The Eternal City....ROME! (day 1, part 1)

This past week Colin had his week of Boy Scout camp so Bill and I decided to take a little vacation of our own. RyanAir flights to Rome were too low to pass up so we found a nice Bed & Breakfast near the Vatican City and packed our comfortable shoes and some clothes, our cameras and BIG memory cards and hit the road! The first thing we did once we dropped off our bag at the B&B was stroll over to see St. Peter's and hopefully get in to see the Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel. (When Colin and I visited Rome a few years ago it was only a few days and the museum was closed...we were SO disappointed!) When we walked up to the walls of the Vatican City we were dismayed to see the LONG line of people leading all the way to the next street corner, then around it and down the block...and on and on until almost the gates that lead into the Piazza of St. Peters! It was very hot and we decided to skip the museums for now and plan to get their early early the next day and hopefully not have to wait as long. The Piazza is SO big and the effect of all the columns, fountains and statues and of course St. Peter's Basilica is just overwhelming. Pictures really do not do it justice....I actually didn't take very many because I wanted to get one to really capture the feeling I had but couldn't figure out how to do it.


















The Vatican City is policed by the elite Swiss Guard, the worlds smallest army. And they aren't just stage dressing. They are sworn to protect the Pope even if it means putting their lives on the line. Each one is trained in hand to hand combat as well as how to fight with halberds (those big spear/axe things some of them hold) and swords and other more modern weapons that we usually associate with the military. They wear colorful uniforms that are said to have been designed by Michelangelo. I guess they must be brave if they are willing to go around wearing blue and orange striped knickers and jacket with a huge ostrich plumed hat.





Before we could go inside St. Peter's basilica we had to go through a couple of different checkpoints while we stood in line. The first was a metal detector and the second was kind of a dress code check. They are very strict about people dressing properly inside the churches in Rome and do not allow bare shoulders or skirts or shorts that are over the knee. Some people slipped through since it was very crowded and those who were turned away were NOT happy about this. Ah well...there were plenty of signs to let them know what was allowed.The interior of St. Peter's is IMMENSE! It is so large that it can handle 20,000 worshipers, I am glad there were not that many the day we were there, but there were a lot of people visiting.



The first thing I wanted to see inside was Michelangelo's Pieta. It is a beautiful marble work that depicts Mary cradling Jesus's body after the crucifixion. One thing that makes this sculpture unique is that it is the only work that Michelangelo signed. He overheard someone say that it was not his work and that of another sculptor, so he carved his name and that he made it in Florence into the sash that Mary wears.

After we viewed the Pieta we wandered around in the rest of the church, craning our necks to the ceiling, taking in every detail we could. There is SO much to see! I was fascinated to learn that there are very few frescos or canvases in the basilica but many extremely intricate mosaics instead. Looking up at Michaelangelo's dome from below it is hard to imagine that the beautiful figures that decorate it are formed out of hundreds of different colored tiles. I made sure to take a picture of one of the mosaics and also a closeup shot so you can see the individual tiles. Amazing!





After we were finished at St. Peter's we headed to the subway to make our way towards the center of Rome. I will pick up the travelogue there tomorrow. Caio!