Vatican questions for my son

[ThankYouJesus]

Hi!

This is my first post.

My son goes to a public school and is required to do a country report. He has chosen Vatican City. Did you know the Vatican is considered a country?

Some of the topics that he needs to write about are tricky, because it is such a small country.

He needs to write about food. What do they eat and drink at the Vatican? Is it mostly Italian food? He read that nuns do most of the cooking. Does anyone know what kind of things they cook? Is there a restuarant in the vatican- for residents, or tourists?

He also needs to write about recreation. Does the Pope and Cardinals, staff, etc. play any sports or have any kind of recreation activity.

I hope someone can help.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[WhollyRoamin]

John Paul II was (in his younger days) very athletic. There is an anecdote about him, early in his papacy, jogging in the Vatincan gardens. An advisor reproached him, asking what people would think if they saw him jogging? The story goes that John Paul looked at him blankly and said “So?” Benedict XVI is more known for being a musician. He appreciates classical music and finds time in his day to study and play Mozart.

Many people in the Vatican are soccer fans. See this story-- catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0607295.htm In 2007, the Vatican also had a minor league soccer team. news24.com/News24/Sport/Soccer/0,2-9-840_2195233,00.html

If he needs to talk about business and industry, I am reminded of an interview with Blessed Pope John XXIII-- he was once asked: “How many people work at the Vatican?” His Holiness replied, “Oh, about half of them.”

Have fun.

 

[ChristinaM]

Hi, and welcome to the forums!

I think you might be better off taking your son to the public library and letting him do his own research. I don’t think his teacher will appreciate it too much if she/he knows that his parent is doing the work on his report for him. Plus, I really doubt “So-and-so on the Catholic Answers Forum” will be considered a credible source.

 

[ThankYouJesus]

John Paul II was (in his younger days) very athletic. There is an anecdote about him, early in his papacy, jogging in the Vatincan gardens. An advisor reproached him, asking what people would think if they saw him jogging? The story goes that John Paul looked at him blankly and said “So?” Benedict XVI is more known for being a musician. He appreciates classical music and finds time in his day to study and play Mozart.

Thanks for your wonderful response, Wholly Roamin!

Those are great bits of fun information. I wasn’t thinking about music as a form of recreation, but of course it is! (My mind was thinking sports, etc.)

I appreciate you taking the time to post.

 

[ThankYouJesus]

Hi, and welcome to the forums!

Thanks. It’s great to be here.

I think you might be better off taking your son to the public library and letting him do his own research. I don’t think his teacher will appreciate it too much if she/he knows that his parent is doing the work on his report for him. Plus, I really doubt “So-and-so on the Catholic Answers Forum” will be considered a credible source.

Oh, believe me- He has done quite a bit of research. He has chosen a very difficult country to research. There are oodles of books on just about every country in the world in his school library, and our public library. The Vatican? Well, not so much.

He is a very spiritual boy at such a young age, and I am very proud of him for taking an interest in the Vatican. I didn’t want to discourage him by suggesting he do an “easier” country.

Currently, we have 7 books checked out on The Vatican/ Rome. His report needs to include:

History & Illustrated time line - (done)
Geographic Features and a Detailed Map (done)
Politics and Government - (done)
Economics and Trade - (done)
Major Religions (done) easy!
Daily Life and Culture - TOUGH
Points of Interest and Travel (done)

So the only area that he is really struggling with is Daily Life and Culture which includes food & drink, recreation, education and the arts. These 7 books, an encyclopedia, and the internet has not turned up anything on food & recreation.

So please don’t think that I am doing his work for him. It is a very small portion of his report that he needs to complete, and we can not find these answers anywhere.

I thought of this wonderful website, and came here to ask for help.

And I know that so and so on such and such website is not a credible source, but I was hoping someone could give some advice and point us in the right direction.

 

[Deacon_Ed]

Within Vatican City there are no public restaurants. There are several just outside the city, however. In general, the food there is Italian although Pope John Paul II had Polish nuns that cooked various Polish meals for him. I understand that Pope Benedict likes Italian food and does, occasionally, have German food prepared for him.

At one time there was a swimming pool installed for the pope, but I believe that has long since been covered over.

Deacon Ed

 

[kage_ar]

Call your Parish and ask what books your Parish library has.

If they have nothing, call your Diocese - likely there is someone at the Diocese (or they can refer you to someone in another Parish) who has lived or trained in Rome and can give you an interview. Should they have no one, PM me and I’ll see if one of the Priests I know would have time to speak to your son.

 

[CapIV]

They have a grocery store. Look up a map of Vatican City and you can see where the grocery store is located. With the exception of certain clergy, a requirement for living in Vatican City is that you work in Vatican City. So a member of the Swiss Guard may live in the city only as long as he is a member of the guard. When he gets too old he is required to leave. The Vatican Gardens are HUGE and very good for recreation. There is a fitness center which is quite essential for members of the Swiss Guard.

 

[mullenpm]

EWTN had/has a very interesting and enlightening program on the Vatican (I believe it was called “Inside the Vatican”); I may be wrong on that.

They told about the young men who serve as the Swiss Guards - yes, they are Swiss citizens; they talked about the gardens that are available for fresh vegetables; etc.

Perhaps EWTN has a DVD that would be helpful.

Good Luck.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Vatican City State has a lot of useful information.

 

[JKirkLVNV]

Within Vatican City there are no public restaurants. There are several just outside the city, however.

I think there is a coffee bar…on the roof of St. Peter’s, actually!

saintpetersbasilica.org/Exterior/SP-Square-Area.htm

 

[Frosty]

Currently, we have 7 books checked out on The Vatican/ Rome. His report needs to include:

History & Illustrated time line - (done)
Geographic Features and a Detailed Map (done)
Politics and Government - (done)
Economics and Trade - (done)
Major Religions (done) easy!
Daily Life and Culture - TOUGH
Points of Interest and Travel (done)

So the only area that he is really struggling with is Daily Life and Culture which includes food & drink, recreation, education and the arts. These 7 books, an encyclopedia, and the internet has not turned up anything on food & recreation.

.

This is a tough area to find much information on particularly since Vatican City is unlike any other country in the world. It is home to only about 500 or so full-time inhabitants and apart from the Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Square and the Basilica, the general public is not allowed within the walls unless they have special permission.
There is a grocery store called the Annona, an A&P sized market. It’s a perk for those who live and work in the Vatican and certain other people with a bit a clout. Prices are much cheaper than in Rome itself since there are no taxes on the goods sold there. Across the corner from the grocery store is a pharmacy which is also open only to those with Vatican ID. There is also a post office just down the street. There is also a post office in St. Peter’s Square and one can purchase stamps at a kiosk atop the dome.
There is a public restaurant at the northern end of the museums. Back in the 1980’ and 90’s {the last time I went into it} it was one of the rare places in Rome where overcooked pasta could consistently be found!
The Vatican gardens are very extensive but again are not open to the public. The produce that supplies the Annona and the Papal Household does not come from here but from the gardens at Castel Gandolfo where there is an actual working farm. the Vatican gardens are partly manicured and partly wild. They are mostly inhabited by small lizards and stray cats! There are all kinds of fountains and statuary art and a few beautiful buildings such as the Casino of Pius IV. the pope’s helicopter pad is at the far western end of the gardens.
Inside Vatican City , there is also a railway station, which was a gift to Pope Pius XI from Mussolini in commemoration of the signing of the Lateran Treaty. It has been used very seldomly since it was built. Not far from the railroad station, to the north of St. Peter’s Basilca is a hotel called the Casa Santa Marta. It was opened in 1996 and is the newest building in Vatican City. It’s original purpose was to provide rooms for the cardinal electors to stay in whenever they had to meet in Conclave. The Casa Santa Marta is not for the general public so one can’t call a travel agent and book a room! It is for special guests and visitors to the Holy See. It’s staffed by sisters, has a small restaurant for its guests where the food is cooked by the sisters. I’ve heard that the menu is rather limited. There is no room service or concierge desk, internet facilities or the other fancy amenities one finds in many hotels. It does have an elevator though.
The Pope has a roof garden on top of the Apostolic Palace where he usually takes his daily walks, although he apparently does walk in the larger Vatican gardens on occasion. The daily life of those who work and live inside Vatican City is, to all intents and purposes, much the same as anyone working for a huge multi-national corporation. Albeit with a much different goal in mind. There are no movie houses, pubs, malls , gyms and such other recreational facilities that are found in other countries. One has to go outside the walls for that. But they can’t stay out too late. There is a curfew at midnight when all the gates are locked.

 

[yinekka]

When my children were in primary (elementary) school and had to do a project (report) e.g. a country report I gave them a golden rule. Find the country with the most easily accessible information and good pictures. Don’t start with the name of the country first because you could spend valuable time searching for references only to find that there aren’t enough references or pictures and have to pick another country a few days before the report is due. This golden rule applies to all projects in primary school if the topic isn’t set. It worked for my kids.

 

[malphono]

To add a few small items to what [post=5055781]Frosty[/post] said earlier, within the città itself there is also a bookstore (La Libreria Editrice Vaticana), and a full-service bank (I think it’s called the “Institute for Religious Works” or something like that). Neither is available to the general public. I recall there is also a bookstore that is open to the public in the Piazza (near one of the Post Office branches).

Within the gardens is the Ethiopian College (which, if memory serves, is the only seminary within the walls), and government building ((name removed by moderator)ato) which I believe houses the Secretariat of State.

Most of the various offices and congregations are housed outside the walls in buildings that are considered extraterritorial property of the Vatican. Some are located in the immediate vicinity, but others are located in different areas of Rome (the Oriental Congregation, e.g. is near Santa Maria Maggiore). All of the extraterritorial properties come under the direct jurisdiction of the Vatican and are not subject to Italian law.

 

[ThankYouJesus]

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you that posted such wonderful and helpful responses, and for the great links.

My son is still working hard on his research, and this is turning out to be a very interesting report.

God Bless you all!

 

[redrosetea]

Pope Benedict is a vegetarian

 

[Spirithound]

When my children were in primary (elementary) school and had to do a project (report) e.g. a country report I gave them a golden rule. Find the country with the most easily accessible information and good pictures. Don’t start with the name of the country first because you could spend valuable time searching for references only to find that there aren’t enough references or pictures and have to pick another country a few days before the report is due. This golden rule applies to all projects in primary school if the topic isn’t set. It worked for my kids.

giggles I’ve never followed that rule! I’ve done projects on Pluto (which, in my day, was still a planet!), the Beothuk tribe of Newfoundland, which is long extinct, and I’ve attempted to write about a Dutch opera composer whose name I can’t remember, but that one actually did end up biting me since I couldn’t find his music in the library.
Anyways, my point is be not afraid! The information is out there, but perhaps not precisely at your fingertips.

 

[redrosetea]

There is a National Geographic video all about the Vatican…It is a few years old and narated by Martin Sheen…It is filled with information…You might be able to find it at your library, or purchase it from National Geo…It goes in to great detail about the secret archives and the treasures…The Vatican has its own observatory, and a soup kitchen and homeless shelter

They have an ATM that is written in Latin, and a train station, a printing shop, they restore the treasures in the Vatican. There is a tailor to make the Swiss Guards uniforms…

 

[Matrix_Refugee]

Hee, I remember writing a high school report on the Vatican. One of the things I remember learning while I was doing my research: the Vatican has it’s own jail, which has only two cells, and it’s been used only twice since it was built in the 1500s: once, when a thief was caught trying to steal from St. Peters, and the other time when a woman stabbed a Swiss guard and a priest she was angry with.