Found a long brown hair in the bed the first night...not ours eww. Had a hilarious moment last night near via corva, An Asian woman and I trying to give each other directions in Italian, which neither of us knew haha...awkward!
got a bus then the metro and arrived at Spagna before 10 browsing the shops before the free walking tour began.
"I'm going to Roma, to see Pope Francis today..."
the +Rome Free Tour for the Vatican starts at 10am daily from Piazza de Spagna, I felt sorry for non native speakers of English, the Asians, Dutch and french had to try to understand our italian tour guide speaking English for 2 1/2 hours!
the guards at the Spanish steps had been kind enough to take a couple photos for Rebecca and I this morning, this was our first stop, where our guide explained the problem of the Spanish steps. the piazzo de spagna was an area that was half Spanish, (the piazzo) and french (trenti de monti) the steps were for the spanish yet funded by the french, so who owned them?The via de corsa was a main street in Rome originally used for racing, its now the main shopping district, particularly for designer brands. at the Piazza Novana we saw at the side the ancient Roman arches you could explore, used as a circus, during the renaissance it was a market area, nowadays a spot for tourists and painters during the Christmas period a market sets itself up there too. The fountain in the square was the most beautiful marble fountain in Rome until the creation of the Trevi fountain. It was designed by Bernini for Pope Innocent X, Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi was to represent the power of the new pope, how his name was now know in the "4 contentents" of the world facing his family palace. We next visited the site of the Itlaian Parliament, past +villa madama to the Victory Momument, over 2000 years old, with St. Peter on top of it, pointing the way for the pilgrims towards the Vatican. All around this area is the original stone streets from the Renaissance period. AMAZING!!
We went next to the PANTHEON, so much more fantastical in the daylight. We were able to go inside, It was amazing, such architecture! still original from 2000 years ago, the dome is amazing, the only church in Italy that doesnt belong to the Vatican as Italian Monarchs are buried in it. Originally a Roman Pagan worship house, the beauty and architecture of it was so phinomenal and ourtsatnading at its period and still now, that the pope decided to convert in into a church and convert its opulence for chirstian worship. The Dome is so vast, the design is so 3 dimensional with its square cut panels, in the centre there is a window opening with no pane, natural sunlight and rain filters through, like the natural glory of god. The floors and ceiling are carefully sculpted from Marble and ornamented with statues of the saints and Jesus along with Beautiful colourfully gold gilded frescos. The dome has you craning your neck in wonder, how did the Romans created something this vast and beautiful all those years ago, that's still structurally sound and in use?
the dome interior of the pantheon
On past the antique shop area we came to Pont Sant'Angelo. leading to Castel Sant'Angelo. Originally a mausulem to Emperor Hadrain in the 2AD it had been changed and reused over the centuries from papal residency, fort, prision, to the current museum. A secret gataway tunnel leads from it to the Vatican via a hidden passage in an aqueduct. used during the sack of Rome in 1527. It was outside this that we got our group photo with our tour.
Along the streets we walked to the magnificent St.Peter's, the streets paved in marble leading to the biggest Dome in the World, created, along with the square (shaped like an embrace) between the 13th-16th centuries, with marble statues of the saints like the top with a beautiful central fountain, with the charming Christmas Nativity scene still in place.
We sat at the steps at the side of the square for lunch, i then started feeding the pigeons because i'm SO nice, clearly feeding the some of the beloved creatures of God. well...until huge seagulls appeared an started taking the bread off the poor wee pigeons, haha, oh well. Unfortunately it had started to rain, fortunately, as it was off season we had NO QUEUE. yes that's right, there was no line into the Vatican. Impressive!
St Peters Basilica is impressive inside and out, the entrance doors, the foyer; skillfully detailed marble features, floor to ceiling. We sort of had to go through a form of airport security to get in, but it is worth it. Beautiful detailed realistic frescos ordain the walls and ceilings, highlighted with glints of gilded gold, shining from the reflections of the candles and natural light.The basilica is a cross formation layout, built originally over a Roman circus were christians were slaughtered, Saint Peter was buried (view-able along with many Popes and cardinals in the Basilica's crypts) and over a previous 4th century Basilica. The current Basilica was built during the Renaissance in 1506 with such artists and designers as Bramante, Michelangelo, Maderno and Bernini, Gold, Marble and frescos cover the interior floor to ceiling up to the dome. in teh first alcove on teh right is the famous and breathtaking Michelango's Pieta. I was in awe to see this fantastically carved sculpture, in one of the hardest of marble's. Oh to have such skill and patience, a master of the arts.
Each Alcove was lavished in artistic beauty and religious designs, there was a private alcove room where people could go to pray. it was beautiful, peaceful. Yet with so much beauty, splendor and opulence in a place i don't know how any one can close their eyes for prayer.There's so much to take in!
The basilica, fabulously frescoed had a central window at the top letting in natural steaming light from the sun, like the light of God shinning down on the congregation. Stunning. The high altar, black lacquered wood with gold gilding was huge, several metres in height for sure! Intricately carved and polish to perfection. The white Dove of peace, of God, shone through in stained glass behind it on golden rays.
We continued round on the right and entered the papal museum, full of relics and items used by past popes and cardinals, from goblets, bejewelled crosses, bibles, vestments etc. Everything was beautiful and richly designed and made to the finest quality. Things from the first roman emperors era, as far back as 4ad with the creation of the Vatican; Constantine, who legalised Chrisitanity having converted and moved and made the capital of the Roman emperor Constantinople, leaving Rome to the pope. We gazed once more at the basilica before going back to the square, of which is 1 1/2 times the size of the Colosseum!
We crossed this and seemed to travel what felt like a mile to the side of the Vatican to Vatican Museo.
The Vatican Museum is has one of the biggest collections in the world, bigger than the Louvre in Paris, France, with art and antiquities from Ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, the neolithic period, Byzantine, Medieval, Renaissance and contemporary. Many of which are spoils of war from over the centuries if not original pieces from Italy. I beheld so much in the Ancient Egypt section I felt that I had been able to go there for my 21st! (we decided against it due to the current rebellions and the fact that as two white blonde girls of a young age we'd most probably be raped and murdered during this period of unrest, but one can still dream of visiting!) The display was fantastic! So much and from a wide variety of periods, from Amunhotep III, Akhenatan, king Tutankhamun's father and even statues in the likeness of his mother Tiye. The collection rivals the British museum and the Cario museum of Antiquities I'm sure! Onwards, past the statues from Emperor Hadrian's villa from 3AD, we were unfortunate to miss the statue of Cleopatra which was on loan to another museum.
We saw Neolithic, Persian and Polynesian artefacts, again, like in Malta we see a recurrence in the odd sexualised figurines, idols and figures of the gods, or porn? (there was one that seemed a combination of a female form mixed with a penis, sort of like a dildo? who really knows?)
The Roman section was Fantastico! Such beautiful marble carvings, statues, Edifices', columns and baths, the first section of which was displayed in a circular garden. We continued on through the Hall of Muses; statues of the Gods depicted as Hadrians predeparted male favourite, Antinious. Mosaic tiled floor designs, and marble statues of all sizes depicting gods and demigods of greek and roman influence from Juno, to Hercules and Athena. Power and divinity surged through the figures, Hercules and his solid masculine body with the lion skin lazily draped over his powerful arm to Juno, a female of strength and beauty, powerful and deadly with her instruments of death posed ready for the strike in her hands.
We continued on to the some beautiful Renaissance art, in particular the outstanding frescoed rooms by Raphael; the divinity of God is indeed in the detail. My particular favourite was one of the utmost beauty determined by his skill in form and light. Though not the most obvious choice, along with a small but moving corner design on Adam and Eve - The side ceiling panel of an angel helping a man in prision as my preferred creation. The skill used in creating the perfect rays of glorified light cast into the darkness through his use of colour and structure is unbelievable, the viewer is left trapped between the 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional, as the bars trap the angel and the man (surely an agonising thing to paint over such a beautiful design!) the viewer looks on wanting to help, to see more, to learn but is unable. We, the viewer are trapper in our world, able to see and to gain help if needed but often unable to open the doors and remove the bars to achieve this, to gain access to god.
Raphael Rooms
The Borgia rooms were ornate with hints of Spanish dominance in some of the designs, a clear indicator of the Borgia's strong Family origins. The walls were painted to resemble Heavy curtains, with ceiling and corner designs in gilded gold. In the centre of one room beheld a plaque on the ceiling upon which his name was written! The Borgia's of Rome are a very interesting family indeed.
The best was saved for last; the Sistine Chapel! unfortunately not the brightest of rooms (then again light can deteriorate paint and textiles, particularly old ones) We spent 20 minutes just staring up at the ceiling (our necks were in fact very sore from all the looking up we'd been doing, it seemed that every room had a wonderfully beautiful frescoed ceiling!) We stared in wonder at the beautiful famous designs by the Renaissance arts master Michelangelo.
The famous centre piece of man lazily reaching to good, unwilling, unable, or just not good enough to; too self concerned. Fabulous realistic structure, form and tone.spectacular! And of course the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden. Seating lined the edges of the room and we gazed up and around in wonder (I also took sneaky photos) The main wall was a blue sky fill with angels, beautiful perfections of the astral, we see clearly the dedication and skill of this artist used to its utmost to glorify God. We continued on through more beautiful tapestry corridors and frescoed ceilings, more marble statues and corner pieces. one corridor was filled with beautiful frescoed cabinets filled with curios. Our necks were stiff by the time we exited from looking up so much, and we did the shorter tour! Upon trying to find the metro back, we asked an old Italian man who walked with us partially on our way and directed us down, how kind! We dined at a lovely restaurant near the termini for dinner where Rebecca ate GNOCCHI which is freshly made in Italy on Thursdays. It was delicious! well worth trying whatever day
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