Chronicle of Friday 29 August

Dear parents, grandparents, friends and all the rest of the pilgrims,

In the morning, the first pilgrims, aboard their vans, began to file off one after another towards Barcelona. The first and most important thing was the celebration of Holy Mass before setting off for home, followed by a short breakfast. Then the families set off in a convoy that was due to stop for a rest in Vallecrosia tonight.

The rest of us pilgrims took the coach, which dropped us near Santa Maria Maggiore, and we split into different groups. The Seniors went their own way, while the leaders and the rest of the PSP went another. In the end, they kept running into each other at the various churches and monuments they visited in the area, such as the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli or Santa Maria in Trastevere, a neighbourhood the leaders and the PSP strolled around before going to meet everyone at Casa Pastor Bonus for lunch. All in all, a walk of about 12 km. It seems these lads really do get their strength back quickly.

Meanwhile, the vans’ WhatsApp group was on fire. We’ve found pizzerias, there isn’t much traffic, self-service is the cheap option at Italian petrol stations... The truth is that the parents of our parishes seem to have everything under control. On arrival, they split between two different houses in Vallecrosia. Apparently, before bed, everyone at house 1 had a delicious pizza and Laura Molero told the whole house a lovely story so they would have a happy, restful sleep.

In the afternoon, we pilgrims had Mass at St Mary Major. Pope Francis is buried in this beautiful papal basilica; he has been resting in the Father’s house for a few months now. What’s more, beneath the high altar there is a reliquary containing pieces of wood from the manger of Bethlehem. To end the afternoon we had an ice cream and headed to the hotel, where we enjoyed some delicious, if salty, macaroni cheese and a tiramisu that was wonderful.

The journey back to Casa Zeffirino was incredible. Francesco, our driver, took us on a tour of Rome by night and showed us the city’s most iconic buildings lit up, looking as if they had come straight out of a postcard. The dome of St Peter’s Basilica is especially beautiful and majestic at night. The law courts, Castel Sant’Angelo, the first noble tombs of Rome and other central buildings looked imposing in the darkness of the night.

We stopped to see Rome’s Olympic Stadium, because nearby is the Stadio dei Marmi, a curious open-air sports complex surrounded by marble statues and with a whole set of terraces carved from the same material. In the middle, an Olympic athletics track and a lawn where you can play countless sports. The pilgrims didn’t think twice and threw themselves onto the track to have a race. Lots of them ran: Miguel, Laura, Alejandro, Carmen, Nico, Virginia and others who joined in the competition, which ended without anyone really knowing who had come first, but with everyone stretched out on the ground gasping for air. On the coach, we all listened to and sang some music together. Miguel Bedoya taught us a song, Hacia Roma, which the Bedoya brothers composed recently and which you must listen to because it’s brilliant.

After this sporty stop, we continued on our way to the residence, where we prayed Compline and went off to rest, to make the most of a few hours’ sleep before packing up tomorrow and saying goodbye to the Eternal City, where we will surely all return together one day.