The fridge magnets with colourful pantaloons pictured above are Vatican Swiss Guards. They may not look it owing to their attire, but they form an elite armed force of mercenaries from Swiss descent, that have been guarding the Pope and the Apostolic palace since 1506. But this post isn’t a history lesson on Vatican defence systems. It is about not judging a book by its cover.
In truth, I found Vatican City and St Peter’s Basilica incredibly impressive, so much so that it felt intimidating. I thought the personnel, staff and even guards looked rather sombre and unnerving (the amount of Vatican-related conspiracy series I consume on Netflix probably didn’t help). The Vatican Swiss guards actually turned out to be the friendliest faces we met in Rome.
A particularly kind, and quite handsome might I add, guard was sneakily letting tourists take selfies with him while on duty. His name was Florent, a Swiss chap who was serving the Vatican’s territorial army for a year or so. He seemed overjoyed to have someone to chat to. I’m sure small talk and selfies isn’t part of official Swiss guard duty, but it sure made an intimidating place far more human. And if a church should be anything, I think it should be human and welcoming. So bravo Florent, grazie for the papal welcome.
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