Walking in Rome

Day 14

Today was a long day. We left at 7AM and did not arrive back until after midnight. We must have walked over 12 hours. I guess I will rest when I finally come home. :)

We started out the day at the Vatican Museum which was so amazing. It was art piece after art piece on the walls and ceiling, it was unbelievable. I could have spent all day in there looking at all the art. We then went to the Sistine chapel which was unbelievable. It really is not something I appreciated until I saw it in person. I have seen so many pictures, but it is nothing like this. It really was fascinating.

We then walked through St. Peters Basillica which was an amazing church. No, I am not sick of churches yet. :) It was a very good feeling taking some holy water. The art and statues were amazing. I love mosaic art, it just fascinates me. The Pieta was beautiful and so impressive!

We then went to the Coliseum and the Forum which were very impressive. However, it looks much bigger when it is depicted on television. However, it was a sight that was very impressive none the less.

My Aussie friend and I left the group which was heading back to the hotel. We figured we were here to see Rome, which is what we did. I feel I can sleep or swim at home.

We went to St. Pietro in Vinculo which had the Moses statue which was one of the most impressive sculptures I have ever seen. It was massive! There was an odd skeleton with a sickle on one of the displays, I assume representing death which was odd in a church.

We then went to the Cappuchin Monks. We then saw what odd really was. In this church we saw chandeliers made from bones, Christian paintings surrounded by skulls and bones. It was the strangest thing I have ever seen. I even managed to take a few secretive photos since the guy in front was screaming at me when he thought I was about to take a photo. We found this place from a tour guide we had met in Venice from another tour.

We then went to the Pantheon. The dome was huge. The temple was originally for Pagans. Raphael was buried there. The church was very beautiful as was the fountain outside.

We then went to the Piazza Navona which had a beautiful fountain. The fountain of the Four Rivers was most impressive. The two other fountains featuring Neptune and Moor were also nice. The square was originally a stadium which was larger than the coliseum. S. Agnes' church was beautiful.

We went to the Sacred Acre which was ruins that were not discovered for centuries as they were covered. It was very interesting.

We then went to the Vittorio Emanuelle which was very impressive, even during the day. It was a huge structure with amazing sculptures. There are two flames burning for the unknown soldiers. There are two naval soldiers with uzis standing guard. The museum had many military pieces.

We went back to Trevi Fountain which was very beautiful during the day also. It was sooo crowded. We also threw another coin in the fountain. The sculptures of Neptune and the horses were very impressive.

We then finished our touring at the Spanish steps. We climbed to the top of the steps and went into the church at the top. The church was very nice. There was some kind of mass going on with people in robes and hoods praying on the floor. We walked back down the steps and hung out for a bit. There were many people sitting on the steps, reading, talking, and just people watching. The fountain at the bottom of the steps was very nice. There was a plaque on the wall near the steps that said Keats lived in the building and died there at age 25. Below was a museum of Keats, Shelley, Lord Byron, and many other poets, but it was closed.

For the next hour or so we trekked across town to the restaurant that was recommended by the beautiful dark haired Italian at our hotel and confirmed by our tour guide. We had Calamari for an appetizer which was very light compared to the States. I had steak appizzaola which is a favorite of mine. It was on par with my own. :) There was some Italian singing. As we sat there some people in the square started singing more upbeat Italian music, with a latin flair. It definitely enhanced our dining experience. We had a ricotta cheesecake which was excellent! I remember my Mom making a similar cake at Easter time. I thought of my Mom many times today. It would have been nice to share my stories of the Vatican and St. Peter's with her. She would have loved to see the pictures and hear all about it.

We then caught the 23:00 bus back to the hotel. It was a very long 17 hour day. I slept like a baby! :)