Rome was very busy when we were there because of the canonization of two popes, Pope John Paul and Pope John XXIII. According to the news, they were expecting nearly one million visitors to Rome at the same time we were there.....YIKES!!! Carol and our bus driver were very concerned that roads near the Vatican would be closed to bus traffic early in the day and so we were prepared for the worst...either a long walk or being forced to use pubic transportation such as the subway. Not an easy thing to do with our large group!! We had a very early wakeup call and were loaded on the bus by 7:30 AM.
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| Pope John Paul II |
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| Pope John XXIII |
Fortunately our bus driver was able to drop us off 5 minutes away from the Vatican. We walked to the place we would meet our tour guide and realized we had 90 minutes to spare. Carol went to get our tickets etc and the rest of our group walked around the walls of the Vatican to St. Peter's Square. We could not believe the lineups of people waiting to get into St. Peter's Basilica so early in the day. We had time to admire the massive area in front of St. Peter's. There is a 4000 year old Egyptian obelisk and a beautiful fountain by Bernini. We took a group photo and then everyone had some time to wander in the square and take photos before we headed back to meet Carol.
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| St. Peter's Basilica |
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| St. Peter's Square |
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| Egyptian Obelisk in St. Peter's Square |
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| Building to the left of TV tower is where the retired Pope Benedict lives |
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| Listening to our guide |
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| Vatican Gardens |
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| Beautiful ceilings |
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| Painted Ceiling Relief |
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| Huge tapestries |
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| Tapestry hanging on walls |
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| Closeup of tapestry |
Our final visit was to the Sistine Chapel, the largest and most famous chapel of the Apostolic Palace which is where the Pope lives. The Sistine Chapel is where the papal conclave takes place, the process used to select a new pope. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512 and it is considered one of the world's most famous masterpieces. It is hard to describe how beautiful it really is. Michelangelo did not really consider himself a painter but later returned to paint the Last Judgement which decorates the wall above the altar. It was very crowded in the Sistine Chapel and because the paintings are so detailed and so beautiful it was hard to see it all in the short time we were there and photos were not allowed.
We left the Sistine Chapel and went to St. Peter's Basilica. It is one of the largest churches in the world. The Basilica is the burial site of St. Peter, one of the twelve apostles. There has been a church on the same site since the time of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. The dome of St. Peter's is well-recognized in the skyline of Rome. The interior is decorated with beautiful marble, stained glass and a huge bronze altar. It also includes many beautiful sculptures including la Pieta by Michelangelo. There are tombs of popes and other notable people. We were able to walk by and see the tombs of the two popes being canonized.
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| Michelangelo's sculpture called la Pieta |
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| The dome |
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| Holy door only opened by Pope in Jubilee years |
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| Tomb of Pope John XXIII |
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| Altar of St. Peter's Basilica |
When we exited the basilica we saw the Swiss Guards which are stationed outside St. Peter's.
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| Swiss Guard |
We walked to a commercial area and took some time to have lunch and shop for souvenirs, including rosaries blessed by Pope Francis. The crowds of people just continued to grow as the day went on and we could see how some were beginning to arrive and planned to spend the remainder of the time before the Canonization of the Popes near the barricades surrounding St. Peter's Basilica.
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| The crowds are getting larger in St. Peter's Square |
We were so lucky that our bus driver was still able to get around the streets of Rome and he took us to the Colosseum next. On our way we went by Circus Maximus where chariot races were held. We also drove by The Palace of Victor Emmanuel. Parts of the Colosseum are being restored so there was scaffolding and netting surrounding a large part of the exterior. We met our next guide and she took us on a tour of the largest amphitheatre of the Roman Empire and one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. It is believed that building of the colosseum began in 70 AD and it was completed in ten years. The Colosseum could hold approximately 80,000 spectators and was used for gladiator contests and public spectacles such as sea battles (the floor was filled with water) reenactments of battles, animal hunts, and dramas. Entry into the Colosseum was free for all the citizens when it was built. We walked up to higher level where the common people would have sat The closest seats to the arena were reserved for senators and the emperor . From the top we could see some of the remains of the subterranean passageways used to move animals and gladiators into the arena.
Beyond the Colosseum we could see the Arch of Constantine which is under restoration. We could also see the Roman Forum in the distance. Because some of our group was feeling the effects of the heat we decided not to tour the Roman Forum.
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| Arch of Constantine |
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| Roman Forum |
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| Roman Forum |
We got back on the bus and were dropped of near the Piazza Navona. There were street artists, musicians and huge crowds of people enjoying the end of a beautiful afternoon. We had some free time and some of our group did some shopping while others enjoyed the entertainment.
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| Street Entertainment |
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| Fountain of the Four Rivers by Bernini in Piazza Navona |
We walked to the restaurant where we were served pizza, a favourite with our group!! After dinner a local guide took us on a short walking tour. We saw the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Trajans Column and other beautiful churches and landmarks in the city. the night before we were at the Spanish Steps and walked by some of the most famous shops in Italy. Although we were only in Rome for about 30 hours we saw so many famous and amazing sites. Many of our group hope they will one day be able to return to Rome and Italy!!
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| Pizzas ready to go into the oven |
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| Yummy!! |
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| Welcome meal after a long day |
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| Whole pizza just for me!! |
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| Hurray!! |
After dinner a local guide took us on a short walking tour. We saw the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Trajans Column and other beautiful churches and landmarks in the city. the night before we were at the Spanish Steps and walked by some of the most famous shops in Italy. Although we were only in Rome for about 30 hours we saw so many famous and amazing sites. Many of our group hope they will one day be able to return to Rome and Italy!!
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| Pantheon |
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| Trevi Fountain |
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