Visit to District Grand Lodge of Rome
 
Very early on Friday morning the18th October 2019, our Provincial Grand Master and five Mark men and their wives/partners left Manchester Airport aboard either a Jet2 or Ryanair flight to Rome.
 
On arrival in Rome the weather was sunny and warm and taxi transfers were waiting to take us to our respective hotels - the ‘Savoy’ in central Rome and ‘Palazzo Cardinal Cisi’ next to St Peters Square. We quickly booked into the respective hotels and then went for lunch at local bars near the hotels.
 
Unpacking the cases was the next item to be dealt with - how had our ‘stripes/dark jackets’ and regalia survived being squashed in with all the other items one needs on even a short holiday? All was well and the creases fell away when hung on hangers overnight in the wardrobe.
 
That evening, after a taxi ride to The Savoy for the people in Cardinal Cesi, we all made our way to a ‘back street’ restaurant recommended by the hotel staff where we enjoyed an excellent evening.
 
The following day the six Brethren from West Lancashire gathered at the ‘Palazzo Cardinal Cesi Hotel’ ready for the District Grand Lodge of Italy to open. The first thing that we commented on was the size of the meeting room, which was no bigger than many Lodge rooms in West Lancashire.
 
However, quite soon the Italian Masons began to appear and robed in their regalia together with some other distinguished Mark Masons from the U.K. who had made the journey to Rome. These included R.W.Bro. Ryan Williams the Grand Secretary, R.W.Bro Keith Alan Beardmore, our own Provincial Grand Master, and the Provincial Grand Masters from Staffordshire & Shropshire and Wiltshire together with the Grand Master from Finland (he said it was 2 degrees in Helsinki and -20 degrees in the north of Finland) From sunnier climes the Grand Master from the Congo together with five of his Brethren also attended.
 
The District Grand Lodge was opened in due form. (Italian was the spoken language of the meeting). The West Lancashire delegation then proudly processed into the Lodge at the head of all the other distinguished guests.
 
The Order of Proceedings had twenty items listed, fortunately each item had an English heading so we were able to follow the course of the meeting. The items were all as you would expect at any Provincial Grand Lodge in England and Wales.
 
The only item we had never seen before was item 15:
“To consider a proposition that the District make representations to the Most Worshipful Grand Master as to the desirability of forming a Sovereign Grand Lodge of MMM of Italy”.
 
The Grand Secretary R.W.Bro. Ryan Williams was then presented with a petition signed by the W.M’s of eighteen of the nineteen Lodges of the District.
 
We understand that the proceedings to break away from the Grand Lodge of MMM of England and Wales will take place in March 2020.
 
The District Grand Lodge was then closed in due form and the distinguished visitors processed out of the Lodge.
 
The ‘Festive Lunch’ was held in a quadrangle adjacent to the Lodge. There was no bar in the building, so no pre-dinner drinks!. There was water on the tables when we eventually sat down, wine was only served with the meat course.
 
When the luncheon was concluded the Italian Brethren then went into the Annual District Grand Chapter meeting which was held in the same meeting room. The West Lancashire men returned to their hotels and quickly changed into casual clothing. Our ladies had been out since after breakfast shopping, sightseeing, drinking coffee, wine and having lunch.
 
We all went to a local bar for coffee and drinks before finding another super Italian restaurant in a different ‘back street’. Sunday was a free and easy day which we all enjoyed. Outside the Palazzo Cardinal Cesi hotel there was a very large procession of people with banners and a very heavy religious tableau carried on the shoulders of fifty men, making their very slow way to St Marks Square for blessing by the Pope.
 
Four of us went in search of the ‘best coffee in Rome’, it was absolutely wonderful. If you ever visit Rome give it a try at ‘Caffe Sant’Eustachio’, Piazza Eustachio 82. Just round the corner we found the Pantheon - again not to be missed - a very long queue but strangely enough it moved amazingly fast - so don’t be put off.
 
Monday another nice sunny day, a Red Bus was the choice of some of the party, getting off at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ‘well worth seeing’ and other stops during the day. Others went on a visit to the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St Peters Basilica with a guide to help them see the most interesting parts - ‘interesting but very tiring’ seems to have been the verdict.
 
After the Vatican visit another ‘back street’ restaurant was soon to be found where drinks and then another fabulous meal was enjoyed by all.
 
The following morning after breakfast we made our way by taxi transfer to the airports, then onward back to Manchester. Everyone enjoyed the visit to Rome. However we are looking forward to the next invitation arriving at the Provincial Office, inviting our Provincial Grand Master to attend the annual meeting in some foreign city.
Photographs from the Visit
 
Words and pictures by John Waring