The Vatican

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Geo: 41.8955, 12.4823

The thing about Rome is that, however much you see, there is just so much left that you want to see – I honestly think that a lifetime would not be long enough in this amazing city, and this morning, we had to work out what we would see, on our second day in Rome, and what would have to wait for another time.

We headed off to Piazza Navona, after buying bus tickets to allow us to travel all day on the public transport (very cheap!) Cathy's app on her phone told us when to run for the bus, and how long until the next one – it enabled us to jump off the bus to walk over to the Piazza Navona, take our photos and admire the Bernini fountain of the Rivers. The Piazza is built over an old Roman Circus, where the chariot races were held 2000 years ago, and until 100 years ago, every summer would see the fountain outlets blocked and the piazza filled with water, so that the rich and poor alike could paddle and play in the Piazza! The Fountain is full of hidden meanings – the River Nile is shown as a man with his head hidden under a cloth, because at that time, the source of the Nile had not yet been found. Another part of the fountain has a man with his hand outstretched, and a look of horror on his face – he looks at a building where Bernini was not given the contract for the works, and Bernini didn't like the work done by his competitor.

We jumped back onto the bus to the Vatican. The roads are full of stalls selling religious tourist stuff – some of it was so tacky that you couldn't believe it – you'll just have to see our Pope-oner bottle opener! The queue to get into the Vatican was about 30 minutes, but it was hot in the sun, and then, once you pass through security etc, you still have to get past the "fashion police"- young men appointed by the Vatican to assess whether the young ladies are showing too much leg, cleavage or arm. I don't object to the Church insisting that all visitors be dressed appropriately – but most other churches provide disposable cover-ups, rather than just turn away people who have waited in the sun for ages to get in! And the rules apply to little kids too – Georgia had to ensure that her shoulders were covered!

But then, we were in the Vatican! We saw the Swiss Guards, in their fantastic uniforms, and then entered the Vatican itself. The size of the place is not immediately obvious, because of its fantastic design – it doesn't look large, but it will seat over 90,000 people! They were setting up for Mass for the Feast of Peter and Paul, and the number of chairs they were putting out was staggering! There is even a little bit of arrogance, as the length of other major cathedrals around the world are marked on the floor of St Peters, just to emphasize the size of the Vatican. But it is truly the most beautiful building in the world! I love the alabaster Holy Spirit, in particular. We spent some time inside, looked at the Statue of Peter and the Bernini altarpiece, and the tomb of Pope John XXIII (the Pope who was born at Sotte Il Monte, where we stayed in Italy). For one wonderful moment, a beam of light came through the dome of St Peters, bathing us in light – the kids called it “God's light” and it really was very special!

Then, we went downstairs, to the crypts of the Popes – previously, we'd entered this from the main part of St Peters, but now you have to go outside, then downstairs, then through a passageway. Unfortunately, what used to be a moving part of the most wonderful church was somewhat ruined by officious guards, yelling loudly “SILENZIO” and insisting that everyone walk on past every crypt, rather than stop for prayer or even just to have a good look at these very solemn places. And you can't access the national chapels anymore! Oh well!

So then, with everyone hungry, we found a little tourist café on the Borgo Pio selling a tourist menu of pastas, and within minutes, we were all happily eating very nice pasta and feeling much better. But, the busy day was starting to take its toll, so we leapt on a bus and returned to Cathy's home for a quiet hour or two.

Then off to St John Lateran, which was just around the corner (by bus) – it is the seat of the Pope, in his role as Bishop of Rome, and is just spectacular. It is the site of the first church in Rome (from 318 AD), and the original Baptistry. It also has (allegedly) the heads of St Peter and St Paul in reliquaries, in a baldacchino which looks like a golden cage! We thought that it had the whispering columns, but we'll have to check where they are, from our notes of our first trip in 1997). The church was very impressive, but for me, nothing could compare to the splendor of St Peters earlier in the day!

We then crossed the road (stopping only when accosted by the street vendors – bought a little pashmina for G) to go to the Holy Staircase, or Scala Santa. These stairs were brought from the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jeruselum, on which Jesus would have walked during his Passion. They were brought to Rome by St Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine, in the 4th century. The 28 white marble stairs (now encased in oak) are mounted by thousands on pilgrims, on their knees, each day. There are small viewing holes to allow you to see some spots of red on the stairs – the blood of Christ? There certainly are some amazing places in Rome!

From here, we went back towards Cathy and Ian's home, had a lovely pizza at a little trattoria near their home, then bathed the kids and loaded our stuff into the car to go. It was after 10pm when we got back to Castelmuzio (everything seems so quiet after Rome!) but it had been a wonderful opportunity to see Rome and to see dear friends – perfect combination!

PS. The last photo exemplifies Rome's traffic problems!

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Comments

[Teresa McNamara]

Um, who's that bloke in the beard?

[Teresa McNamara]

Is this just a model? I'm a bit concerned.

[kperissinotto]

No, not just a model - the real body of the Pope! When some of them have decomposed, they put a mask on - but as far as I can tell, this is the real thing!