Saturday, June 12, 2010
Vatican City
Today we had an early start, as we were going to spend time in Vatican City in Rome. It’s the weirdest thing that Vatican City is really a country, is completely protected by a very tall stone wall, and is situated smack dab in the middle of Rome. To get to it, we climbed a long staircase, and then luckily, bypassed the hundreds of tourists who were waiting to get in.
stairway to (heaven) Vatican City
Vatican Museum
Before we entered the Vatican Museum, there were some beautiful views of courtyard gardens where Popes have enjoyed a stroll, and views of St. Peter’s Basilica, where the Pope delivers his sermons.
The Vatican Museum beholds some of the most magnificent pieces of art … fit for a Pope. These ceilings were particularly striking!
There were statues of angel children holding ducks (some significance associated with death?), and a statue of fertility too. I’ll let you guess what part of the anatomy makes the fertility statue so fertile. Ha! That’ll do it!
The tapestry room really caught my interest. Each of these were hand made using silk / wool. They were massive in size and the pictures on them were very detailed.
In the tapestry on the right, Jesus’s arm, and eyes move as well as the stone he’s standing on, as you walk by. It’s a particular style of art that plays visual tricks on you. I swear I walked past that tapestry over and over, and every single time, those aforementioned parts on the tapestry followed me. Spooky … yet fascinating!
hall of maps ~ Vatican Museum
The map room had such a magnificent ceiling with old maps of different parts of the world. Oh the talent that was depicted through these maps. They were so glorious.
This long, long, hallway was so regal, and a part of it is roped off for the Pope to use.
Vatican, but looks like the hallway to see the wizard in the Emerald City
There was a long line to get into the Sistine Chapel, luckily we were special and were able to bypass this long line and get right on in … but not through these special heavy doors that are only opened for special celebrations.
Here are a few photos looking out towards the square. This is the area where people sit to hear the Pope speak.
where the Pope speaks to the masses
Pope's residence overlooking square
If you look to the right side of this photo, the second window from the right on the second floor, is where the Pope resides. He certainly has a nice view of everything below.
Sistine Chapel
We entered the Sistine Chapel at our appointment time. I was amazed that it really wasn’t all that big … or as big as my own mind had imagined. The frescoes were so magnificent. Having the opportunity to “feel” the beauty of this exquisite art is difficult to put into words. Because photos are not allowed, the following are credited to wiki.
Sistine Chapel Ceiling
It took Michelangelo only four years to complete these frescoes which were completed in 1512. Each one tells a story. Because one of the Popes thought some of the paintings were indecent, he had another artist cover up some of the private parts. That artist guy is known as the “underwear artist.” Hilarious!
My favorite panel is one of the “Creation of Man.” Oooh, can you feel its beauty? Magnificent! Michelangelo is my favorite artist of all time! Love all of this!
Michelangelo's Creation of Man ~ Sistine Chapel
St. Peter’s Basilica
Our next stop was just a few steps away … St. Peter’s Basilica. This was named after one of Jesus’s twelve apostles. Ralph Waldo Emerson described St. Peter’s as an “ornament of the earth … the sublime of the beautiful.” I couldn’t agree more!
This monstrous beauty is situated on 5.7 acres and has the capacity to hold 60,000 people. The shape is that of a crucifix with four great piers. The outside is guarded by 13 travertine statues on the rooftop.
St. Peter's Basilica ~ Vatican
Michelangelo contributed to the design of this Basilica, and especially the dome. It is so massive that when we looked up and saw a guard walking around the top, he looked the size of an ant. The letters at the very top are six feet tall, if that gives you some perspective. People are simply swallowed up and dwarfed by the enormity of this place!
dome in St. Peter's that seems to shrink people
Here are some of the intricately carved statues inside St. Peter’s.
Two very important structures inside the Basilica are the baldachin, or large canopy made of bronze, and St. Peter’s chair, both designed by Bernini. The baldachin structure covers the main alter. St. Peter’s tomb is below this. The twisted columns signify the post that Jesus was crucified on. The second structure, or St. Peter’s chair is surrounded by so much art that it’s hard to actually see the chair.
baldachin
St. Peter's chair
The most elegant piece of art is housed in the Chapel of “Pieta,” which in Italian means “pity”. This beautiful sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding the body of Christ was done by Michelangelo. It was carved out of a single slab of marble, and is the only piece of his art that was signed by him. I love this piece and was mesmerized by the feeling it gave me. I could of pulled up a chair (if there was one) and stared at this magnificent art forever!
Michelangelo's Pieta (Pity)
Michelangelo portrayed a much younger Virgin Mary than the 40-50 year old one portrayed by all the other artists. Her face is serene and almost at peace with the fate of her only son. He said he thought of his own mother, who died when he was five, while sculpting this. Michelangelo was only 24 years old at the time of this work. The Pieta left a lasting impression with me as a gorgeous sculpture portraying human suffrage.
When we exited St. Peter’s we saw two of the Swiss Guards who were guarding the area. These young men have flare, and sport uniforms designed by Michelangelo himself. Molto attraente.
Swiss Guards
After a quick lunch of lasagna, we boarded the coach and went over to the Colosseum.
Colosseum
Once again, we were lucky enough to spot another bride and groom in Rome. They were taking photos right outside the Colosseum.
bride and groom at the Colosseum
We walked directly beyond the imperial Arch of Constantine, which commemorates one of his victories, in order to get to the Colosseum.
Arch of Constantine
The Colosseum is a magnificent landmark of Roman history. This ancient amphitheater was completed in AD 80 and was part of Nero’s great park in central Rome. There were numerous “fake” gladiators strolling around the exterior. They charged about 30 Euros ($40 American) to get a photo with them, so being the thrifty gal that I am, I simply took a photo of them when they weren’t looking. Ha Ha!
Once inside, I was taken aback by its enormity. There were four stories in the Colosseum, with the top one for the poor (think “rock pile” at the Rockie’s baseball games) and the lower story for the wealthy. It gave me an eerie feeling … one of sadness, since there were executions, and so many lives that were lost there for the sake of public entertainment.
underground structures of Colosseum
There was a big, simple cross just inside one of the entrances.
Gladiators were often slaves, criminals, or prisoners of war. They engaged in contests, battled one another, and slayed animals (or got slain by them). Animals, held captive in the lower structure in cages before the show, killed one another for public enjoyment. Eww! Macabre entertainment!
outside Colosseum, this gypsy beggar made me sad
On the way back to the hotel, we passed the Circus Maximus, where public games like chariot races were held for the masses.
Circus Maximus
After a little shopping, we had our final dinner with the group at Cassanova, a “Casa Bonita” type of Italian restaurant in the heart of Roma. There was an ear-shattering Italian opera singer which was just over the top.
farewell dinner with friends at Cassanova (Casa Bonita)
Took lots of group pictures and rushed off to bed, although some of our party friends stayed up much later celebrating Italy. Our wake up call was 5:00 a.m. so we needed our beauty sleep!
Yippee … home tomorrow!
Bravissiomo!
