Today we had a full day of site seeing. On the agenda was a trip to the Vatican, the
Coliseum and a walking tour of downtown Rome.
I guess Trafalgar Tours believes we could see Rome in a day.
Our wakeup call was 6:15am, so that we could get to the Vatican Museum by 8:00am and beat the crowds. The Vatican museum holds the 3rd largest
collection of art in the world, only surpassed by the Hermitage in St.
Petersburg and the Louvre in Paris. Of
course we only scratched the surface of this massive collection.
The main highlight of museum tour was the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel is where the famous Michelangelo's
frescoes can be found. He is responsible
for the ceiling which is a series of frescoes denoting the book of Genesis from
the creation of Earth, to the rebirth of life after the great flood. The most famous is the fresco of God giving
life to Adam and is located in the middle of the ceiling. Michelangelo panted
most of the fresco on his back over a period of 4 years.
The wall contains the huge fresco called the Last
Judgement. It took 5 years for
Michelangelo to complete this work of art.
Our guide explain the political intrigue that surrounded this work of
art including how a bishop who was an enemy of Michelangelo ended up being
painted as the gate keeper of Hell complete with goat horns. Also of some humorous note, some the naked
butts where later covered up by other painters on the orders of the Pope.
Marg said
she was overwhelmed by the sheer breath taking beauty of the Chapel.
Christina, our guide, also explained how the Sistine Chapel
is used by the bishops in electing a new pope when required by the death of the
existing Holy Father. She pointed out
the doorways that lead to the different chambers where all the action takes
place, and where the new Pope retires to the mediate and to prepare to be
introduced to the waiting crowds after his election by the conclave.
She also told us how in 2005, she heard that the white smoke had risen from the Sistine Chapel to indicate that a new Pope had been elected by the papal conclave. The tour group she was leading ran from their bus, which was stuck in traffic, and were able to witness Pope Benedict XVI as he was first introduced in St. Peter's Square.
 |
| St. Peter's Basilica |
We then went to
St. Peter's Basilica, which is the burial
site of the disciple Peter and the most import church in the Roman Catholic
religion. The entire interior of St
Peter's is lavishly decorated with marble statues and tile mosaics by many of
the major Italian masters. The most famous of these statues is probably Michelangelo's Pieta
The basilica contains a large number of tombs of
popes many of which are considered outstanding artworks. The most recent is the tomb of Pope John Paul
the Second who was recently declared a saint. The canopy
over the Papal Altar was designed by Bernini, one of the great Italian masters.
When the Pope addresses the crowds in St. Peter’s Square he
uses a balcony at the front of the Basilica.
Unfortunately he is at his summer residence and we won’t get to see him.
Oh well, that’s his loss because we won’t be back for a least a year.
 |
| Vatican Museum |
 |
| Vatican Museum |
 |
| St. Peters |
 |
| Michelangelo's Pieta |
Another of the highlights for Marg were the Swiss Guards. I guess she likes a man in uniform.
 |
| Swiss Guard |
 |
| St. Peter's Square |
Scooters and motorcycles seem to be a favorite form of transportation in Italy. I guess the price of gas is a major factor. I think, from my observations, that the speed limits and the normal rules of the road do not apply to these vehicles.
After lunch we went to the
Coliseum. This sports arena was built by two Roman emperors
Vespasian and Titus to replace the estate of the disgrace Roman emperor
Nero. It was completed in 80AD. In this stadium the gladiators battled it out to the death for the enjoyment
of the ancient Roman crowds. Over 50,000
people could attend these games at one event. The architectural design is still
popular in stadiums being design 2000 years later, with Yankee stadium in New
York being a prime example.
 |
| Coliseum |
 |
| Coliseum |
From the arena sitting area you can see the tunnels where
the gladiators and the animals used for these blood sports were housed prior to
their entrance on the stadium floor. The Roman's designed elaborate elevators in order to have lions and other beasts appear as if magic on the Coliseum floor during battles between gladiators.Adjacent to the Coliseum,connected by tunnels, they have unearthed the training school for gladiators
Contrary to popular mythology, this was not a place of mass
executions of early Christians At some
point in time, one of the Popes established the Coliseum as a place to be used for Christian
ceremonies. I can’t
remember which Pope was responsible for this, because after all the historical facts being
thrown our way by the guide today, I just don’t give a darn anymore. Traditionally the Pope initiates the Easter ceremony known as the Stations of the Cross, which circles the Coliseum.
 |
| Coliseum |
 |
| Coliseum |
After a short rest at the hotel we went on a walking tour of
downtown Rome. During this tour we
visited the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. There were an incredible number of tourist at these sites.
According to legend if you throw a coin into
Trevi fountain, it will mean that you will come back to Rome. But the crowds were so big we didn’t bother.
Instead we had a Gelato, which melted all over my white golf shirt.
Dang!
 |
| Trevi Fountain |
The
Pantheon is a building which is 1900 years old and is
the original structure. It was originally
a pagan temple that was later converted to a Christian church. The dome is the largest dome in Rome and is
bigger that Michelangelo's dome of St. Peters.
At the apex the roof is open to the elements.
 |
| Pantheon |
 |
| Dome of the Pantheon |
It would be interesting to see if
there are more churches or restaurants in Italy. It seems that each block has at least one church, restaurant, cafe, gelateria or bar.
For dinner we ate at a restaurant in the Piazza Navona, which is one the main squares in Rome.
We had Red Snapper cooked in a thick salt crust and despite the description, it was delicious. The fish was very moist and did not take on the taste of the salt.
The main statue in the square is Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers, which depicts the Danube, the Ganges, the Nile, and the Rio de la Plata. The piazza was featured in Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" and was used in the movie version which starred Tom Hanks.
 |
| Piazza Navona - Fountain of the Four Rivers |
