Day 2 - The Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica

So, in Rome, it rains a lot. We were lucky and had fantastic weather for 90% of the trip, but we got our first taste of the Mediter"rain"ean (har har) on January 2nd. So, still jetlagged and not sleepy or hungry at the right times, we grabbed our umbrellas and made the trek to Vatican City early in morning.

The Tiber River runs through Rome, and across the river is Vatican City, the smallest independent state in the world. It measures only 0.17 square miles, but good God there's a lot to see. But first we have to get there.

This is the Castel Sant'Angelo, at the end of the Ponte Sant'Angelo (the bridge we're on). Originally a mauseleom for the emperor Hadrian, it was destroyed and reconstructed as a military fortress for the Pope.

By the time we made it to St. Peter's Piazza, we were practically trampling on people's feet (and getting trampled on ourselves), it was that crowded. As I mentioned before, tourists were flocking into the city to celebrate Epiphany, and of course, the Vatican is a must visit.

After waiting in a line that wound it's way around the Vatican museum, we finally got in. The collection of art there was astounding, and I'll leave it at that. I don't think anyone would appreciate it if I posted 30 blurry pictures of paintings and sculptures (courtesy of dim museum lighting and shaky camera hands). Dr. C and Marie (our TA) did an awesome job of explaining specific pieces of art, and I'm pretty sure everyone walked around the museum with their mouth ajar, awestruck.

Fun fact: we weren't allowed to take pictures of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michelangelo's masterpiece. Everyone in the class assumed that this was for spiritual purposes - we had to maintain the sanctity of the space, this was a place for religious contemplation and its beauty should be maintained in one's memory, not in megapixels, etc. etc. Turns out, the actual reason is because a Japanese corporation that restores the ceiling has copyright claims over all photos of the chapel. That was mildly unexpected.

The chapel was supposed to be entirely silent, but of course is impossible when you have 400 excited tourists, with their necks craning upwards, ooh-ing and aww-ing below. Plus, since everyone's admiring the ceiling, people are always bumping into each other (a lot of "mi scusi"s and "mi dispiace"s were heard). There was also a guard whose sole purpose, I believe, was to "shush" the crowd every minute or so. Can you imagine if that was your full-time job? "So what do you do for a living?" "Oh, I calm the crowds at the Sistine Chapel."

Next stop: St. Peter's Basilica  
 

St. Peter's Square

 

Facade of St. Peter's

We actually came back to visit St. Peter's Basilica on the 12th, but I figured I'd just add it here. This piazza is magnificent, the work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini under the direction of Pope Alexander VII, who wanted to glorify the vision of Rome as a capital city, the center of Catholicism. The square is enormous - 660 by 500 feet (enough to fit over five football fields!) And the church itself covers 6 acres.

To stay consistent with the athletic units: when you enter the church, the farthest window is two football fields away.

The tomb of St. Peter, Christ's right hand man, who holds the keys to heaven. Peter was the first Pope, and all future Popes are considered his (unbiological) descendents.

It is staggeringly beautiful inside. I personally don't have any strong religious affiliations, but even I felt humbled standing there, witness to the pilgrimage site of so many devotees. My pictures don't do the experience justice - everything about that church, from the gilded gold ceilings to the white marble columns, from the soft candles lit for offerings to the strong papal arms was spellbinding.

Michelangelo's "Pietà", depicting the Virgin Mary and Christ after his crucifixion. As Marie explained, pilgrims come from all over the world to see this sculpture, to pray in front of it.

Domenichino's "Last Communion of St. Jerome". We all came to recognize St. Jerome very well in the art we saw in various museums and gallerias by common symbols and iconography. He translated the Bible into Latin, and is often depicted with a lion (representing the lion that became his loyal companion after he removed a thorn from his paw) or skull (representing mortality).