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Vatican city, roman ruins, catacombs and gelati.

Rome: Day One

Sjk
2004-04-27 09:46:41

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Displays of the flesh aren't allowed in the Basilica of San Pietro, the weather is too hot to spend the day in a long skirt or long pants so I wear a shorter skirt underneath a long one and plan to remove it after leaving the Basilica.

Our guide, Eleanora is very knowledgeable and begins our tour in the Candelabra Gallery, the sculptures featured date back many centuries and some are Roman copies of Greek sculptures from the classical period. The frescoes on the ceilings are detailed and colourful, the technique used quite advanced and nearly all of them relate to the Bible. We don't have time to see all of the galleries and end our tour with the Gallery of the Tapestries, the tapestries are huge and some of the colours still vivid and fresh.

For me the big attraction at the Vatican is the Sistine Chapel, I was not disappointed. The restoration of Michelangelo's work is almost complete and I stand in awe at the brilliance of the colours and the wonderful detail of every image, the ceiling took 4 years to paint and the "Last Judgement", 6 years. The Chapel was once the private chapel of the Pope and Cardinals, it is hard to imagine the silence they would have experienced as people move around me. Leaving the chapel we make our way to St Peter's Basilica, a gigantic cathedral with scaffolding covering the facade and only the dome visible from the Piazza.

The Basilica is the longest in the world, some of the worlds greatest cathedrals could fit inside and this is shown by markings in the mosaic floor. Inside we see the "Pieta" another of Michelangelo's famous pieces, he completed it at the age of 24 and the sculpture is now behind glass as a result of an attack on the sculpture in previous years. Michelangelo was also responsible for the design of the cupola. There are no paintings in the Basilica, only numerous mosaics, but it isn't easy to tell the difference from afar. To one side there is a beautiful shrine to ...

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Witty observations interspersed with general outlook and historical background of the sites. Yes, the traffic in Rome is scary, with scarecly there pedestrian crossing lines.

Prema, 2005-11-17 04:58:48