Day 4: The Vatican

For whatever reason we didn't go to the Vatican until our last day in Rome, even though it was the closest attraction to our hotel. We decided to get up nice and early, have the free breakfast that was included in the cost of our room, and get to the Vatican Museums nice and early to avoid the lines.

Well, we got up early and had breakfast and got to Vatican City at about 8:15am. Avoid the lines we did not. In fact, the line was about a half mile long. We walked to the front and saw that the museum didn't even open until 8:30 and the line was about five wide for that whole length. Didn't really feel like going to the back, so I told Pam to follow my lead.

We picked a spot near the front of the line right in front of some nuns and sat on the curb and began to ponder our guidebooks with great intensity. When the line started moving we staying in place for about thirty seconds then hopped up and walked in. No problems!

We didn't tour the entire collection, that would take upwards of a whole day. We walked through the Egyptian and Roman Collections and then made our way to the Raphael Rooms (which many people inexplicably bipassed to get to the Sistine Chapel, as if it wouldn't still be there later on in the day. I'm not going to post pictures as you can go to the Vatican website and take a virtual tour there.

We spent a good our in the Raphael Rooms taking pictures (it was allowed there, but not in the Sistine Chapel) and resting. At this point in the day we'd probably already walked a few miles inside the museum. We then made our way through some narrow corridors onto a very plain looking staircase that looked like it would lead us to the cafeteria. The guard pointed left and we walked through a small door and into the Sistine Chapel.

I didn't really know what to expect from it, but I have to say that it's among the most amazing sites I've ever laid eyes on. To stand in a room where there is no doubt that a person of astounding genius had done perhaps his best work was staggering. Our little audio tour guides helped us understand what we were looking at, and we listened to all the information available which kept us in the Chapel for about a half hour. I chatted with one of the guards and asked him if it ever got old, coming to work in museums like this where works of such beauty surround you. He smiled and said, "Never." Good for him.

After that much visual stimulus we needed a little break before proceeding to the Basilica. There was a nice little street market that we spent some time in, but that was more of a necessity for Pam than for me. We decided that a gelato was in order to help cool off after the museums, and Pam enjoyed hers so much that she decided to save half of it for later on her shirt. She bought a cheap one in the market and used Foot Locker's changing room to switch up.

We then made our way over to St Peter's Square. We'd walked through it on the way to the museum but it is still amazing just how freakin' BIG it is. We again did the audio tours and learned alot about all the sites in the church and in the square. We also took some great video which I will be uploading soon.

This was our last day in Rome, the day was very long so after the Basilica we took some video and went back to the hotel. We had dinner at a restaurant that was near the hotel and then went and packed up to get ready for the trip to Florence in the morning.

Day 3, Rome

Day three was only half a day in reality. I think jetlag finally got us good.

We had early reservations at the Museo Borghese, which I thought was a relatively easy walk from the hotel. It was not. It was probably 2.5 miles and a good chunk of it was uphill. We arrived sweaty but on time and proceeded to relax in the first air conditioned room that we found. The Borghese is jam-packed with art of all kinds, from ancient Roman statues and mosaics to late Rennaissance/Classical sculpture. Pictures were not allowed, so I have no pictures to show, but this link to the museum's website can give you some ideas.

There are Bernini masterpieces seemingly in every room, though the Rape of Prosperina in one room and Apollo and Daphne in particular caught my attention. The fact that these pieces are carved out of stone is difficult to swallow. Prosperina's struggle to escape is reflected on the fact that Pluto's hands dig into the flesh of her back and leg. How he carved that I have no idea.

Apollo is chasing Daphne, a wood nymph, in order to have sex with her (of course) when she cries out for help. She receives it by being turned into a tree. The sculpture is of the exact moment when that transformation begins. You see roots growing out of her tows, leaves growing out of her head. The guide stated that the leaves are carved so thin (the whole thing is marble) that they ring like crystal when they are struck.

After a morning spent at the museum we walked to Piazza Barberinin and another Bernini masterpiece (yawn) in the form of the Triton Fountain in the middle of the square.

More importantly we found an internet cafe and were able to shoot of some emails back home. I was somewhat alarmed when I noticed the guy next to me surfing porn, but he was typing with two hands so it was OK.

After this we were exhausted and took a cab back to the hotel for a long siesta. After that we wandered out for some pizza, but made a short night of it. Tomorrow was the double whammy of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica.