And now after days of traveler tribulations comes an iconic Roman moment...

In a church. Let's say St. Ambrose and St. Carlo of Milan on the Corso, an enormous Baroque grandiosity with an enormous silent space where you hear nothing but the soft padding of footsteps from a smattering of early March tourists. Then comes the up/down up/down wail of the Carabinieri hurtling down the street, the sound cutting into the contemplative silence. It all snaps into place...this is an old familiar aural Roman experience.


Later at the Santa Maria del Popolo Church where we specifically want to see the Chigi Chapel, we find it under restoration. I am looking for the Bernini Angel with Habakkuk. Those of you at the Frick will know that the little Angel head in the Mr. Frick Library is said to be a model for this marble work (my homework). In spite of the reconstruction debris I am able to get a photo. Later my sister urged an ancient Priest to unlock the equally ancient Post Card Cabinet so I could buy a card of this angel.. Half a euro.

All trips are different from every other trip. My sister says, "travel gives you questions, not answers."