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Through My Eyes
By
Reno Litterio |
Quincy
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November…my nascent month is here
again, they seem to emerge faster and faster with each
passing year. I look back with more questions and still not
enough answers.
I first saw the Atlantic Ocean at the age of seven on the
Italian passenger ship REX, the pride of the Italian Navy.
The Year was 1935 and that’s where my love of traveling and
exploring began. During the Second World War the British
sank the ship “REX” and it now lies on the bottom of the
Atlantic Ocean.
In 1938 I saw a cigar shaped floating air ship, over West
Street, heading toward the South Shore Plaza. At that time I
really had no idea that I was a witness to history. The
800-foot, hydrogen-filled airship headed for Lakehurst Naval
Air Station in New Jersey, with big letters on the side that
read “HINDENBURG”. What followed was indeed history, 62 of
the 97 persons aboard survived the fireball, as the airship
tried to land in a lightening charged atmosphere.
In 1952 while serving with the 43rd division in Germany, I
took a weekend pass to return to my home town of
Pescopennataro in the Molise region of Italy. During WWII,
because of the elevation of four thousand feet and more, the
Germans set up a command post on the highest peak in the
town. Later, before retreating, the soldiers destroyed every
building, including our family home, only two churches
remained standing.
On our way to the Grand Canyon in Arizona in 1991, we
stopped in Sedona to visit the Chapel designed by Frank
Lloyd Wright. The complete structure is built into the red
cliffs that surround the area. The unusual design is
the shape of an elongated cross. Inside are beautiful stain
glass windows facing East, that reflect the morning sun’s
rays which give the inside a warm, spiritual and serene
atmosphere. I sat inside the chapel for a long time.
I visited St. Peters Basilica in Rome, Italy, at the time
when the “Shroud of Turin” was on display for a very short
period in 1998. This sacred piece of linen cloth has
been photographed and tested by experts over and over many
times with both negative and positive prints without
unanimous results. The Shroud now remains in a case with a
glass cover in the royal chapel of the cathedral of St. John
the Baptist in Turin, Italy.
In Paris, a new entrance to the Louvre Museum became a
controversial division of the French people, when I.M. Pei
designed and built a glass pyramid entrance including a free
standing steel winding staircase to the level below. Not
only was the area flooded with light, but the bold concept
was a stroke of genius. We also visited the most famous
portrait ever painted in the world. I stood in front of the
Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci, only two feet away, staring
at her; she has a calming affect with her beguiling smile.
Since then, for tighter security, the painting had to be
moved to a private room for viewing, to accommodate the
heavy traffic. Besides a protective glass in front of the
painting, getting close is impossible.
The Alps are the largest mountain range in Europe and form a
chain about 600 miles long. Our visit to Switzerland gave us
a close look at the Eiger and the Jungfrau (13,642 ft.)
mountains and on the way to Geneva saw the Matterhorn at
14,692 ft.
I still have many miles to travel, many songs to sing, and
loads of questions to ask. Open your eyes wide every day and
see more than you ever dreamed, it’s out there.
Let us receive With gratitude and peace The gracious and
loving gifts Of the earth And those who labour on earth, Of
the heavens And those who rule the heavens.
Origin unknown |
About The Author
Reno J. Litterio
is the previous Editor and Publisher of The Constellation
Newsletter. Litterio was the co-founder of the Ward 4 Senior
Citizens Social Group in Quincy in 1992 and is now chairman
and Director of the group. You can reach Mr. Litterio at
renowarior@aol.com.
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