JUST ONE CORNETTO SHORT OF AN ICE CREAM
When I was growing up, there was a very famous television commercial in the UK. The punchline was, “Just one Cornetto from Walls Ice Cream!”
So our next stop was Italy — the home of ice cream and, of course, pizza.
We flew into Rome at about eight one evening and took the train into the city. We found our hotel and settled down for the night.
The next day, we took a bus to see the Colosseum and the surrounding Roman ruins. They were very impressive. We were looking at a place where many Christians had been killed for their witness to the Gospel. It was very humbling. We did not go into the amphitheatre, but we could imagine the scenes from those early years of the Church.
One of the things about Italy is the toilets. It’s not that there aren’t any — there are — but you have to pay for the privilege, and in euros too! You either need a very strong bladder or a bucket!
We did all the usual things in Rome. We had pizza and visited the Trevi Fountain, where the crowds were enormous.
Rome is amazing — but too hot for me.
We then travelled to Florence. We had booked a coach, but we were dropped off at the wrong place and faced a half-hour walk in the blazing sun to the bus station. Eventually, we caught the bus to Florence.
Florence is beautiful. The cathedral is incredibly ornate, but the queue went around the block. The city is full of quaint streets and beautiful houses.
On that particular Sunday, the museums in Florence were free to enter. For Sherry, this was wonderful.
We found the museum housing the statue of David by Michelangelo — the Accademia Gallery of Florence. It was quite amazing. Sherry thoroughly enjoyed these places. For me, it was interesting, but once you have seen one naked statue, that is enough.
The Italians love fountains. They had one in Florence where the statue had water coming out of the usual place. They also have churches that are incredibly ornate and beautiful, with stunning artwork.
Climbing up to Piazzale Michelangelo, we saw the most iconic view of the city. We could see the oldest bridge in Florence, the Ponte Vecchio, which we had seen and walked over shortly before.
Florence is a beautiful city — indeed, one of the most beautiful I have ever visited.
We all wanted to see Venice, but since we had no Wellington boots, we leaned toward going to Pisa instead. Get the joke?
So we arrived in Pisa and, the next morning, took a bus to the site. And there it was — still standing. Rumours of it falling down had clearly been exaggerated. It was an iconic sight and a place I could never have imagined visiting.
Our hotel was less than accommodating. They provided no towels, and when we asked for some, they demanded an outrageous fee. This was met with a sarcastic comment from a grumpy Brit — they always complain!
On our last day, we went to the seaside and dipped our feet in the beautiful sea. The next morning, we boarded a plane back to Stansted Airport in the UK.
Devotional Thought
As we travelled through Italy, we saw many churches in the three cities we visited. As I have said, they were beautiful, ornate, and architecturally stunning, filled with frescoes and artwork.
But they lacked one thing — the presence of God.
They felt cold and lifeless.
You can have all the trappings of religion. In the Gospels, the harshest words Jesus spoke were directed at religious people. They had the Law, they had temple worship, but they misused it and abused their position.
In Matthew 23, Jesus strongly rebukes their religious hypocrisy. Jesus does not live in ornate churches; He lives in the heart of every true, redeemed believer.
Do you go to church?
Do you pray?
Do you read your Bible?
Do you help others?
All these things are good — but they are not enough.
In the Bible, we see people who considered themselves good, yet still needed salvation, such as Nicodemus in John 3 and Cornelius in Acts 10.
Good works are not the root of salvation; they are the fruit of salvation. They flow out of a living relationship with Christ.
Jesus called the religious leaders “whitewashed tombs, full of dead men’s bones.” When I visited these churches, I was reminded of those words.
Religious leaders who have long misled people through false teaching will one day be held accountable.
Jesus brings freedom from sin, Satan, and death. He does not bring bondage — He brings freedom to the captives.
Let me finish by asking this:
Are you relying on religious effort to gain salvation?
You cannot earn salvation. No attendance at mass, no penance, and no confession can save you. Salvation comes only through faith in the finished work of Christ.