Agony and the Ecstasy (4)

Rome, Italy (May 20-23)
It is better to see something once, than to hear about it a thousand times.

Asian proverb

Next stop on our trip was Rome. Out water taxi picked us up at the hotel and we were taken to the Venezia Santa Lucia railway station.  In all the excitement and moving luggage I left a bag behind with my trip journals. I was so upset, I hadn’t cried like that in a long time. It’s silly to cry about them but one of the books was one I had used on my trip in 2006, a new book a friend had given me for this trip and the loss I hated the most was a small handmade leather notebook I had purchased in Venice. Angry at myself for not paying attention better.  (Agony)

Our personal travel guide walked into the train station with us and gave us a short verbal tour of the area. When I had been there before, there were no shops, restaurants or seating areas. That has all changed and it has been modernized. I felt safer this time also. After about two hours our train was ready to board. We located our boarding platform and got set to go to Rome. We had a wonderful ride. Large villas, rows and rows of vineyards and acres of farmland in between.

We arrived at the Roma Termini railway station about three in the afternoon and started looking for our driver who would be taking us to our hotel. Being hungry we took the opportunity to grab a bite to eat. Nearby was a McDonald’s (yes, that one) but only Big Mac’s available. Not our first choice but the fastest one. Our driver appeared and having no time to eat, we carried our lunch with us to the hotel and ate it cold. 

Hotel della Conciliazione

Our hotel was within about five blocks of Vatican City in a narrow, busy street. We left our luggage and decided to walk over to VC to take some pictures. The crowd was huge as we expected. Police presence notable as we have seen at the more popular tourists sights.  As we all know, 9/11 changed everything, especially with travel.

This was our free afternoon which we enjoyed walking around the neighborhood and getting our bearings. We were specifically looking for a wine shop that would ship to the United States since our search failed in Venice. We found a shop near our hotel, the enoteca Costantini and would return the next day in hopes they are open and shop.

The enoteca Costantini Shop

Choosing the wine

Shipping desk

The following day was our private tour of the Vatican Museums. We met our guide and driver in the lobby and off we went. Dropped off at the curb next to the ticket area, we walked in behind our guide. Nice to avoid waiting in line for hours. There are several rooms to see and crowds to wade through before you get to the crown jewel – The Sistine Chapel. There are 54 galleries in the museums and you can’t see it all in one day. First we will see the interior courtyards: Cortile della Pigna, named after a colossal bronze pinecone almost 4 meters high, which in the classic age, stood near the Pantheon in Rome, moved to the basilica in 1608.

Giant Pinecone

the Cortile della Biblioteca and Cortile del Belvedere.  We view part of the grounds and listen to our guide describing the beauty. 

Giant Fractured Sphere

Entering the museum area we find the ramp in the direction of the Sistine Chapel. 

We wind our way, along with about 2000 other tourists, and see the following:

Gallery of Maps: A topographical map of the whole of Italy painted on the walls and remains the world’s largest pictorial geographical study; Gallery of Tapestries: Flemish tapestries, made from Raphael’s pupils drawings during Pope Clement VII (1523-1534), hang on the walls. First hanging in the Sistine Chapel in 1532, and then moved to the current gallery in 1838.

The Sistine Chapel (no photos and silence). According to some scholars the dimensions of the hall (40.23 meters in length, 13.40 meters in width and 20.70 meters in height) are copied from Solomon’s great temple in Jerusalem, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. The splendid 15^th century mosaic floor was copied from mediaeval models and is completely original. Each of the two long walls has 6 arched windows. The walls are covered by three virtual rings with decorations. At floor level is a tapestry designed by Raphael, showing scenes from the gospels and the Acts. In the middle are frescos with scenes from the lives of Moses and Jesus to demonstrate the continuity of Old and New Testaments. The top row, next to and between the windows shows images of popes. Originally the ceiling was blue with stars until Pope Julius II hired Michelangelo to decorate the ceiling (after his success with the Pieta). This was finished in 1512 and depicts nine scenes from Genesis and the lunettes depict ancestors of Jesus. In 1536 Michelangelo was hired to make a fresco of the Last Judgement on the rear wall of the chapel behind the altar (finished in 1541).

Our guide advised us to get through the crowd and stand at the back of the chapel so we can look up and see the ceiling in the correct order (as the pope would see it). It is lovely and the colors are very vibrant after restoration in 1993. Awe inspiring and an immensely spiritual experience. To stand in the room that has withstood the test of time was a once in a lifetime event. (Ecstasy)

We then took several hallways to enter St. Peter’s Basilica. Another awe inspiring experience. The classic Pieta is in the right aisle as you enter the alcove (behind bullet proof glass due to an incident a few years ago). It dates from 1499, when Michelangelo was only 24 years old.  

We are walking on floors built in the 1600’s. As you look up to the height of the nave is as high as a 15 story building. The art and colors and statues are so beautiful and inspiring. 

There is a papal altar in the middle of the church that is bronze but looks black to me.  There are lots of gold accents. Underneath this structure is the “Tomb of Saint Peter”, where, according to tradition, the remains of the Apostle are kept making it one of the most popular Christian locations to visit. Recent archeological evidence seems to confirm this information. 

We didn’t get to spend enough time at the basilica, just too much to see and absorb. Our tour comes to a close and we walk out into the courtyard. We cross the yellow line that separates Vatican City from Rome.

The next day was free from organized touring and that story will be in my next post.