Rome

We left Florence for Rome at 8am and stopped by Pisa on the way. We got pizza and walked around Pisa square where the cathedral, bapistry, and Tower of Pisa are located. The tower looks like it is leaning way more in person than any of the pictures I’ve seen. It leans because water and ground saturation have caused the marble and limestone base to erode over the years. It took a long time to build from 1100 – 1300 with three different architects working on it at different times. We took a few pictures here then continued to Rome. Rome only exists because it has a massive water table beneath it. Because of this, all tap water in Rome is clean and drinkable.

On our first day in Rome, we visited Vatican City in the morning. 25,000 people walk through the Vatican everyday in the high season, and it was definitely crowded. It was kind of disappointing how touristy the country has become. We walked through the Vatican museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. The Sistine Chapel was smaller and simpler than I expected and St. Peter’s Basilica was purely massive and so ornate. Both were extremely beautiful – Sistine for its frescoes and St. Peter for its sculptures and decoration. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel depicts nine scenes from Genesis surrounded by many apostles. It took Michelangelo four years to finish this starting in 1508, and he couldn’t bend his neck down for a year after finishing it. Then on the front wall is Michelangelo’s Final Judgment, which is one of my favorites. This took him 5 years to complete, starting at the age of 60. It shows Judgment Day, with humans being taken to heaven or hell according to the books. The entrance to hell is actually right behind the altar as a reminder to the congregation. When finished, this was a very controversial work because Michelangelo showed many of the angels and saints naked without halos. This caused a huge uproar, and the private parts were painted over after he had died. The Chapel has been cleaned many times because the incense and candle smoke has left the surface nearly all black. The museum was ok – not as good as some of the others we have visited.

We also walked around the courtyard and learned that the pinecone and peacock used to be old symbols of Christianity (because the peacock never rots when it dies, it shows resurrection). In the library, the walls are painted with the School of Athens where only philosophy, religion, poetry, and justice will bring you to truth in life. There’s actually a ton of Egyptian art in Rome because that became really popular when Rome conquered Egypt in the mid first century. The museum also had a statue of Hercules that was struck by lightning – so the Roman people declared it blessed by God and buried it in a marble sarcophagus like a person.

In St. Peter’s Basilica, there were so many side chapels with ancient tombs and statues. There are only three women buried in the church and St. Peter is buried beneath the altar. The saying, “I build the church upon this rock” reads across the base of the largest dome in Europe, meaning that St. Peter is the rock upon which the church is built.

After the Vatican, we went by S’Angelo Castle (which was an Illuminati meeting place) and went on a walking tour with Dr. Townsend. First we went by the Pantheon which was huge but not very interesting. It still has an open dome, so there are drains in the floor for when it rains. Then we walked through Rome and stopped in a few churches with works by Caravaggio and sculptures by Bernini. That was interesting, but it was about 90 degrees today so the walking was rough. We also went by the Fountain of Four Rivers and the Trevi Fountain.

After the tour, we walked down to the Coliseum. One of the girls got her camera pickpocketed out of her purse on the way there, but the guy must have been really good because she was walking with about 20 people. The Coliseum was exactly as I expected. It was massive and extremely advanced for the time that it was built. Pretty much everything I already knew about it was accurate – the feasts, the brutality of the fights, the corruption, etc. It was really cool being in it and being able to walk to the top row, but there wasn’t much I didn’t already know.

On a side note, as of right now my favorite sculpting artists are easily Giambologna, Bernini, and Michelangelo. My favorite European snack is bresaola (a cured beef slice) with mozzarella on bread (fresh mozzarella is the best cheese I’ve ever had). My favorite beer is St. Augustine Weissebeer and my favorite wine is Tuscana Chianti. Besides that, Italian pizza is so much better than American, but the pasta and other dishes are pretty similar.

I'll post more about Rome after our next two days here.