The City That Sits On Seven Hills

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A very early start this morning for Kim and I, getting up at 5.30am for a quick breakfast, followed by a ten minute walk to Colloseo Underground Station to catch a metro train to Termini, Rome’s version of Central Station. From there we had to change lines to catch a train to Ottaviano, the closest station to the tour we had booked from Australia some months ago, the Vatican. We had to be across the other side of Rome at the tour operator’s office by 7.10am. We made it with plenty of time to spare. They provided us with coffee and more breakfast, and we headed for the Vatican Gates promptly at 7.20am in order to gain first tour group entry into the Vatican.



As it turned out, we were probably the third group that entered the gates, however, with all of these groups being less than ten people, we had pretty much exclusive access to the best of the Vatican instead of battling wall to wall tourists by mid morning. The tour company we had chosen was the top rated tour operator of the Vatican for the past five years on Trip Advisor, and our trusty guide, Mario, proved to be a fount of knowledge about all things Vatican. Mario was a recent convert to Orthodox christianity (thanks to his Russian wife), and given the size of the Vatican and it’s treasures, he knew precisely where to lead us. Mario stated that if one took just five seconds at each item in the Vatican, it would take more than twenty five years to see everything.



Vatican City, is a country located within the city of Rome, having an area of approximately 44 hectares, and a population of 1,000. It is the smallest state in the world by both area and population. The name is taken from Vatican Hill, the geographic location of the state. It is an ecclesiastical state ruled by the Bishop of Rome – the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various national origins. Since the return of the Popes from Avignon in France in 1377, they have generally resided at the Apostolic Palace within what is now Vatican City.



The number seven is significant in Roman culture, not only for the Seven Kings of Rome but also for the Seven Hills of Rome upon which the Eternal City was built. The first was the Palatine Hill, where according to legend, the first King of Rome Romulus founded the city on 21st April 753 BC. The seven hills of Rome are all located east of the Tiber River and all played significant roles in religion, mythology and politics with ancient Romans.



Within Vatican City are religious and cultural sites such as St Peters Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. They feature some of the world's most famous paintings, sculptures and artefacts. The Vatican Obelisk was originally taken by Caligula from Heliopolis in Egypt to decorate the spina of his Chariot Circus and is thus its last visible remnant. This area became the site of martyrdom of many Christians after the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64. Ancient tradition holds that it was in this circus that Saint Peter was crucified upside down.



The first location that Mario led us to was of course, the Sistine Chapel, Today it is the site of the Papal Conclave, the process by which a new pope is selected. The fame of the Sistine Chapel lies mainly in the frescos that decorate the interior, and most particularly the Sistine Chapel Ceiling and The Last Judgement by Michelangelo. During the reign of Sixtus IV, a team of Renaissance painters that included Botticelli, Perugino, Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio and Roselli, created a series of frescos depicting the Life of Moses and the Life of Christ, offset by papal portraits above. These paintings were completed in 1482.



Between 1508 and 1512, under the patronage of Pope Julius 11, Michelangelo painted the chaepl’s ceiling, a project which changed the course of Western art and is regarded as one of the major artistic accomplishments of human civilization. After the sacking of Rome, he returned and between 1535 and 1541, painted The Last Judgement for Popes Clement V11 and Paul 111. The fame of Michelangelo's paintings has drawn multitudes of visitors to the chapel ever since they were revealed five hundred years ago.



Mario provided us with a foolscap size colour reproduction of the Sistine Chapel’s artworks, each identified with theme, and allowed us twenty minutes alone to contemplate and admire Michelangelo’s masterpiece. From there we reformed as a group and walked through sculpture, tapestry, map, and art museums featuring some of the finest artworks and artifacts in the world, combined with a commentary on the history of particularly significant items. From there Mario led us back into the Sistine Chapel for a further contemplation of the ceiling, before leading us out of the museums and into St Peter’s Basilica.



St Peter’s Basilica is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and is the largest church in the world. Construction of the present basilica, which would replace the old St Peter’s Basilica from the 4th century AD, began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626. Mario guided us through the various sections of the Basilica, pointing out fascinating features that the majority of visitors to the church would be unaware of.



One interesting statue is of Pope Alexander VII, a sculptural monument designed and partially executed by the Italian artist Gianlorenzo Bernini. There are six significant figures in the monument. At the apex is Alexander kneeling in prayer. Below him are four female statues representing virtues practiced by the Pontiff. On the foreground is Charity with a child in her arms. To the right of that is Truth, whose foot rests on a globe. More precisely, Truth's foot is placed directly over England, where Pope Alexander had strived to subdue the growth of the Church of England. If you look closely, there is thorn protruding from the globe precisely where England lies. The statue is meant to convey the Pope’s authority over the whole of the earth, except England.



On the second level are Prudence and Justice. These statues were carved in white marble. Most dramatically, below Alexander, the figure of Death is represented in gilded bronze, shrouded in a billowing drapery of Sicilian jasper. He raises an hourglass to symbolize that time has passed.



After exiting the Basilica, the tour ended, and we were free to explore. We chose to go back into the Basilica and climbed down the stairs to the crypts below. There is a tomb purportedly belonging to St Peter himself, who was claimed to be the first Bishop of Rome. After walking through the Basilica once more to view a famous Raphael artwork, we caught an elevator part way, then walked up steps to the top of the Dome. It was very steep, tight and claustrophobic in places, however, the views from the top, both internal and external, were pretty amazing.



After winding our way down from the Dome, we exited the Vatican and headed to the Jewish Quarter for lunch, where we found a Gluten Free Italian Restaurant. The food was great. From there we headed for Palatine Hill, walking past an ancient fish market, a Roman Forum building and several other ancient structures. We walked around the opposite side of Palatine Hill to what where we had previously walked, principally to view the site of Circus Maximus.



Circus Maximus was the first and largest stadium in ancient Rome and its later Empire. It measured 621 mtrs in length and 118 mtrs in width and could accommodate over 150,000 spectators. It was primarily a chariot racetrack when it was first constructed in the 6th century BC. The Circus was also used for other public events such as the Roman Games and gladiator fights and was last used for chariot races in the 6th century AD.



Having walked five hundred miles today, we headed back to our apartment for a rest.

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