Roma

Observations:

The Vatican is a very big place!

We had reserved tickets to the Sistine Chapel online prior to leaving for Italy.  Thank goodness.  The line to get in to the Vatican has to be over a mile long.  And it was so hot.  We only had to wait about 10 minutes with our online reservation.  Definitely the way to go!

The Vatican, the portion that we saw of it, is completely overwhelming.  The museums are incredible.

 Egyptian relics:

Mosaic floors:

 That's a mosaic!

Marble:

Sculptures:

Fragments of statues:

Busts:

And, oh, the ceilings!  Just a sprinkling of what we saw:

It was very hot, even inside, and so crowded. We were herded through hallways, jammed in and really unable to fully appreciate the fantastic art around us. Regardless, it was amazing.

Then we got to the Sistine Chapel.  Wow.

The chapel is a simple rectangular room with no pews or altar.  This must be because of the tourist attraction that it is.  Every inch - not just the ceiling - every inch from ceiling to floor is painted in artwork.  The famous Michelangelo with God and man reaching towards one another, is right in the center of the ceiling.  But it’s the same size and shape as dozens more of his paintings, one after the other, covering the ceiling.  It is difficult to imagine the enormity of this work, and Michelangelo’s talent. 

Unfortunately, no photos allowed.

A few steps away is St. Peter’s Cathedral.  Oh.My.Gosh.  Photos were allowed here, so here’s just a tiny glimpse.

Outside the Vatican:

The Swiss Guard (I felt sorry for them with all those clothes on - it was so hot!)

 

We thought this looked like it might be one of the windows the Pope looks out of to wave to the crowds

Later we went to an outdoor market in a piazza near our hotel.  Wait until you see the fruits, vegetables, pasta and everything else!  But by now we are becoming used to this kind of display of food in Italy.  Miraculously, this market is taken down at the end of the day, all evidence of it erased.

 Pastas

 Dried peppers - all kinds

 Pre-mixed spices for pastas, meats, etc.

Multi-colored pasta

A Leonardo Da Vinci museum near our hotel had downscaled replications of some of his inventions built based upon his drawings.

The public is allowed to touch some of the displays.  This was one of them.  You turn the crank and the barrel turns causing the hammers to hit the bells making a musical sound.  Not sure if the piano had yet been invented during his time.

An armored tank

Inside the armored tank

A couple of his anatomical drawings, which I thought were amazing.  We learned that he used to write backwards and anagrammatically (like encrypted) so that his research could not be read:

Another short walk from our hotel was the large Piazza Navona, known for its pretty fountains and many restaurants. I really wanted to see the fountains lit up at night. Because we got to the piazza “early” (like 6:00 p.m. – dinner doesn’t really get started until 7:00, the earliest)¸ our table was in a great spot to watch all the activity that increased as the evening progressed. The parade of people walking by was most entertaining.

The piazza

 One of the fountains

Many artists display their works to sell in the center area

 Church bells rang from this beautiful cathedral

Great location for watching all the passersby; my immediate view was nice too!

 Vendors walked around selling everything from scarves to roses to sunglasses

When it started to get dark, vendors walked around selling little neon thingies that shot up into the air; they looked like tiny fireworks when several of them were shot up at once

Restaurants, one after the other, outline the piazza

 As the sun went down, the fountain lights came on

 In this picture you can see the moon and one of those neon thingies shooting up on the right

This was a really fun evening – a highlight of our time in Roma.

Trevi Fountain was featured in a movie starring Audrey Hepburn (I can't remember the name of it), and one we wanted to see.  (Thanks to Dana for reminding us about it!)  It is spectacular.

Everywhere in Rome it was hot and crowded.  This is taken at the Trevi Fountain:

From Trevi Fountain we were able to walk to the Coliseum. Leading up to the Coliseum are many ruins. Chris was in his glory looking at all this. However, looking at ruins in 100 degree weather, in the blazing sun with no shelter is not my idea of a good time. I tried to keep my happy face on so that he could enjoy one of his passions. And, I have to say, the enormity of what is still there from the time of Augustus Caesar, maybe 2000 years ago, is incredible, even difficult to wrap your mind around.

I felt somber at the Coliseum looking at the area that was beneath the floor. What an awful place it must have been for the gladiators waiting down there to fight one another to the death.

From the Coliseum we walked to the Palatine, where the Roman emperors lived.  This was a huge area of ruins and a person could probably spend a day just there.  Unfortunately, the weather impacted us.  We spent maybe an hour walking around.  Chris looked at as much as he could while I scoped out the shady spots under trees.

 The remnant of the statue on the right of this picture is just a toe on a foot.

I can't comment too much on these pics as I wasn't really participating...  I could tell you where the shady spots were, though!

Finally cooling down!

As with Florence, there is so much to see and do in Rome.I’ve often heard that Rome is dirty and some don’t care for it.  With the little we saw of Roma, we did not find this to be the case.  We loved it!

Funny Pic of the Day:

Arrivaderci Roma!