(Reflections on the photo from column one, second down in the Roman Holiday collection).

It is amazing how many churches can be found in a city the size of Rome. Many of them tower above the squares, the domes acting as a protective cover to those seeking refuge. Others with their many columns and covered walkways do not seem to slow down a bit in the changing times.

Of this church found – one of many toured and passed – the bells called out and folks all around gathered, be they practioners of the faith, curious souls or those who take to the peel the way a moth does to a flame. Amazing to see the saints atop the rows, looking out into the distance, daring the wandering eye to do the same. Are they looking towards Heaven or towards the enclosing chaotic future crowding out the habits of old?

Not many churches can be found like that here in the states. If they are here, they are hidden behind hightowers and skyscrapers bearing company and corporate names, not those of saints. If the bells do toll, it struggles to break through the day-to-day sounds of the hustle and bustle of the ruts of routine, through good times and bad.

As magnificant as the interior is of the churches there, one must remember to stop and see the intricate details on the outside as well.