This city.

It is just about as romantic as they say. I never really knew what people meant when they said a city was “romantic” but now I get it (and not only because it is the city at the core of the word itself!).

For this morning, we had scheduled a walking tour of the city. On the way, we kept our eyes peeled for somewhere to eat breakfast. According to what I’ve read, Italians don’t really do breakfast. The closest you can get is “cappuccino e cornetto” – a teeny strong frothy coffee and croissant. The internet experts say that Italians take their coffee VERY seriously and consider it a sacrilege to have your coffee to go. However, we were in a hurry, so we grabbed and go’d.

We met up with our guide at the Spanish Steps (which were being repaired and therefore a little less impressive than I’m sure they would be otherwise). All told, this was not the best tour we’ve had, but it was interesting and we got to see some things we probably wouldn’t have come across otherwise including this impressive painted dome. The architect knew that putting a real dome on the building would cause it to sink, so instead they chose to paint one on canvas in forced perspective. Pretty neat!

My favorite thing we saw was the Pantheon which has been in existence since 118-128AD. I have zero concept of how old that is. Originally dedicated to the Roman gods, it is still in use today as a Catholic church (the hole at the top is called the demon’s hole because, supposedly, when it was dedicated as a Catholic church, all of the pagan demons fled through the hole). The dome is made of a cement which features volcanic ash and is the largest dome that is not supported by a metal framework.

After our tour we headed toward the Vatican. As tired as our feet are at the end of the day, there is so much more one can see on foot than on public transit! We stopped for cheesy sandwiches at a little cafe along the way. All of these restaurants charge extra if you sit, so we took full advantage and rested our feet until our server finally asked, in a highly implied manner, if we needed coffee or something.

After a bit of scouting around the walls of Vatican City, we finally found the entrance to the Vatican Museums, where the Sistine Chapel is located. Masses of people on a mission to see the chapel slowly crawled through many many rooms containing various artifacts and gifts donated to / acquired by different popes through the ages. Finally, we reached the Sistine Chapel. At first look, I was surprised at how relatively small it was.

Ray had the foresight to download some audio tours from Rick Steves which really shed amazing meaning on the frescos. And, yes, they absolutely live up to the hype. It was so clear that Michelangelo was a sculptor before he was a painter. His knowledge and precise renderings of the human form and perspective is beyond words. A few of my favorite characters (the Libyan Sibyl and Jonah) were larger than life and seemed to really be sitting, as giants, on the ceiling.

My favorite piece though, surprisingly, was a piece Michelangelo did nearly 30 years after the ceiling behind the alter depicting the last judgement. There are over 300 bodies in this piece, each a remarkable artistic study of the human form. My favorite tidbit from the audio tour: If you look at the man to the right of Jesus’ foot, he is holding a flayed skin. This was Michelangelo’s self portrait. He seems to, after years of working tirelessly on this chapel, not see himself as fit to enter heaven.

We took a little rest on the grounds outside before making our way to St. Peter’s Basilica – the security lines were SO much shorter than at the beginning of the day! Ray had also downloaded an audioguide for this and I’m so glad he did. Not being raised Catholic, St. Peter’s significance never occurred to me. All I knew was that Jesus had a disciple named Peter who denied him, who cut off a guard’s ear, and who was told he was the rock upon which he would build his church. Oh, and he guards the gates of heaven.

Turns out Peter went to the “evil city of Rome” to spread the word and was crucified by Nero. Supposedly, he was buried where St Peter’s Basilica now stands. The rock. I get it. And, each succeeding pope has carried on Peter’s legacy and holy charge.

The Basilica itself, from a purely architectural standpoint, is incredible. Two football fields long, with 7 foot tall lettering around the top, adult-size sculptures of babies, and a dome taller than one football field. It is an impressive sight. And yet, the architects managed to make it feel cozy, by enhancing forced perspective to make the ceiling and the main altar seem closer. It is truly marvelous.

We ended our touring in St. Peter’s Square, watching children chase birds as the sun began to set, reflecting on the need for kindness and understanding in the world.

With rumbly tummies, we stopped at Bonci Pizzarium, a virtual smorgasbord of different kinds of pizzas. We each ordered two kinds and split them. And we discovered that pigeons do not care for red peppers.

We decided to walk the 2.5 miles back to our place. With the sun setting, it became immensely clear why so many amazing artists came from this city. It is truly truly beautiful.