I recently read a travel article stating that Catholics who visit Rome during a Jubilee year might be forgiven their sins, no matter how serious. Maybe it would work for this Presbyterian!

I went to my computer and typed in www.courier.org, clicked on "Last Minute Flights," entered my password and up came the last-minute courier flight offers. Global Systems in New York had an eight-day trip to Rome, leaving in a few days.

I phoned Agnes, the courier coordinator at Global Systems, and reserved the trip. She faxed the contract which I signed and returned with a check for $350.

For the past six years I've used my Continental Airlines Senior Flying Passport to get to courier departure cities like New York, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles, but the airline discontinued the program last year. Now I must buy a roundtrip ticket at the last minute, and "pay through the nose" for flights not reserved two weeks in advance.

I had another option. Living near Baltimore, I was able to get an Amtrak train to New York at a senior rate of $110 roundtrip; the air ticket would have been about $200.

All Roads Lead to Rome

Reports estimate that about 25 million travelers will visit Rome this year because of Jubilee 2000. Would I be able to get a room? I found a book entitled Beds and Blessings at our local bookstore. It's a guide to convents and monasteries offering overnight lodging in Italy. I faxed two of them in Rome, and got two negative replies. Then I dialed another, and instead of a fax signal, someone answered the phone.

"Prego?"

"Parla Inglese?" I asked.

"Momento."

Then another voice said, "Can I help you?" It was Sister Teresa.

"Yes, I need a room for the nights of June 1 to June 4 please."

"You have the room," she answered.

"I will fax you my name and a credit card number," I replied.

"No need. You have the room."

I hung up and then looked at all the papers and numbers in front of me. I couldn't remember which one I had just talked with. I narrowed it down to Villa Noel, but since I wasn't positive I dialed the number again. The same voice answered, and I said, "Is this Sister Teresa?"

"Yes, and I told you, you have the room!"

"Thank you," I replied.

While packing my carry-on bag, my wife of 39 wonderful years made me promise to wear a money belt. I had been accosted three times in the past two years, in Madrid and Buenos Aires. Travel guru Rick Steves is right - always wear a money belt.

The Alitalia flight would carry a bonus of 8,000 frequent-flyer miles, which I would add to my Continental account since they share frequent-flyer programs. The flight was okay, but cabin service left something to be desired. The male attendants disappeared after dinner. After flying Japan Airlines several times, most other airlines are a letdown - especially if you're in economy class like I usually am. The beautifully turned out JAL ladies are up and down the isle with beverages throughout a 12-hour trans-Pacific crossing; the rest of the industry should take notice.

After arriving at Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino, 21 miles southwest of Rome, I met briefly with the Global Systems representative and then was on my way. I passed through customs & immigration, went upstairs and bought a US$8 one-way rail ticket to Termini, the main station in Rome.

I stopped at the Government Information Counter when I got to the Termini, picked up local bus & subway maps, and purchased a $12 seven-day public-transportation pass. Never throughout my stay was I asked to show the pass, nor did I see anyone else show theirs. It's wise to have a ticket though, because fines can be steep if you're caught without one. The A-line subway train took me to the Ottaviano San Pietro stop - and I was in central Rome.

At Home in Rome

I walked a few blocks to the Villa Noel on Via Andria Doria. The convent sits behind an eight-foot wall, three blocks from the north side of the Vatican. The garden is tended by the sisters and offers a beautiful oasis in the midst of noisy, chaotic Rome.

I rang the bell and was greeted with a big smile from Sister Teresa, the Mother Superior. Her English and my Italian are very limited, but we got along famously. She saw that I was tired from the journey and showed me to my cell. The room was small, like a ship's cabin, but it was as neat as a pin. It came complete with religious pictures on the wall; I felt like I was on "retreat." The WC and shower were right next door, and the rate was US$32.50 a night. I recommend Villa Noel to one and all - unless you're a night owl and stay out after 11 p.m. At my age I'm in bed long before that hour.

My week in Rome was pure pleasure. I arose each morning around 8 a.m. and crossed the street to the Mercato Trionfale - a large food market with several hundred vendors of fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers, meat and fish. I stopped at the bakery for a breakfast bun, then relaxed over a cappuccino at a small caf‚ in the market. After a few days, people began to greet me like a local. "Buon Giorno," they would call in that musical lilt typical of the Italians.

After breakfast I visited familiar sights in the older sections of the city, like the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navonia, the Coliseum and, of course, the Pantheon. I was in awe as I considered how that majestic structure was built before Christ was born. I enjoyed wandering around Trastevere, then crossing the Tiber River to stroll through the morning market at Campo Fiori. There are countless inviting museums and churches in Rome, I only got to a small number of them.

Republic Day fell on the Sunday I was there. The celebration of Italy's unification into one nation included a two-and-a-half-hour parade of the armed forces, starting at the Coliseum and ending at the Victor Emanuel Monument - sometimes called the "Wedding Cake" because of its design. Battalion after battalion of servicemen and caribinieri (Italian police) trouped by with marching bands followed by tanks and mounted cavalry. The crowds clapped and cheered for each new unit. In the skies overhead a formation of Air Force jets streamed trails of smoke in Italy's national colors of red, white and green. Believe me, it was a parade to remember!

One day I took a Green Line tour to Naples for US$83, including a very nice lunch. I was picked up at Villa Noel at 6:45 a.m., and returned at 8:30 that evening. Naples' main sights were pointed out, and the local guide at Pompeii was excellent. The ancient city is astounding. It lay buried under 25 feet of volcanic ash and earth for centuries before being discovered. If you visit, wear sturdy shoes because the old cobblestone streets are uneven and can be tiring.

Religious & Cultural Blessings

On Wednesday morning as I was leaving Villa Noel, Sister Teresa stopped me and handed me a ticket for one of the front row seats in Saint Peter's Square. I was able to attend as Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass and greeted the thousands of faithful who had come to the Vatican for his blessing. I was impressed as the Holy Father greeted those present in Italian, English, French, German and Spanish. Afterward I spent hours in the Vatican Museum.

Daytime temperatures hovered in the 80§F range all week. When in Rome, do as the Romans, so I developed the routine of lunching in a local trattoria and then retiring to the Villa for a two-hour nap. At 5 p.m. when the weather began to cool, I'd head back out for more exploration.

My evening meals were usually the restaurant's "meal of the day," about US$9 for a small carafe of table wine, bread, first course of pasta and second course of meat or chicken with vegetable. Tip was extra. Anyone who's been to Italy knows that they make some of the best ice cream in the world. After dinner I went to my favorite Gelato shop for a delicious double dip cone.

I retraced my steps back to the airport at Fiumicino and checked my bag at the counter since I had no courier duties on the return flight to New York.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Roman Holiday. Before leaving I made sure I would return one day, by tossing a coin into the Trevi Fountain. I'd done it in the past - believe me, it works!

RESOURCES:

Villa Noel: via Andria Doria, 42, Roma 00192, Italy. Tel/Fax: (011-39-6) 397 37020.

Green Line Travel: Via Farini, 5, Rome. Tel: (011-39-6) 064 83787.

Beds and Blessings: by June and Anne Walsh, 1999, published by Paulst Press, New York/Mahwah, New Jersey.