Day 4 History is all around us!

 

Last night I attended our Trafalgar welcome function and dinner. It was great! We had a bit of an introduction by our travel director, Chris. A wonderfully enthusiastic and passionate guy who is simply a wealth of knowledge. His enthusiasm and energy is infectious, making you want to learn and see as much as you can in Italy, and soak up the local culture.

Following the information session, we all got onto the bus for a taster trip around Rome, seeing all the major sights, including the Colosseum, the war memorial and the ancient city.

As we travelled around Chris discussed the importance and some of the history surrounding each sight. It was fascinating. Prior to our departure from the bus, he informed us that we would be starting our day tomorrow at 7:30am, so we could get into the important tour group line to get straight into the Vatican museum prior to its opening to the general public.

After our 'Introduction to Roma' bus ride we headed back to the hotel for a buffet dinner or traditional Italian fare. It was delicious. I sat with a young, Australian couple who was also on the tour, that had been in the south of Italy for a relatives wedding. It was nice to sit and talk over the sights we’d seen and our excitement for the next day.

After a well needed night sleep, it was up and out to the bus (after being checked that you had our shoulders and knees completely covered) and around to the Vatican Museum. We put on our lanyards with a wireless radio receptor and single earphone, so our guide can speak into a microphone and we could hear it, no matter where we are – awesome! The Vatican has commissioned a single company to make their  wireless radios, and so we couldn’t use our sexy, bright red, Trafalgar ones - damn! Instead we got to use a bright green one with blue head phone. Woohoo.

Anyway, we picked up our local guide, Colletta. She was wonderful! She was again a wealth of knowledge and history which she discussed in detail as we went along. We entered into the Vatican museum through the new, modern door built a few years ago, and through the metal detectors. Our first stop was a magnificent spiral stair case (more like ramp) used to get the early Popes up to their quarters. As part of a Trafalgar Tour we are one of only two tours that have access to walk up this amazing structure. It was fascinating to walk up to the top of the “stairway”, a circular ramp that snails its way  up a turret of the Vatican building, directly behind the papal apartments (check out the pics!) This grand ‘staircase’ was commissioned by an early and powerful pope, as he wanted a way to get up to his quarters without having to walk, thus the ramp-staircase. It is wide enough and high enough to enable his chariot and horses to carry him upwards. Ladies, I give you the first official lazy man.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We then walked through the museum, from top to bottom, thus minimising the crowds we had to encounter. The collections were absolutely astounding, with Etruscan bronze statues, swords, shields and vases that were all in perfect condition. We the headed down to the hall of tapestries where we met the “barbarians”, as Colletta called them. The crowds were insane! Wall to wall people in this beautiful place did take a bit of the shine away from it. We walked through ceiling to floor, intricate tapestries that depicted famous paintings and sketches from famous artists. We then entered the hall of maps. These maps are again, floor to ceiling, and were amazingly intricate and accurate, considering they were painted prior to the times of google maps, and satellites. These two halls were to intimidate people coming to visit the popes of ancient times, Carlotta explained. Kings used to come to seek permission for things, from the Popes in ancient times, as although they were Kings, the Popes had a higher power. These Kings would come to the Vatican as the rulers of their countries (big headed), and doing it as only because they had to. The halls filled with the maps of their own countries, more intricately drawn/painted than they had ever seen and the halls of tapestries and gold, marble and bronze statues with amazing intricately decorated walls and with paintings of gods and past popes looking down at them from the roof, would intimidate them, so that once they actually saw the pope they would once again realise who was really in power. Fascinating.

 

 We then entered into the Sistine Chapel. “No photo, no video, no talking” as the member of the Swiss guard told the groups entering. It was absolutely amazing to see the two Michelangelo masterpieces. Fascinatingly, Michelangelo was commissioned out of spite. He carved statues, he was not a painter. They were hoping that he would fail. Thankfully, he didn’t and he created the roof of the Sistine chapel, which made him one of the most famous Italian painters of all time. He was then commissioned towards the end of his life to paint the alter wall. These two paintings enable you to see the transition Michelangelo made during his lifetime, into different styles of painting. This amazingly intricate painting, depicting people being saved from purgatory to the blue skies of heaven, was one of the last Michelangelo painted. In the right hand, bottom corner you can see a cardinal who had offended Michelangelo in some way, in purgatory, with the ears of a donkey and a snake wrapped around him (the snake is biting a, well… sensitive part of the cardinal). Upon seeing this the cardinal complained to the Pope of the time (a rather modern thinking pope) and said that Michalangello should be punished and that he should change the painting. The pope simply laughed it away. This just shows the power  and respect that Michallangello had in that time.

We exited the Sistene chapel, through a secret special tours only corridor, and went straight into St. Peter’s Basilica. There are not enough words to describe what is the biggest church in the world. The intricate detailing on the walls and roof, the grand bronze columns and canopy built over St Peter’s tomb. The glass ‘coffins’ of past popes that have been beatified, and the amazing mosaics on the walls, that looked like paintings. Once you got close to them you could see the hundreds of tiny pieces of stone that had been used to create them, which enabled them to still be shining brightly, full of colour now.

After taking in St. Peter’s Basilica we moved back out to St. Peter’s square and had some time for lunch and to get a few souvenirs. Interestingly, you can buy souvenirs from a particular shop, and have them blessed that night and delivered to your hotel. I have to wonder who blesses them, and whether they are all put in a room and all blessed at once, or they are handed to the person that blesses them and they are quickly blessed individually in the packet. I would love to follow some purchases to find out how this process is carried out.

We ate a slice of pizza and had a Galati to cool off, before heading back to the bus (parked in the underground parking space created to hold all the millions of people that attended the pilgrimages and special events at the Vatican.

From the Vatican we headed out to the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine (used to parade through after defeating another army in battle. A fascinating building, still standing after about 1,800 years (I think)! Seriously! It’s crazy!

We once again skipped the (4 hour) line and went straight through thanks to our timed entry tickets from Trafalgar, still with Colleta leading the way! It was fascinating to learn of the ‘entertainment’ that was shown here (including the morning executions, and then the Gladiator games in the afternoon).  You can still see where the slaves would work under the ‘stage’ to get those to be executed, the Gladiators and the animals they would fight ready for showing. They would put them in cages and on trap doors that would open to let the animals out to kill those to be executed and the Gladiators. I also walked up the ancient Roman steps to the second level (middle class) to get a birds view of the stage area.

We then had some free time to shop for souvenirs and to explore the amazing Colosseum. We were warned to watch out for the gypsy families who come to ask for help from you as they will generally also be robbing you at the same time!!! Eep! Thankfully, I didn’t see anything like that. However, others had seen a man being chased down by the police, who retrieved a bag from him, and then he took off with a smile. Interestingly the police just let him go… perhaps it’s a pick your battle type of thing… or “I’ve run enough to get him, I’m not going to chase him again…He’ll be back!”.

We got back onto the bus with Michele and went back to the hotel for a well earned rest break! Surprisingly, I had a very sore lower back! I had been warned that the cobblestoned streets can cause you to have a terrible back until you get used to it! I feel that on this trip I will have many occasions to get used to it!!!

After  a nap, and a Spritz (Italian aperitif), it was back on the bus and off to the centre of Rome to meet Colletta (who had had a wardrobe change- stunning!) who took us on a walking tour through the centre of Rome, to the most famous sights! We walked to the Trevi Fountain (Yes, I tossed a coin in it! One, over the right shoulder to wish for to come back to Rome someday-fingers  crossed!), then down a beautiful street (less tourist travelled) full of some amazing old house fronts, and tiny Piazzas to make this walk a magical one. We then went to the Pantheon. What an amazing building, with the oculus and the dome! The dome is made completely from poured concrete. They’ve done composition analysis on the concrete, and have found that the Romans used more rock (heavier) based concrete for the bottom of the Dome, and lighter, more pumas based concrete towards the top. The oculus is amazing! It is not covered, but open! So if it rains… it rains in the church! It was so that the gods to eat the smoke from the burning of the sacrificed animal that had been caught. It was a beautiful building that contains Raffael's tomb, and his wife.

 From here we went to Piazza Nervona! Stunning and a wonderful show of Italian life is the only way to describe it. This Piazza is surrounded by beautiful apartment buildings, tratorias and gelatarias. There was a market in the centre with artists and caricature drawers and fruit shops, which was lovely to just wander through. Following this we  moved to the restaurant that we would be eating in tonight – Opera. Situated just near the bridge to the Castle of the Angels. The food was beautiful, and like everywhere in Italy, it was plentiful. We were all full after our antipasti of a small eggplant parmesan, prosciutto, cantaloupe, mashed potato deep fried in a light batter and several other yummy things. However then came the pasta, two types- one with a Napolitano sauce and rigatoni with truffle sauce, which tasted like it had butter and sautéed truffle which had been chopped very fine. The food was soo good! But we still weren’t done! Then came the Napolitano pizza, that had been cooked in a wood fired oven….. annnnd then dessert! Tiramisu. Now I’m not a coffee lover, but man! This tiramisu was delightful, rich and creamy separated by soft cake layers, and a hint of coffee towards the end of the palette. Delicious! Om nom nom.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

After dinner we headed up to the bridge to the Castle of the Angels to watch the final light from the sun set over Roma, with views of St. Peter’s Basilica and the Castle of the Angels. We were then treated to a small display of fireworks directly off the bridge! A fantastic end to a fantastic (busy) day in ROMA!