On Saturday we got to an early start and headed to Vatican City. We decided to do a tour with "Romaround Tours" so we could actually learn more about what we were looking at. Before entering the Vatican Museum, the tour guide explained some basics of the Sistine Chapel since you're not allowed to talk when you enter. A few things I learned- Michelangelo spent 4 years painting the ceiling and one of his most spectacular paintings in the chapel is the Last Judgment. Today the chapel is used for selection of a new pope. In Vatican Museum we saw the Rafael Rooms, the Tapestry Room, and the Room of Maps, among other things. The Rafael Rooms were unbelievable. The guide told us that the Pope had first hired another artist to paint a few of the rooms, but after seeing how talented Raphael was, he commissioned Raphael to repaint the rooms. After the Vatican Museum we went straight to the Sistine Chapel, which was absolutely amazing.
Inside of the Vatican Museum, one of the Raphael Rooms
Again inside the Museum
Beautiful artwork in the Vatican Museum
After leaving the Sistine Chapel we had the option of climbing to the top of St. Peter's Basilica, and we decided it was a must. We stopped part of the way up and you were able to see into the chapel from the inside of the dome. There was service going on inside and the organs were playing, it was the most breathtaking thing I've witnessed in my travels throughout Europe so far. It's impossible to describe the enormity and intricate beauty of the chapel. After watching the service for a few minutes, we hiked up to the very top of the Basilica and from the top we had a perfect view of the entire city. A few things I learned about the Basilica- it has the largest interior of any Catholic church in the world, it is known as the "greatest of all churches of Christendom", and it took over 100 years to build. After leaving the Basilica we went to visit the Trevi Fountain at night. It was really crowded, but when it started to rain everyone cleared out and became much calmer. Of course I didn't leave before throwing a coin into the fountain and making a wish :)
Inside the Basilica from ground level
View from the top of the Basilica
View of the altar from the interior of the dome
On Sunday we started the day off at the Colosseum. The Colosseum is the largest amphitheater ever built during the Roman Empire. A portion of it was damaged during a fire years back, they are currently trying methods to clean the stone but you could see the stark contrast between the parts that had and hadn't been subject to the fire. Over the years they have had to rebuild portions of the Colosseum due to damage it had sustained during earthquakes and natural degeneration over time, but it was still spectacular. Across from the Colosseum was Palatine Hill, which is one of the most ancient parts of the city. On one side of the hill is the Forum (ancient town with a city hall, church, houses, etc) and on the other was the Circus Maximus. The circus was used for sporting events and for the emperors' personal entertainment.
The Colosseum
Palatine Hill
Circus Maximus
View from the top of Palatine Hill
Ruins from the Forum
After visiting Palatine Hill our last stop before returning to Riva with the Pantheon. It remains the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome to this day and it was built as a temple to all gods of Ancient Rome around 126 AD. Currently they hold church services inside the Pantheon every Sunday.
The Pantheon
Open aired ceiling of the Pantheon
Altar at the front of the Pantheon
I thoroughly enjoyed the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Pantheon, however my favorite part of Rome was undoubtedly St. Peter's Basilica. I'm still in awe at the amazing things I was fortunate enough to see in Rome- definitely one of the best weekends so far.
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