John McCaa / WFAA-TV

Fans waited behind police lines to try for a glimpse at Madonna outside her hotel in Rome.

ROME — You go on vacation to get away from the news, but sometimes you just run into it.

The pop superstar Madonna is here in the Italian capital and she's staying in our hotel, the St. Regis. Gathered each day outside our building are the paparazzi and hundreds of her fans—shouting, screaming, begging for just a glimpse of the Material Girl.

We haven't seen Madonna, but we have seen her dancers and some of the tour members.

Security, as you might imagine, is tight. You need your hotel key just to get past the police lines into and out of the building.

Now comes a controversy: Madonna has announced plans to include in her performance her the same mock crucifixion she has performed elsewhere in her tour.

That, as you can imagine, has set off Christians here. News reports indicate Jewish and Muslim religious leaders in Italy have also expressed their dismay and condemnation for the planned performance.

I doubt that matters to many in the assembled multitude outside the St. Regis who are worshiping their own "goddess."

On Saturday, so many of them packed the street in front of the hotel (a main thoroughfare near the Piazza de la Republica) that traffic was forced to a crawl. The horns and shouted obscenities from drivers were met with equally loud screams and extended middle digits from the crowd.

It's a heck of a show ... and all for free!

E-mail jmccaa@wfaa.com