The Vatican

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Buona sera (Good evening)!

Our first full day in Italy was really busy, but extremely memorable! Our day was spent at the Vatican, home of the Roman Catholic Church and its leader - Pope Benedict XVI. We had to get up very early (6:00 am) so we could arrive in St. Peter's Square by 8:00 to get good seats for the pope's weekly General Audience, which is open to the public. I couldn't believe what good seats we got! We were in the front section, and had a very good view of the proceedings. When the pope was driven around the square at the beginning of the program (after we waited in the open square for about 2 hours!), he came very close by where we were sitting. I couldn't have been more than 20 feet away from him! We learned later that someone tried to jump onto the back of the "Pope-Mobile", but we didn't see it. I'm sure you have heard about it on the news by now.

After the General Audience, we waited about an hour on a long line to enter the Vatican Museums. Wow, what an experience that was! Rather than waste time with lunch, I went ahead with a small group and saw a hallway full of statuary - mostly from the 1st through 4th Centuries A.D. We then toured several halls as a group, viewing sculpture, painting, tapestries, and much more. There were artistic treasures in every direction you turned! We finished up this portion of the tour in the amazing Sistine Chapel, which is covered with magnificent frescoes by Michelangelo. The 15 minutes we spent in this room absolutely raced by, as there was more than the eye seemed capable to take in.

After leaving the Vatican Museums, we ventured into St. Peter's Basilica. Our first stop was in the grottoes, where popes and other important people in the life of the church are buried. We saw the burial sites of all the 20th Century popes. Most impressive were the burial place of Pope John Paul II - until 2 years ago the only pope of my lifetime - and the final resting place of the remains of St. Peter. We left the grottoes and proceeded into St. Peter's Basilica. It was absolutely amazing! It is the largest Catholic church in the world. The sculpture and other artwork was so impressive. There really aren't words to describe the feelings of wonder and amazement I experienced as our group wandered through this magnificent space.

Upon leaving St. Peter's, we drove back to our hotel for dinner and bed. What a day! Tomorrow, we will visit the Colosseum and other historical sites of the city. More to come...

Jason

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