Bengals In the Footsteps of St. Benedict of Nursia

Our first stop in Rome was the famous Colosseum, or the Flavius Amphitheatre, built between 70-80AD. Mostly known for gladiator fights, it offered other entertainment, public executions, and  spectacles. The Romans also created a system where they could flood the stadium and perform sea battle re-enactments. Later is was used for animal hunts. The Flavius Amphitheatre is an architectural marvel and was the inspiration for modern day LEGO’s.

This morning we departed from Sorrento and headed to Rome. On the way there we stopped at the Abbey of St Benedict for Mass with Father Steve and a guided tour of the Abbey. Around 529 AD, Benedict of Nursia, who disliked the way of life in Rome, wanted to start a new way to live that honored God in a more faithful way. He built his monastery on the ruins of an old temple dedicated to Apollo. Legend has it he kept a table from the old temple to use it for his worship.  Once established at Monte Cassino, Benedict never left. He wrote the Rule of St Benedict that became the founding principle for Western monasticism, lived there and trained other monks and eventually died there.  Over the centuries, the monastery was attacked 4 times, the last time during WWII. It’s a miracle that while 90% of the Abbey was destroyed, some key places of the monastery remained intact: his tomb, Scholastica’s tomb, a big statue of St Benedict, and more. The Abbey was rebuilt in the same

It’s kind of unusual. But all the water we are drinking is named after saints. The fun part is that all the names also correspond with this trip: Benedict, Father Steve and Nathalia. Wonder whose water we will discover? Post script: I found St. Anna water in a gas station and that’s my middle name. Guess it counts for something!

Today we got up early to take a 2 hour boat ride from Sorrento to the beautiful island of Capri. After we arrived we took a bus shuttle to Anacapri, one of the towns near the top of the island. We were given a choice to do a guided walking tour or to go up the to the very top of the island by chair lift. Some of us including Ms Deady braved the chair lift. Others viewed a historical mansion and then visited a candy store. We also were taken to some other places that were great backdrops for selfies and group photos. Overall, Capri is a beautiful place to visit but St Benedict would probably have disliked  it. It will be something to ponder as we head to Montecassino tomorrow.After dinner our group played a parlor game called Mafia. We were playing and laughing so much we stayed up past our  curfew! Don’t worry, Mr Accardi, Ms Deady and Ms. Gemo were playing along with us.