Venice of the North

It would have been quite easy to sleep the entire day after our previous days in Roma, especially considering our hotel had opaque window covers that blocked out both light AND sound! However, with just one full day left, we knew we had to start early. After a quick breakfast in the hotel (well, this also included a tasty pastry from the bakery on the corner...I simply couldn't resist), we headed out again.

The day prior, we purchased advance tickets to Musei Vaticani, which turned out to be a wise decision, as this meant we could skip the lines once arriving at the museum. However, our entry time was not until 1pm (again, nice, because most of the guided tour groups start much earlier in the morning and have left by this time -- for lunch). Since we had some time before then, it seemed wise to start with sites and places near the hotel. Literally across the street was the National Museum of Rome, the next stop on our grand tour.

Unfortunately, the National Museum contains multiple buildings; I suppose this is in fact a good thing, however our tour began in a building that housed mainly coins and various artifacts that would likely be of great interest to archeologists or history professors. We felt guilty leaving after just a short visit, but with so little time, we wanted to be sure to hit the main exhibits. The main museum building (Palazzo Massimo) was just a short distance down the road.

Immediately apparent after beginning the museum tour was just how much of ancient Roman society was stolen from other cultures, particularly the Greeks. Some of the highlights of the tour included sculptures that were exact replicas of famous Greek creations (see Myron's Discobolo). Yet, we were both captivated by this collection, and found it unfortunate we began the day at the other site as we had to leave to make our tour at the Vatican. Sites in the museum that I found particularly interesting were The Boxer at Rest (from 1st century B.C.), Apollo (a classic, and also stolen from the Greeks), many of the incredibly elaborate sarcophagi, and the entire basement -- devoted to tracing the coins used in Rome from Ancient times to the Euro. (As a side note, I would have taken more pictures, however it seems odd -- and arguably even somewhat disrespectful -- to take a photograph of something someone put so much time into, and was meant to be experienced in person).

We quickly wandered through the Baths of the Diocletian on the way to the Metro -- again, ideally we would have loved to stay longer, but time was not on our side. The next stop was the Vatican, after a subway ride under the Tiber to the Città del Vaticano. It was a bit confusing as to where the entrance was to the Vatican; we first entered at St. Peter's Square, which was nowhere near the entrance to the Vatican Museum. A 15 minute walk later, and we arrived at the entrance right on time.

We began by entering the Pinacoteca, the painting gallery separate from the actual Museum. Filled with many beautiful paintings, it is pretty easy to choose one that stands out: Raphael's (and likely partly Romano's) The Transfiguration. I do not have words to describe this masterpiece; I had to sit down to fully appreciate this work, and likely could have stayed much longer than the 20 minutes spent. Without a doubt, this is the most stunning piece I had ever seen (despite not visiting the Sistine Chapel at that point, I still would make this statement).

Annie in the Cortile Della Pigna. As much as I like the globe in the background, it seems a little misplaced.

In a daze from the true genius of the works in the Pinacoteca (which also included work by da Vinci and Caravaggio), we headed to the museum entrance. The whirlwind tour through the history of humanity began with pieces from Egypt, and Greece (3000-1000 B.C.), and included a mummy and many statues. Sculptures from Greece and Rome (500 B.C.-A.D. 500) followed next, with some outdoors -- all incredibly beautiful in their own right. It is hard to believe all of these pieces were collected through time by the Popes as decorations for their dwelling. After many rooms filled with too many statues to list and the most elegant tapestries I'd ever seen, we reached the Renaissance art section: the Raphael Rooms.

It comes as no surprise that I was again almost breathless at the genius of Raphael's work...and it was all done on the ceilings and walls of quite large rooms. Particularly impressive included the Liberation of St. Peter (Raphael mixed 4 different kinds of lighting in this painting, including natural light from the window below), the School of Athens, the Disputa, and the Triumph of Christianity. It is a little amusing to me that Raphael was unsure of his work after sneaking a peak at the Sistine Chapel (where Michelangelo was working while Raphael worked on these rooms), and so he increased the detail and emotion depicted in his work from that point forward.

Raphael's The School of Athens.

A seemingly endless maze came next, leading up to the pinnacle of the tour: the Sistine Chapel. Immediately upon entering, a strange feeling of being in the presence of something great overcame my body. My eyes shot to the ceiling, and I had an immediate loss for words. The faces on the Saints, the story each panel depicted, the symbolism and absolute power of the images above me...unbelievable. I couldn't help but find it unfortunate the Vatican guards had to continually remind the guests that pictures were not allowed, and silence was greatly appreciated (constant shushing seemed to work for, maybe 5-10 seconds at best). Again, I simply could not bring myself to take a photograph of the ceiling -- one touch of a button to capture something that took a good 4 years (and another couple 35 years later) and almost cost Michelangelo his life seems almost blasphemous. It is a site -- an experience -- you simply must be there to take in, to absorb. We left (all too soon, but about 50 minutes after entering!) feeling surprisingly happy, in light of the sheer terror invokes by the face of Jesus in The Last Judgement.

Next, we headed for St. Peter's Basilica. After thinking I could not possibly feel any smaller after being surrounded by the works of a true genius, again I was stunned. The sheer size is enough to swallow you whole; in the same breath, it is quite easy to see why a young man by the name of Martin Luther was a little upset at the opulence of the Church. Obviously, I was anything but upset at this point. We began by simply taking in the massive structure while standing at the entrance. A short stroll revealed just how large this church is...markings on the floor identify the size of other churches of the world. Highlights included the area around the tomb of St. Peter (we unfortunately did not get to go into the crypts, as mass began just as we were entering), the Apse (Bernini's dove window is quite inspiring), and the statue of St. Peter (we both rubbed his toes in reverence).

The Dome of St. Peter's Basilica. This is essentially the dome of the Pantheon (on which it was based), with the oculus filled in.

The area of the church that truly captivated me, though, was Michelangelo's Pietà. Simply astounding. It is almost embarrassing that he completed this masterpiece at age 24...and I am still learning how to tie a tie correctly at age 26. The love of Mary, the weight of Jesus' body under her limbs, the contrast between the cloth and skin, Mary's hand turned upward as if to say, "Why could they have done this to you?"...I was at an absolute loss for words. It is truly unfortunate that in 1972 a crazed man took a hammer to the sculpture and hacked away at the Pietà without a second thought. The sculpture was repaired, but now sits behind bulletproof glass.

Michelangelo's Pietà

Both Annie and I were absolutely drained at this point, both physcially and emotionally. The tour to the top of the dome (323 steps after an elevator ride) closed 15 minutes before we left the church, so we were left to recuperate in St. Peter's Square. Just as we were leaving, a light sprinkle began to fall, an almost fitting end to an amazing tour -- sadness in leaving.

St. Peter's Square, with a light drizzle

Starving by now, we headed to Via del Corso for a delicious meal. At one point, a small band of elderly men began serenading the diners, which was such a nice touch. We strolled the streets, starting at PIazza del Popolo, then headed south along Via del Corso, passed the Masoleum of Augustus, Piazza Colonna, Piazza Venezia, again saw the Victor Emmanuel Monument, and ended at the Trevi Fountain (it is so captivating, we had to return to take in one last look, smell, the sounds, the energy...).

Annie in Piazza del Popolo, the start of our last evening walk through bella Roma (for this trip, at least...).

On the train back to the hotel, I though it might be fun to have a quick look at the Colosseum at night since we had visited during the day (plus, the structure is just a few steps from the metro stop). This seemed like the perfect end to an incredible trip that left me happy, inquisitive, excited, and downright stunned.

Il Colosseo, by night

I saw Annie off to her airport shuttle (she left from the smaller, southern airport), then took the Leonardo express to the airport. After an uneventful flight home with a stop in Germany, I returned to Stockholm, the Venice of the North, ready to begin my rotation the next day. What an amazing 4 days!

Continuing with the sign tradition: Liederhosen are NOT allowed in the Vatican. Annie sad! :(

More photos: flickr