Vice Ganda is known for many things—wit, sharp humor, and a brand of candor that has made her one of Philippine entertainment’s most beloved figures. But in her latest Rome vlog, the It’s Showtime host revealed a quieter, more vulnerable side as she took viewers through a journey marked not by punchlines, but by spiritual awe.
The trip to Italy became a rare window into Vice’s inner world as she traveled with partner Ion Perez and her family, choosing to document not just the sights they saw, but the profound emotions that accompanied the pilgrimage.
Their first stop: the Vatican Museums. Inside its sprawling corridors of centuries-old masterpieces, Vice found herself unexpectedly overwhelmed.
“Sobrang galing. Grabe ’yung passion, ’yung talent, ’yung discipline, ’yung art. Ang genius,” she said as she took in the grandeur around her. “Sa sobrang ganda niya, nakakaiyak siya.”
It was admiration bordering on reverence—an artist recognizing the magnitude of artistry created lifetimes before her.
But the heart of the journey came as they visited the four Holy Doors of Rome: St. Peter’s Basilica, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls. These sacred doors open only during the Jubilee Year, once every twenty-five years. To witness all four in a single day felt, to Vice, like a once-in-a-lifetime blessing.
“Natapos natin ang isang buong araw lahat ng four Holy Doors. Congratulations to us,” she said proudly, still breathless from the experience. “Super, super, super sarap sa pakiramdam. It’s beyond amazing. The experience was beyond amazing. Ang palad-palad natin na naranasan natin ’to.”
What made the pilgrimage even more meaningful was sharing it with her loved ones. She recounted how her mother, Nanay Rosario, had already visited two basilicas ahead of them and completed the remaining two earlier in the trip.
“Every 25 years lang siya binubuksan… and I am really so blessed to experience this with you (referring to Ion) and with the family,” she said. “Si Nanay din… kaya umiiyak siya kanina sa happiness.”
In a rare moment of quiet reflection, Vice tried to put into words the intangible feeling that often eludes even the most eloquent:
“It’s magical, it’s very spiritual. May yumayakap sa’yo talaga na something na hindi mo ma-i-explain… ‘yung presence, ‘yung holy presence, the blessed presence, talagang yumayakap sa’yo. Ang sarap sa pakiramdam.”
And then, with her head bowed slightly as if still standing before the basilicas themselves, she added:
“Thank you Lord for this wonderful experience.”
Vice Ganda’s Roman sojourn may have begun as a family vacation, but it unfolded into something far more intimate—a pilgrimage of gratitude, faith, and rediscovery. In a world where she is often expected to make everyone else laugh, this journey allowed her, for once, to simply feel.