Notwithstanding the grim foreboding of Prime Minister Mr Silvio Berlusconi, yesterday's visit to Rome by President Bush passed off relatively peacefully, writes Paddy Agnew in Rome. There was no rerun of the mayhem of riots and death that marked the G8 summit in Genoa three years ago.
Inside the Vatican, President Bush went out of his way to bend forward respectfully, holding the Pope's outstretched hands for fully half a minute when the pair met in the Pontifical Library.
Notwithstanding the cordial atmosphere, however, the tired and frail 84-year-old Pope, in a slurred speech that was barely comprehensible, still chose to remind President Bush of the Vatican's total opposition to the US-led invasion of Iraq last year when speaking of the "unequivocal position of the Holy See".
The Pope did have encouraging words for Mr Bush, recalling that his visit to Rome was to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the city by American troops. Furthermore, the Pope outlined the common ground shared by the Holy See and the Bush administration regarding the desirability of "the active participation of the United Nations" in order to secure "a speedy return of Iraq's sovereignty", while welcoming the recent appointment of a head of state in Iraq and the formation of an interim government.
While the diplomatic highpoint of the Mr Bush's 30-hour stay in Rome was undoubtedly his audience with the Pope, it was the afternoon peace protests that had prompted foreboding and concern.
Protesters "intent on violence" would be travelling from all over Italy to Rome, police chief Gianni De Gennaro had warned last week. Even Mr Berlusconi on Thursday had expressed his concern about "possible violence".
Grandmothers out with their dogs, toddlers in buggies, cyclists, clowns on stilts and a vast army of trade union members, environmentalists, NGO officials and gay rights activists hardly seemed "intent on violence".
More than anything, they were intent on keeping the unwieldy march moving forward - not always an easy option, given numbers in excess of 100,000.
Inevitably, there were some minor scuffles, with the window of at least one cash dispenser being broken along the way. However, the violence was contained by the marchers themselves, many of whom seemed much more interested in bopping along to beating drums and loud rock music, interspersed with a ritual blast of the protest hymn, "Ciao, bella, ciao, ciao".
Inevitably, Mr Bush's visit inspired the placard creators. If "No To Bush", "F*** Off Bush" and "Go Home Bush" were hardly original, "Heil Bush, Roma Says Hello to the New Fuhrer" and "Ashamed to be Born in the USA" were at least provocative. The latter placard was held by US citizen Anne Geneva, who had travelled down from Monte Castello, Umbria, "just to make a point".
As the march moved along, Ms Geneva kept being surprised by the constant round of applause generated by her placard. Occasionally, Americans would come up to her and say "Well done", while further down the march came a whole group of "Americans Against the War".
All of this was happening, of course, far from the ears of Mr Bush, whose day took in visits to President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Prime Minister Berlusconi, to the Fosse Ardeatine war memorial and to the Pope.
Such was the noise of the Bush security cavalcade, with 20 motorbikes and 47 cars, as it made its way to the Vatican, that the US president almost certainly did not hear the crowd's jeers or see the peace flag waved by US Carmelite priest Patrick McMahon.