Living Roman History

It is hard to believe today was my last full day in Rome.  We had a few things left on our list to do, so it was a day full of history and fun!

We began the morning going to the Roman Forum.  For a history lover like me, it was a real treat.  I remember reading about the Romans and their contributions to the world in the 6th grade and throughout the rest of school.  Walking today through the ruins was like living history.  My trusty Rick Steve's book and I saw where the Senate once met, the place Julius Caesar was buried, and many temples of old.  Wow!  Wow!  Wow!

The Arch of Titus.  Titus, the son of an Emperor, conquered Jerusalem in the first century.  Relics and history of this decorate the arch.

Standing amongst the ruins of the Foro Romano (Roman Forum)

Jumping for Joy!

"Leftovers" from a temple

The place Julius Caesar was first cremated and buried

The Roman Senate

Following lunch on the run, which is how we think most Italians do lunch--stop in at a pizza shot, get some pizza, pay by the kg, and go on to the rest of your day--we left Rome and Italy.  We entered Vatican City!

The entrance into the Vatican.  To answer your question, Nathaniel, no, they didn't stamp my passport.  I'm thinking about creating my own stamp though.

A look at the inside of the Vatican.  The Pope lives somewhere here, but we didn't get to see him...bummer!

The Vatican Museum had many rooms that went through the various eras of history and civilization.  Flash photography was prohibited, and my camera likes to take blurry pictures without the flash, so there are several videos of the museum instead.

Ancient Greek and Roman sculptures

Tapestries portraying the life and ministry of JC.

Statue of Hercules

Paintings by Raphael.  They had several rooms dedicated to him and his work.

After wandering through the Vatican Museum, we came to the featured presentation, the Sistine Chapel.  I was reading in Rick Steves' book about how most people view the hours worth of art and artifacts before the Sistine Chapel as obstacles for getting to the Sistine Chapel.  I must say that I probably fall into that group of people.  All the art and sculptures were neat and cool, but...enough is enough.

We entered the Sistine Chapel and wowza!  The chapel was huge, much bigger than I was expecting, and every square inch of it was covered in Michelangelo's paintings.  Whoa!

Pictures of any kind were not allowed in the Sistine Chapel, but when we entered everyone was talking pictures.  After a few moments of consideration, I decided to try to take one too.  I got a quick one off before security arrived and said, "No!"  I guess I should go to confession now for this...but there was no pope or priest in the chapel...really, they should have a confessional stand at the back of the chapel because probably 75% of the people need to confess taking pictures where they are prohibited.  lol!

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

Situated right next to the Sistine Chapel is St. Peter's Basilica.  This places has some stories with it.  Supposedly, St. Peter was crucified upside down at this exact spot.  It is marked in the Basilica.  Also, Peter's bones are supposed to be buried under the floors.  I'm not so certain about it all...but maybe...

The back of Basilica Papale di San Pietro (St. Peter's Basilica in Italian).

A video of the inside of the Basilica.  It is so fancy and beautiful, but it is almost ridiculous the intricacy and the amount of money that must have been spent on the inside of this thing.

Michelangelo's Pieta--his depiction of Mary and the crucified JC

The dome of the basilica.  Around it written in Latin is the verse JC told Peter:  "You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not overcome it."  All the way around the basilica are all the words JC spoke to Peter that the B.ble records.

This is dark and not a good picture, but this is an important sight.  This is where Peter is supposedly buried.  It is under the dome, under the copper arch, under a box, and over 25 feet under the marble floor.  This is also the place where the Pope partakes of Communion.

Outside St. Peter's Bascilica

After all that, I was pretty tired and ready to be out of all the art, culture, and tourists.  We came back to our hostel, relaxed a bit, and then got dressed up for a Friday night out on in the city of Rome.  We went back to one of my favorite spots in the city, the Trevi Fountain and ate a wonderful meal close to there.

It was another great day.  So great in fact, that at one point in the day we had all used up our camera batteries.  You know you've seen some good stuff when that happens!