By Jennifer Mauro | Managing Editor
Anyone who’s ever thought of changing lanes smack-dab in the middle of the busyness of life, take heart: You can veer off the road quite successfully.
In fact, it may lead you on a journey – both physical and spiritual – across the globe.
“Trastevere is sort of like the Greenwich Village of Rome, old and quaint with winding cobblestone streets and lots of nightlife and restaurants,” Luanne D. Zurlo writes early in her book, “Piazzas, Popes & Pasta: Notes from a Rome Sojourn.”
“Thankfully, despite the bustle on the streets below, my small apartment is quiet,” continues Zurlo, whose new residence is only a 25-minute walk from the Vatican.
In her book, published by Marian Press, Zurlo explains how she traded an established career on Wall Street for that of a nonprofit in the aftermath of 9/11. After founding the organization – Worldfund, which helps improve education in Latin America – she stepped down and decided to take a four-month sabbatical, studying at the Angelicum Pontifical University in Rome.
In detail that experienced travelers will appreciate, Zurlo describes the “delights” of travel – everything from lugging overweight bags through airports and tiny streets to learning the lessons of the road while driving for the first time in a major foreign city.
What is especially charming is watching her stumble across culinary gems tucked into tiny streets or lesser-known statues by famous artists in piazzas or small churches. “One of the best things about touring blind – just following one’s nose and not reading ahead – is being totally surprised by something that touches your senses without any forewarning or expectation.”
One of those unexpected occurrences happens after attending Sunday Mass at St. Peter’s. Emerging from the Basilica, she is met by a crowd gathering in the square. The Pope appears in his high window to pray the Angelus. (This early account of the Pope will be only the first of many surprising stories of the pontiff.)
Faith experiences in the book are many, including lessons learned in Zurlo’s studies at the Angelicum and those gleaned from priests, theologians and others she meets. She also shares about how to live as an Italian versus a tourist, discusses economical differences and explains the learning curve involved in recycling in another country.
Family is a strong theme throughout. Eating in Naples, for example, becomes especially moving as Zurlo and her parents, who are visiting, share a meal with relatives, descendants of her great-grandfather.
“It became obvious seeing the Neapolitan Zurlos that we are blessed with a no-gray-hair gene,” she writes with tenderness.
The book concludes on an introspective note and Zurlo discerning choices for her life going forward, both personal and educational, as Zurlo taught at The Catholic University of America, Washington, before joining Seton Education Partners, where she currently works.
“Rome impacted me on a more personal level by providing quiet time,” she writes.
So for those still in the fast lane who can’t get to Rome just yet, calm the noise with “Piazzas, Popes & Pasta.”