As the hot summer months approach, and Rome brims with tourists and pilgrims flocking to the Eternal City to soak up its rich historic cultural and spiritual patrimony, I find myself longing for August – typically the hottest month on the calendar, when the city empties out, life becomes quieter, and Rome belongs to us stragglers who have stayed behind.
The hustle and bustle of Rome is part of the magic of the city, as a primary tourist destination for the global masses, and it is part of what makes the city so chaotic and challenging for locals. When I arrived in Rome nearly 11 years ago, I was among those starry-eyed newcomers dazzled by the city and, as a Catholic, I was overwhelmed by the thought that I was in the heart of where it all happened, the very centre of Christendom.
