Pope Francis likes to go walking in Rome

Although he has not yet been seen throwing coins into the Trevi Fountain, Pope Francis broke with tradition and security on September 3 by leaving the Vatican City and walking in to an optician’s shop to get a new pair of glasses.

Accompanied by just one assistant, a bodyguard and some police officers, his walkabout was very open and attracted a large crowd of disbelieving sightseers who stood outside the shop.

The Pope normally has glasses delivered to the Vatican but clearly decided that he needed to spend some time away from the normal pomp and ceremony of his surroundings. Having spent an hour in the opticians, he paid and returned to his residence in the Apostolic Palace.

Known for the amount of time that he spends with visitors at the open air audiences held in St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis is a gregarious man who was often seen walking in Buenos Aires when archbishop there.