Recently, my wife and I finally took the trip we’ve been itching to go on. We went to Italy during the year of a Papal Jubilee. One would call it the trip of a lifetime (or rather the trip of a quarter century for when the next Jubilee occurs). This entails the opening of the Holy Doors of the four major basilicas in Rome and the welcoming of all to celebrate the Catholic church. And did we ever celebrate…
By some coincidental stroke of luck around timing, we were able to celebrate by attending the Grace for the World concert in Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City. The first of it’s kind! Pope Leo was gracious enough to hold this concert after a two-day humanitarian conference at the Vatican. Together, we waited for over two hours – huddled like penguins against barricades and the crowd. It was well worth it for the view we secured of both the square and the viewing monitors (and, of course, the drones).
Getting to see and listen to Andrea Bocelli sing on the steps of Saint Peter’s Basilica was easily one of the best parts of our entire trip. He was accompanied by other performers like Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Pharrell Williams, and Jelly Roll…an eclectic mix that put together a truly unforgettable show. The power, raw emotion, and gravitas that Jelly Roll sang with was such a pleasant surprise – it was a moving performance, and one we will forever be grateful to have seen in person.
As if that wasn’t cool enough, 3,000 choreographed drones flew over the Basilica throughout the duration of the show. We’ve all seen pictures or videos of drone shows by now, but seeing it in person at such an incredible scale was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. Images of Pope Francis, Michaelangelo’s ‘The Creation of Adam’ and so many more lit up the sky in time with the music. See below for some of the pictures we took, or take a minute to find some online. You won’t be disappointed.
While that night was one of the highlights of our trip, we also had an amazing time exploring Rome, Positano, and Naples. You know I could talk for hours about the food we had. Please reach out if you’d like to hear more about it or if you are in the market for some great travel recommendations – I have many!
