the architecture of the Palace, its art collection or the history behind its construction. He instead concentrated on what it was like to live at the Farnese Palace in the 17th century in Rome and what Rome was like then as a City State. Under Papal authority Rome at the time of the Renaissance was a nasty little police dictatorship, teeming with papal spies ready to pounce on anyone who deviated from the strict moral code of the Papacy, it made Iran today under the mullahs look positively liberal. Rome as a city of men, governed by several Cardinals who reported directly to the Pope. Women were not seen in public and in fact it was a lucky women who could claim that she had been allowed to leave the house 6 times a year to attend mass. Everything was about power and politics covered by a veneer of religion. The Papal prisons were notoriously evil places, anyone unfortunate to become the prisoner of the Pope was sure to die in jail, there was no parole or forgiveness. As they saying went, God would forgive you but not the Pope.

Nexon then went on to explain that the Farnese Palace is one of the largest palaces in Rome, it was not just a palace but a Papal residence, this is why all the State rooms which occupy all of the first floor are double the normal size of such rooms and go all around this enormous building. Construction first started in 1515, the palace was designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, commissioned by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, who had been appointed as a cardinal in 1493 at age 25 (thanks to his sister, who was Pope Alexander VI Borgia's official mistress) and was living a princely lifestyle.

When, in January 1534, Cardinal Alessandro became Pope Paul III, the size of the palace was increased significantly and he employed Michelangelo who completed the redesigned third story with its deep cornice and revised the courtyard as well. The post-1534 developments were not only a reflection of Alessandro's change in status but employed architecture to express the power of the Farnese family, much as at their Villa Farnese at Caprarola. The massive palace block and its facade dominate the Piazza Farnese.

During the 16th century, two large granite basins from the Baths of Caracalla were adapted as fountains in the Piazza Farnese, the "urban" face of the palace.
The palazzo was further modified for the papal nephew Ranuccio Farnese by Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola. It was finally completed by Giacomo della Porta.

Following the death of Cardinal Odoardo Farnese in 1626, the palazzo stood empty. No Pope ever lived in it and this is how Cardinal Alphonse de Richelieu, the older brother of the famous Cardinal de Richelieu became interested in finding lodgings for himself as the new French ambassador to Rome.

Since that period and until 1685 French Ambassadors lived in the Palace, at one point 2 French Ambassadors lived with their entourage of about 150 persons each in the Palace. In those days, ambassadors were sent to a foreign Capital with one brief and so you could have many ambassadors at one time all working on very different briefs for their Sovereign, France had 3 ambassadors at one period in time.
After Odoardo's death, Pope Alexander VII allowed Queen Christina of Sweden, who had converted from Lutheranism to become a Roman Catholic, to lodge in the palace for 7 months, but she "proved a tenant from hell". After her departure for Paris, the papal authorities discovered that her servants not only had stolen the silver, tapestries, but also had "smashed up doors for firewood".

At this point the French Ambassadors return to live in the Palace and will pay for all the repairs and up-keep as part of the lease. Nexon then went on to explain some of the politics of the time. Per example the Pope had 2 dangerous enemies the Turks (Muslims) and the Protestants in Northern Europe. The King of France had also 2 enemies, the Spanish Royal House and the Hapsburg in southern Germany and Austria. On the other hand France was friendly with the Turks and ready to support the Protestant against other Catholic monarchs like the Hapsburg.
Try explaining that to the Pope, yes France is a Catholic country but you see your enemies are helpful to us.

The French diplomatic staff in the entourage of the Ambassador were seen as libertines by the authorities in Rome, given to challenge Papal authority, but since they were covered by diplomatic immunity, not much could be done about their parties, drinking bouts and free thinking. Not that the Pope and his Cardinals were any more upstanding morally speaking, but appearances were important.

Nexon also went into details about the lease and rent payments for the Palace and things the French Ambassadors brought with them on their assignment or how much would be spent on a party and how. An ambassador would bring with him 150 barrels of good French wine duty free of course. They would also bring with them musicians and artists to entertain. This would lead to confrontation on musical evenings, Italian music at the time was considered the top in terms of style and fashion but French music which was different in composition and style was nonetheless trying to make in-roads amongst the powerful rulers and the elite. He explained how as part of the job, Ambassadors had to give sumptuous parties often involving fireworks, parades and concerts. With the use of surviving contracts and bills of sale, we were able to see expenses. Candles at the time were expensive and since all had to be illuminated by candle light this was a major cost of receptions and parties, sometimes up to 800 people of distinction would be invited and you had to light up not just the inside of the building but also the entire Piazza Farnese and side streets with thousands of candles. You also had to give something the general population who would receive goblets of cheap local wine spewing from the two fountains in the Piazza Farnese.

During the visit of the Palace we heard 2 very good musicians perform pieces of the time as we progressed from one State Room to the other. Many of the songs they performed were satirical and composed to make a political points against the brother of the king of France or their cousin Orleans. There was also Italian music on love. So we were able to compare and appreciate both style.


I was wondering how can anyone work in this building today, we went through offices which are decorated with great frescoes and beautiful fine furniture, silverware and fine porcelain, statuary and great Cristal chandeliers. The Ambassadors office is a a very large room with ceiling 8 meters high, truly magnificent, I though I would have a problem concentrating on work, the frescoed walls are witnesses to history.

Nexon gave us also much detail on life including riots in Rome against the French Ambassador and his wife organized by the guards of the Pope and his Cardinals in trying to force a change in French diplomatic policy, it did not work, King Louis XIV would have none of it and would resort to sending his army to occupy a Papal territory like Avignon and jailing a few bishops.

All in all a fascinating visit, rich in details of the life at the time at the Farnese Palace. Today the French Government has a lease on the Palace and pay a rent of 1 euro per month to the Italian government, however they are responsible for the up-keep which is considerable.

Concert at the Papal Chancellery

Last night I was pretty tired after work and had a headache, at 6 pm my colleague called and asked me if I was willing to go to a concert at the Papal Chancellery, the Palazzo della Cancelleria. A magnificent building near the Palazzo Farnese seat of the French Embassy in Rome. I took 2 aspirins and got dressed. My personal policy is if you serve food at a party I will be there.

The Concert by invitation only, was given by the Ambassadors of Spain to Italy and to the Holy See to celebrate the Presidency of the European Union who is headed this year by Spain. The great palace like so many in Rome is not heated and it is all stone and marble inside and out, it was a windy and cold night. The great room (magna Aula) has room for 600 people and it was full. We entered the palace and turned left towards to great staircase, I said to my colleague that in Rome you should not have a heart condition with all these great staircases, no elevators anywhere. The concert was given by the Complesso Spagnolo di Musica da Camera. The soprano was Gudrun Olafsdottir who sang pieces from Manuel de Falla, Vivaldi, Rossini and Federico Garcia Lorca. The ensemble also played pieces by Cesar Franck, Boccherini and Ligeti. Afterwards a champagne reception was given with wonderful food, a great parmigiano reggiano cheese carved out of a huge wheel of cheese, and sweets made for Carnival Season. The reception was in the great courtyard and it was a bit cold but the champagne warmed us.

The Palace was constructed between 1489–1513, being the first palazzo in Rome to be built from the ground up in the new Renaissance style. The long facade with its rhythm of flat doubled pilasters between the arch-headed windows is Florentine in conception, though the concept of drafted masonry is ancient Roman in its origin. The grand doorway was added in the 16th century by Domenico Fontana on the orders of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese.

The building's bone-colored travertine was scavenged from the nearby Roman ruins of the Theatre of Pompey,were Julius Caesar was assassinated. The theater of Pompey like the Eternal City was a field of ruins, built for a city of over a million people that now housed about thirty thousand. The forty-four Egyptian granite columns of the inner courtyard are from the porticoes of the theatres upper covered seating.

The Cancelleria was built for Cardinal Raffaele Riario who held the post of Cardinal Camierlengo to his powerful uncle, Pope Sixtus IV. The rumor was that the funds came in a single night's winnings at card playing. The Palace still houses the Papal Chancellery, and is part of the Vatican State, not subject to Italian sovereignty.

The concert was in the great room with its vast mural that Giorgio Vasari accomplished in a mere 100 days. We sat under the gaze of God the Father, who is always pictured in pale pastel colors with a triangle above his head. Since the late 17th century the Cancelleria has been the center of musical life of Rome, though nowadays it has stiff competition from the Parco della Musica.