I still have old
friends in Rome that I always meet whenever I go back. I was invited to a mass
at Villa Malta in via Porta Pinciana near the elegant via Veneto. The villa was
built in the 16th century and belonged to aristocratic families like
Orsini and Mattei in the past. It hosted famous people, like Goethe, Angelica
Kaufman, German ambassadors and even King Ludwig I. the Jesuits bought it after
WW II and now it is the headquarters of their magazine, Civiltà Cattolica. From the top floor you can admire one of the
most beautiful views of Rome, especially on a sunny day. We read Pope Francis’ speech
delivered at the general audience on 19th December before mass, the
link is here: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-12/pope-francis-general-audience-christmas-surprises.html It was a
stimulating piece highlighting the surprising side of the coming of Christ as a
poor and vulnerable baby. I spent the rest of the day with a friend of mine who
lives near Campo de’ Fiori and had just had a hip operation. She cooks gorgeous
meals with simple ingredients. This time she prepared pasta with artichokes and
frittata with spinach. She simply cooked the tender cores of the artichokes in
oil and water with some lemon juice, a garlic clove and parsley. The result was
mouth watering. The frittata was even simpler. She boiled spinach, cut it in
pieces, added parmigiano and mixed it with four beaten eggs. My friend is very
keen on balanced diets and always advice me to avoid sweets and cakes and rely
on rice, better brown rice, proteins and vegetables. She is slim and fit and
looks ten years younger than her real age. I try to follow her wise advice but
a piece of chocolate or a slice of cake from time to time helps my day. The
other friend I usually meet is from my university years. We share similar
experiences about our elderly mothers. Getting older seems to have patterns: a
bit of confusion, grumpiness and frustration for not being so able any more. If
we are lucky to carry on till eighty or ninety we will all end in the same way.
Speaking about
elderly people, I found the Queen’s Christmas speech and the President of the
Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella’s speech particularly engaging.
I loved the Queen’s
speech and agree with what she said. I admired the precision of her message
both in pointing out peace and goodwill at the core of Christmas, and the
paradox of the capacity of good and evil present in human beings. She also
emphasised some realistic goals, like friendship, mutual respect and hope that
everybody should pursue in one’s own small way. She didn’t mention Brexit, which
I found a wise choice.
In a period of
political and social uncertainties, Sergio Mattarella called for a sense of
community. In his opinion, Italian citizens should share ‘values, views, rights
and duties’ overcoming divisions. It was a strong message very much needed in
Italy at the moment. He also stressed common responsibility, friendship and
mutual respect, as the Queen did. He pointed out some problems as well, like
the lack of jobs, public debt, the reduction of production and the decaying
infrastructures. Hard work and hope together with a sense of justice and trust
in the institutions were considered a possible solution towards a better future.
I particularly liked the conclusion when he spoke about his visit to a centre
for autistic children in Verona highlighting their creativity and their ability
to communicate with others.
Two memorable
speeches that encapsulate in a balanced way our needs, hopes and dreams in view
of a better world.
No comments:
Post a Comment