A Unique Pope-ortunity

Almost empty at 9:30am

Our original plan for Sunday was to see anything left on our list after Ancient Friday and Holy Saturday. I was thinking of visiting the Appian Way; a large park surrounding an ancient Roman road. But then Pope Benedict XVI announced his retirement, and Sunday, February 24 at noon, was the last time he would bless the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s square. We had to go!

Waiting for the Pope to Speak

Expecting a crowd of thousands, and wanting a good view, we arrived in the square at 9:30. The place was hardly crowded. We scouted some seats and then went searching for pastries and souvenirs. Having obtained both, we returned to the square, and found a spot to wait. It was by an out of order fountain, and we could sit on the encircling railing. And we waited. And we waited some more. The sun was mostly out so we were mostly warm. At one point, tired of sitting, Joe stood up and some woman stole his seat. So rude! You knew the Pope’s last blessing would be crowded – if you wanted to sit, you should have gotten there earlier. So then Joe would sit on the ground, or I would while he sat on the railing. And we waited. Bored, I got out my Rick Steve’s audio Europe guide and listened to Rick tell me about St. Peter’s square.

The Banner built the Anticipation of the Crowd

Much to my surprise, Rick told us we had been Pope watching at the wrong window! His Holiness would appear at his study window, in the Papal apartments; a building to the left of St. Peter’s Square, not in the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. The balcony we had been watching was where, 2 weeks later, the Cardinal Protodeacon would announce the election of a new Pope. Luckily, we still had a really good view, perhaps even better than before. We rotated ourselves 90 degrees and began watching the correct window.

At 11:50 am, the window opened, and the translucent white curtains began to flutter. A buzz went through the crowd and the whole dynamic changed, something was happening. This feeling wore off when no one emerged immediately, the multitude quieted, and returned, almost as patiently as before, to waiting. Several minutes later the murmur rose again – the Pope’s secretary parted the curtains to hang the Papal banner. This time the excitement didn’t fade, the air was charged. We really could feel the energy of the crowd rising with each passing moment. At last he emerged, God’s rock star; and the crowd treated him as such. I’ve heard the phrase “thunderous applause” before, but never has it been aptly used before this moment. Hundreds of thousands were all clapping for this frail old man, creating a wave of sound like I had never heard before. Every bird in the vicinity took flight, racing around the square, terrified by the sounds below.

Pope Benedict XVI at his final Sunday blessing
24 February 2013

The Adoring Multitude

And as quickly as it started, all noise ceased. Silence fell as the Pope raised his hands and began his last Sunday Angelus. I don’t even know what the man said, but it was moving to just be a part of something larger than ourselves. The Pope did say a few remarks in English but the way sound bounces around in the square, I couldn’t understand much of it. He took the time to address the crowd in Italian, Spanish, German, French, and English, as well as another language I couldn’t identify, and each time a chunk of the crowd cheered to hear their native tongue. It’s possible that the service was in Latin, and if this was the case, in 20 minutes, the Pope spoke coherently in 7 languages.



When he finished, he said goodbye, and returned to his study. His secretaries pulled up the banner; the blessing, and the charged moment, was over.

Useful Links!
Pictures from Our Trip!
Article about the Last Blessing of Pope Benedict XVI

The City of Death beneath the Eternal City

Joe trying to dry off outside the Ufficio Scavi
Vatican City

The Vatican strictly controls the number of people visiting the Necropolis each day. Like the Sistine Chapel, the area is susceptible to the humidity and bacteria brought in by the visitors. To learn about getting tickets, check out this post here.

When you have your ticket, proceed to the excavations office, or the Ufficio Scavi. To get to the office, head to the left of all the pillars, on the outside, here you will be stopped by Swiss Guards, searched and allowed to pass on toward the Ufficio Scavi. Here you check in and pay for your tickets. There is also the opportunity to purchase literature about the Necropolis, luckily, their books were small enough to fit safely in my purse.

We were met by Laura, an archeologist who would be conducting our tour. We began at the level of the Vatican grottoes; the basement where Popes are buried. From here we passed through a sliding glass door and down some steps into the Necropolis. This area was excavated in 1943 under Pope Pius XII who was in search of the tomb of St. Peter.

How did this area come to be? Before Vatican City was created, and before the church was erected, there was a circus on the site of St. Peter’s. This was Nero’s circus, and chariot races were held here. In 64 AD there were a series of devastating fires throughout the city of Rome. Blame was shifted about, but Nero used the opportunity to crucify many Christians, using them as scapegoats. Among those killed in the circus was St. Peter. He was crucified upside down as he saw himself unfit to be killed in the same manner as Jesus. After his death, the speculation begins. It is likely that someone spoke for the body of Peter, and he was given a proper burial instead of being burnt or tossed in the Tiber. Peter was buried in the nearby Necropolis, or city of death. Some people were buried in the ground, but many were laid to rest inside specially crafted tombs above ground. These were like mausoleums, but they were designed like houses, and used several times a year for celebrations. Many of these buildings had rooftop terraces for such a purpose. Here is where Peter was laid to rest, and here, 300 years later, the newly Christian emperor Constantine decided to build a church, because according to scripture  “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16: 18-19)

Constantine built his Basilica on top of a small memorial already located above the grave. The resting place of St. Peter was to be the altar of the new church, but the open air Necropolis was built on a double sloping hill. Constantine made the revolutionary decision to fill the buildings and walkways with rubble, raising the ground to make a level surface for the new church. No remains were moved, they were all left in place and the rubble was just filled in around them.

As our guide explained to us, conservation is a modern concept. The Colosseum was mined for marble and the tombs were used as foundations for a new basilica. But, St. Peter’s tomb was protected and revered for centuries. This alone suggested to the first archeologists that the tomb they found was authentic. Their find was also confirmed by ancient texts describing the location and appearance of the tomb. However, when they opened the tomb, it was empty! While they could definitively say they found Pete’s tomb, they were unable to say the same for his remains.

In the church Constantine built, the altar was over two previous memorials. He enclosed these memorials, with the tomb of the apostle inside. Some scholars believe Constantine removed Peter’s remains from his tomb and enclosed them inside a special marble cavity in the new church. They were wrapped in purple cloth with gold thread, the colors of royalty. The bones were found behind the Graffiti wall, a marble way covered in ancient graffiti of the faithful indicating that Peter was inside. Carbon dating on the bones indicated that they were from the same time as Peter’s death, but the archaeologists were unable to conclusively say the bones belonged to Peter. When Constantine built his basilica over top of the previous memorials, he demolished part of the graffiti wall, a crucial part containing a sentence starting with the words Peter i . . . The endings proposed are Peter is within, Peter is here, and Peter in Peace. While they all seem to point out the bones are Peter’s, without knowing for sure, no one is willing to confirm the bones are Peter’s.

 I for one believe they are, and real or not, the tomb was authentic. Like visiting the Forum and the Colosseum, our visit to the Necropolis proved, to me, that the stories were real. The man named Peter lived, and he dies, and was laid to rest in the tomb before me. I can read books, see pictures, and watch documentaries, but nothing confirms existence like witnessing a person or place first hand. I know now, in a way I didn’t before, the truth of St. Peter, the
apostle of Jesus.

Useful Links!
Pictures from Our Trip!
How to Book Scavi Tickets
Virtual Tour of the Vatican Necropolis
Useful Resource for information about St. Peter's Basilica

Inside Earth’s Largest Basilica

The baby angels are in the middle of the canopy on the left.
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

After our respite in the Sistine Chapel we headed down stairs into St. Peter’s Basilica. This is the largest church in Christendom, but it is not the seat of the Bishop of Rome; it’s not a cathedral. Despite lacking a bishop, St. Peter’s does compare itself to other cathedrals around the globe using hash marks on the floor. I’ve been to several of the other cathedrals marked on the floor, and size wise, St. Peter’s dwarfs them all. It’s difficult to explain how truly cavernous this church is. A common method is pointing out the smallest statues, the baby angels above that altar, are about 10 feet tall.

Michelangelo's Pieta
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

Around the basilica are chapels (some the size of small churches), and a museum worthy collection of art. Michelangelo was a big contributor, not only as the architect for the building, but also as a sculptor. His Pietà is one of the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful statues I’ve ever seen. This is the only work Michelangelo signed: it was one of his first pieces, and he didn’t want it attributed to someone else. It currently rests behind glass a protective sheet of glass because someone attacked it with a hammer in the 1970s. Taking a photo was tricky because there is always someone who doesn’t understand how a camera works, and they try to photograph through the glass with a flash on, creating a crazy starburst that ruins everyone’s pictures. This technique does not work: turn the flash off.

Around the basilica are numerous paintings, but these are not what they seem. Rome is a very moist and humid place—it was pouring the day we visited St. Peter’s—so normal paintings would disintegrate under these conditions. Thankfully, the paintings aren’t normal; they are carefully crafted mosaics. There are no paintings in St. Peter’s Basilica, they are all mosaics; from even a slight distance the tiles are blended perfectly, only the right angle reveals their secret.

Imminent Death
Dome of St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

Since we’d already cleared security, when our tour ended we decided to take some time to climb the dome of St. Peter’s. There are two options for ascension, climb 551 steps for €5.00 per person, or take an elevator to the roof of the basilica and only climb 320 steps inside the dome for €7.00 per person. We paid for the elevator, but we still had lots of work ahead of us. Initially the steps were fairly standard in size and height, but the closer we came to the top of the dome, the tighter and steeper the steps became. The very last staircase was so steep and so narrow that there was not handrail, only a gym-class-style rope to cling to for balance. When the exterior walls of the dome curve, the interior walls of the dome curve as well: the hallways went from having straight walls to curved walls. This change started about two thirds up the climb, when my heart was already pounding out of my chest and I was short of breath. When the walls started closing in, I knew I was dying for sure. Then I happened to glance behind me—there was a stooped, old woman climbing steadfastly behind me. She wasn’t even winded. The hallways were so narrow there wasn’t room to pass people, so I had to keep going. When we reached the top we were greeted with a healthy downpour and panoramic views of Vatican City and Rome. We left the shelter of the overhang and ventured to the edge. Here we received a full immersion baptism: all water that falls in Vatican City is Holy water, and we were soaked.

St. Peter's Square from the top of the dome
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

Drenched we climbed back down to the roof, where we paused a moment before descending to ground level. I looked around and I noticed a bookstore. We had to go inside! A bookstore on the roof of St. Peter’s Basilica! The shop was run by a few nuns and sold all kinds of books and religious souvenirs. I picked out a beautiful rosary for my grandma and several postcards. I wanted to get a book, but it was raining too much, and they were too big to fit safely in my purse. We returned to the elevator and the ground. We had a quick lunch and prepared ourselves to descend even lower—into the Necropolis under St. Peter’s basilica, and the tomb of the Saint himself.



Useful Links!
Pictures from Our Trip
Opening Hours and Admission

Drunk People are the Best!

I’m taking a slight break from our Roman adventures so I can tell you what happened to us just last night. We were out at a local brewery (there are at least 7 in town) with another couple having dinner. Just after our food arrived, 3 guys came up and squatted down to our eye level. One of them was wearing a black and white striped jump suit, a long, blonde wig, and had a log chained to his ankle. They just start getting into what they wanted when our waitress chased them away. She apologized and said she hoped they hadn’t bothered us too much. We were a little disappointed that we didn’t get to find out what they wanted, but we definitely weren’t bothered.

We weren’t disappointed for long though! When we finished our meals they came back for another visit and we got the whole story. The man dressed as a blonde prisoner was having his bachelor party, and the log chained to his leg had his fiancé’s name carved into it: Iris. He is getting married in 2 weeks. In Bavaria, there are certain tasks that the groom must complete, and our groom was in competition with his bride. Each was trying to collect the most underwear tags to win. In case you missed that, these two were wandering around, asking strangers to cut the tags out of their underwear, the bride asking guys, and the groom asking men. The female half of our group readily agreed to donate our underwear tags, but we weren’t going to let the very drunk bachelor use the very large, sharp knife to cut them out. Our husbands cut the tags, and we donated them to the cause. The waitress came by again, apologizing. We said we were happy to play along, but asked her if this underwear tag thievery a real tradition. She confirmed that it was a real tradition. Hooray for participating!

Vatican Museums-Sistine Chapel:Ceiling

***Disclaimer***Pictures are forbidden in the Sistine Chapel. These pictures are not mine. All pictures displayed below are screenshots from the virtual tour available here on the Vatican's website. The Vatican Museum has exclusive copyright to these images, and I only included them here for demonstration purposes. Clicking on the images will take you to the virtual tour.




For centuries, the Sistine Chapel has been the Pope’s personal chapel, though I don’t know when he gets time to use it, what with 20,000 visitors tromping through it each day. The dimensions of this chapel are the same as for the Temple of Solomon. As it is the Pope’s chapel, he is the only one with permission to speak inside, but there were a lot of rule breakers. Entering the chapel was like entering a beehive, the buzzes punctuated by “shhhh” from irritated Swiss guards and eventually a pre-recorded reminder to shut it. The room is decorated with some of the most contemplative of all Christian art, but it was difficult to focus on the masterpieces with the mass of people around us. Here is where the new St. Peter, leader of the Christian world is chosen, and the chapel was not getting the respect it deserved. The words spoken were so trivial; “wow”, “can you believe that?” These were not emergencies or profound revelations. Whether or not you believe, when confronted with a culture’s sacred artifacts, try to show some respect.

Even though we were distracted occasionally by the noisy blob (not mob, this was more fluid), the walls and ceiling were still arresting. Our tour guide gave us 15 minutes to explore the area, and it passed in the blink of an eye. I would love to go back and try to schedule a more private tour or visit at night. In the meantime, I’ll content myself with the Vatican’s virtual tour. The chapel is empty and captured in perfect light. The site also plays some lovely, meditative music for enjoying the art.

There are several rumors about how Michelangelo came to paint the ceiling, though one element remains the same throughout: he did not want the job. Some say Pope Julius II bribed Michelangelo with future sculpture work. Others say the Pope threatened the sculptor. Somehow the Pope managed to convince Michelangelo to temporarily abandon his chosen medium, and paint frescoes on the ceiling. But why Michelangelo? Why ask a brilliant sculptor to paint? Rumors and theories abound here as well. One has Raphael convincing the Pope to pick Michelangelo so that he, Raphael would appear superior; if this is true, the plan backfired. Another has Bramante convincing the Pope, hoping to get Michelangelo out of the way and taking all the sculpting and architectural work for himself. This plan backfired too, as Michelangelo became the head architect for the new St. Peter’s project, and he outlived both Bramante and Raphael.

When Michelangelo consented to paint the ceiling, it was on the condition that he would receive the freedom to execute his vision. The Pope wanted the 12 apostles, but Michelangelo gave him so much more. The painting displays the entire Christian history from creation until the time of Christ. In the large panels in the middle of the ceiling, Michelangelo painted from creation to Noah. In the triangles are Christ’s ancestors, presumably from Noah to Mary. Framing the 9 center panels are the prophets, both religious and pagan, who predicted the arrival of Christ.

This image is the exclusive copyright of the Vatican Museums, it is not mine.
This came from a screenshot of the virtual tour, available here.
The right side was painted after the left side. Creation has fewer figures than the Flood.
Sistine Chapel Ceiling, Michelangelo
Vatican Museums

This image is the exclusive copyright of the Vatican Museums, it is not mine.
This came from a screenshot of the virtual tour, available here.
Some have said that the red background around God is an anatomically correct heart.
Sistine Chapel Ceiling, Michelangelo
Vatican Museums

The style of this painting is split roughly into two halves. To paint the curved ceiling, Michelangelo had to devise scaffolding; contrary to popular belief, he stood on this scaffolding and leaned back to paint, he did not lie down. When he finished the first half of the ceiling (Noah side), he looked up and was dissatisfied. From 60 feet below, the figures on the ceiling were not as grandiose as he imagined. When the scaffolding went back up, Michelangelo painted larger, more simplistic frescoes, ending with the creation of the universe.

This image is the exclusive copyright of the Vatican Museums, it is not mine.
This came from a screenshot of the virtual tour, available here.
God's backside, as in Exodus, Chapter 33, Verse 23
Sistine Chapel Ceiling, Michelangelo
Vatican Museums

There are claims of hidden oddities in the paintings. Some have said that a brain stem appears in God’s neck, or that the red cloud God rides on is an anatomically correct heart. During the Renaissance, anatomy was a burgeoning field, and many artists attended and participated in dissections. This knowledge was expressed in their work; the brain, the heart, and the defined muscles of Michelangelo’s subjects. He was also the first artist to display God’s butt—outlined with His tunic. This image is actually straight from scripture, and not some quirk of Michelangelo’s.

Another non-quirk of Michelangelo’s is his use of color. For years people thought Michelangelo focused mainly on the structure of the figures and not on colors. These conclusions were drawn from the body of evidence on the ceiling and walls in the Sistine Chapel. In 1999, after 20 years of restoration, Pope John Paul II celebrated the “new” Sistine Chapel. The restoration unveiled bright, rich colors, forcing scholars to reevaluate their knowledge of Michelangelo the painter.

Since the restoration, the Vatican has come under fire for allowing so many visitors each day. The critics claim the dust tracked in by the tourists as well as the humidity and the carbon dioxide from their breath are putting the masterpieces in danger. The Vatican has an elaborate plan for the future: vacuuming and chilling tourists before they enter the sacred chapel.

***Disclaimer***Pictures are forbidden in the Sistine Chapel. These pictures are not mine. All pictures displayed in this post are screenshots from the virtual tour available here on the Vatican's website. The Vatican Museum has exclusive copyright to these images, and I only included them here for demonstration purposes. Clicking on the images will take you to the virtual tour.


Useful Links!
Virtual Tour of the Sistine Chapel, courtesy of the Vatican Museums
Online Booking for the Vatican Museums
Book a night visit to the Vatican Museums
Exodus 33:23, the source of God's back
Article from 1999 commemorating the restoration of the Sistine Chapel
Select image from Sistine Chapel before, during, and after restoration
Article and Images of the brain in God's neck
Article celebrating 500 years of the Sistine Chapel
Vatican Collections Online, description of masterpieces in the Sistine Chapel
Anatomy in Renaissance artwork
More Anatomy in Renaissance Art, from the Met
The future of cleaning visitors to the Chapel
Biography of Michelangelo

One Too Many White Russians

In honor of my 100th post, I give you my first guest poster, Joe. So to celebrate 100 posts, he'll be talking about partying! 

Hey everybody! This is Joe and I’m doing a little guest post to tell you about one of the weirder things that happened to us in Rome. We had just returned to our hotel room after a long day and were deciding where to go to dinner when there was a knock on the door. Kelly and I gave each other confused looks as I went to open the door. I was expecting someone from the front desk but when I opened the door a large man without any shoes stumbled into our room! Once he took a look around the room I could see in his face that he was as perplexed as we were but this did not stop him from trying to stay. Another thing we quickly noticed was how drunk he was, thanks to the quite obvious smell of Vodka. So this large, drunk man proceeded to try to communicate with us; a very difficult task for anyone that drunk but adding in the fact that he didn’t speak English made it impossible. Here are some of the things he said:

“I am Russian” 

 “Where are you from” When we replied with the United States he would just say “No you’re not”

“Shit fucking”

“belelha adsgaldgjhg a” also known as incoherent mumbling

“Sorry sorry, no no no no”

“No problem”

At one point he changed his mind and starting saying “I am Ukrainian”. Or maybe the friends he was looking for were Ukrainian, we weren’t totally sure. I really felt like he was just saying every English word he could think of to try and communicate with us. But our favorite and the most ridiculous was when he would but a finger up to his head and repeat “Gadooosh, Gadoosh”. It was like he was trying to reboot his brain. After his Gadooosh fit he would start all over again with the “I am Russian” talk. We were really hoping that the situation would resolve itself but he was clearly past any rational thought. After about 5 minutes of Gadooshing and being Russian we shoved him out the door, letting him know that he is clearly in the wrong room.

Once again we were hoping this would be the end of the ordeal but this guy was determined. He proceeded to hang out in the hallway knocking on our door and jiggling the handle. We were ready to get some dinner but obviously couldn’t with this man in the hallway so we called the hotel desk.  Another task that wasn’t so easy because they spoke minimal English as well. We finally convinced them to come up to our room. They took their sweet time coming up to their room and when I was about 30 seconds away from calling the police they arrived. Initially the hotel employee wanted to let the man into our room but we quickly convinced him that we had never seen the man before in our lives and that he needed to leave. He was escorted out and finally we were back to finding a place for dinner. Definitely a case of one too many White Russians.

In case this description wasn't enough to paint a picture in your head, here is a video of the events unfolding.

Vatican Museums-Maps & Raphael

Gallery of Maps, Vatican Museums

The Gallery of Tapestries flowed smoothly into the Gallery of Maps. This new room was stunningly bright due to the lacunar ceiling. The ceiling is vaulted and expertly painted; the gilding lit up the whole room. This gallery was lined with maps, mostly of states in Italy, but the ceiling drew the eye upward and away from the maps. I can say the maps were there, but I was so distracted with what was happening above my head, I barely noticed them.

Joe took this picture, I have no idea what it is.
I just know it scares me.
Vatican Museums

Our next stop on the tour was in the Raphael rooms. These rooms were actually papal apartments for Julius II and then Leo X. Julius II originally commissioned Raphael to paint in one of his rooms, but when the work was complete he was so impressed he asked Raphael to paint in all the rooms. Raphael agreed, though much to his horror, he would be painting over the work of some other masters; his former teachers Perugino and Signorelli. After the death of Pope Julius II, the new Pope, Leo X renewed the commission and Raphael continued painting until his death in 1520. Following his death, Raphael’s students completed the stanza in the rooms.

Leonardo da Vinci as Plato
On the Left
School of Athens, Raphael
Vatican Museums

I had several favorites among the rooms; with so much art before me it was difficult to narrow down my choices. I enjoyed the School of Athens, painted as a demonstration of what people had before religion, and indicating that they are entirely earth bound. This fresco is a foil to the Disputation of the Most Holy Sacrament, a fresco of religion illustrating a more divine purpose. In my opinion, the best elements of School of Athens are the people Raphael painted; they are ancient philosophers, but they have faces of his peers. In the foreground, dressed in purple, a man sits distinctly separate from the rest.

Raphael, in black
School of Athens, Raphael
Vatican Museums

Michelangelo as Heraclitus
School of Athens, Raphael
Vatican Museums

This is Michelangelo as Heraclitus. Not only is he physically separate from the other subjects of the painting, he is structurally different; the muscles in his leg are distinct.This was typical of Michelangelo painting, and Raphael added this element after seeing the work Michelangelo was doing next door in the Sistine Chapel. Experts say this was Raphael’s way of bowing to what he perceived as the superior genius of Michelangelo. Raphael added himself to the painting as well. He is on the right, wearing a black hat, standing behind a man in white. It is also thought that Leonardo da Vinci makes an appearance as well; the alter ego of Plato, the figure in red, on the left, in the center of the work. Raphael left no account of who he included in this fresco, so many of the other depictions are inferred.

My pasted together image of the School of Athens. It was too big to fit into a single frame so I copied and pasted.
In the original, the line down the middle of the left side is not present.
School of Athens, Raphael, Vatican Museums

The Liberation of St. Peter, Raphael
Vatican Museums

I also like the Liberation of St. Peter. This fresco was monumental in that is depicted night, candlelight, and the moon. In the image, an angel visits St. Peter while he is imprisoned, and helps him escape by putting the guards to sleep. This fresco was extremely well executed, and the shadows and lights together give the image an ethereal quality.

Room of Constantine
Vatican Museum

The Room of Constantine was finished by Raphael’s students after his death, though the subject matter is based on his sketches. This room was glorious, but overwhelming. Every surface was covered with imagery and it was a lot to process, which is why I preferred the other rooms.

Fire in the Borgo, Raphael
Vatican Museum

The last room in the Raphael rooms we visited was the Room of the Fire in the Borgo, taking its name from the main fresco in this room. The Fire in the Borgo was painted after Raphael had seen Michelangelo’s ceiling, and the figures in the fresco represent the change. They are more muscular and defined; characteristics of Michelangelo’s subjects. This room was the last we visited before the Sistine Chapel, and I found it to be a nice transition.

Useful Links!
Pictures from Our Trip!
Book a Guided Tour of the Vatican Museums
History of the Vatican Museums
Raphael Rooms Descriptions and Virtual Tours on Vatican Museum Website
Wikipedia Page identifying subjects in the School of Athens
Raphael wikipedia page

The Vatican Museums-Tapesties

You may have heard something about the Vatican lately on the news. A few outlets have picked up the story. The Pope resigned! By now this is old news, but while we were in Rome, the upcoming retirement of His Holiness was on everyone’s minds. We debated about visiting Rome in February or April, but ultimately decided on February because it was off season and would be cheaper and less crowded. I booked tickets and hotels, amazed at how quickly and easily our trip was coming together; the off season was amazing! Then the Pope announced his plans to retire 3 days after our trip ended. At that moment I rolled my eyes and wondered if we would ever have a nice, normal trip where everything went as planned. Then I quickly checked to see if our tours to the Vatican were still on, they were, and I relaxed a little more.

Saturday became Holy Saturday for us. I booked a guided tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica for 9am and a tour of the Necropolis under St. Peter’s for 1:45pm. This left us an hour and half between tours to grab lunch. Helpful tip: this was barely enough time, if you can manage it, allow yourself more time.

Our arrival in Vatican City that morning was via the Roman metro. The metro only has 2 lines. It’s very difficult to build more lines because Rome is a city that built on top of ruins. It’s safe to assume that somewhere under your feet are relics from the past. After exiting the metro we still had a bit of walking to do before officially arriving at the Vatican.

We followed the signs for St. Peter’s when we exited the metro, but when we reached the walls of Vatican City we realized the signs were taking us to the square, and we needed to be at the museum entrance. It was easy to fix our mistake by backtracking along the wall. I knew we were in the right place when I saw the line—hundreds of people already queued up before the museum was even open.

Joe was worried, but I just walked up to the front of the line, pulled out my pre-booked tickets and we walked right in to the museums. I cannot stress this enough; if you book your tickets before your trip, you will not have to wait in line during your trip. Who wants to wait in line on vacation?

On the right and left are the sarcophagi of
Constantine's mother, St. Helen, and his daughter.
Greek Cross Hall, Vatican Museum

Our tour was guided by a man named Marco; he said we could call him Marco Polo if we needed his attention. Tour guides have these wonderful toys now—the first and most important is the microphone. Instead of broadcasting his voice via loudspeaker, the guide speaks into a transmitter and his tourists hear him via their wireless receivers with headphones. Marco could whisper and we would still be able to hear him. We even got to keep the headphones: a gift from the Pope.

Marco’s next toy was met with mixed reviews. It was a fancy, touch-screen computer, full of digital images of the Sistine Chapel. Joe thought it ruined the surprise and I thought it was nice knowing what to look for when we got inside the chapel. Marco mentioned oddities and described the various levels of the painting. During our tour he gave us detailed information on the other pieces we were seeing, but speaking in the Sistine Chapel is prohibited, unless you are the Pope. Accordingly, Marco educated us before we arrived under the ceiling, but more on that later . . .

Entering the Gallery of Tapestries, Vatican Museum

The Vatican museums are part of a huge complex with miles and miles of exhibits. Marco told us that if we were to stand just 2 minutes studying each piece in the collection, it would take several lifetimes to see everything. As our tour was only 3 hours, it was a highlights tour. We breezed by the Egyptian collection, just peeking in the door. We saw briefly the tombs of Constantine’s mother (St. Helen) and daughter in the Greek cross room before moving on with the tour. This experience was overwhelming; the first room I remember in detail was the Gallery of Tapestries. Almost every bit of wall space in this gallery was covered by large (12-15 feet) tapestries. The only empty area was where a tapestry had been removed temporarily for restoration by the nuns.

The Resurrection
Gallery of Tapestries, Vatican Museum

I’ve seen tapestries many times before, and they are usually very detailed, like a painting by a master, but the colors tend to be muted. I assumed in their prime, the tapestries were more colorful, and an internet search confirmed my theories. Imagine the images with vibrant colors, even strands gilded with silver or gold were woven into the pattern; they would be even more beautiful to behold.

The Massacre of the Innocents
Gallery of Tapestries, Vatican Museum

Some of the tapestries in this room had a higher calling. They were designed at the request of Pope Leo X by Raphael, and they used to hang in the Sistine Chapel. Don’t worry; they weren’t covering up any of Michelangelo’s masterpieces. The walls are painted to resemble curtains, and the tapestries were hung over the paintings. Periodically, the Raphael tapestries are removed from the gallery and placed as they were in the Sistine Chapel. The most recent exhibition lasted for 1 night in 2010, and the previous exhibition before that was in 1983. The tapestries pictured on this page are not part of the Raphael Old School collection, but are called the Flemish New School collection.

Useful Links!
Pictures from Our Trip!
Book a Guided Tour of the Vatican Museums
History of the Vatican Museums
Information about the Tapestries in the Gallery of Tapestries
Article about Nuns Repairing Tapestries & Image of Nun Repairing Tapestry
Article about the Raphael Tapestries Hanging in the Sistine Chapel
Information about Tapestry Restoration and their Colors
Learn how Tapestries were Made

Thank You! Here's a mini-adventure!

We had 3 full days in Rome, but one of those days was a Sunday. If you take away anything from this blog, remember this rule of thumb: generally, things in Europe are closed on Sundays. Bearing this in mind, I booked our tours on Friday and Saturday, leaving Sunday to act as a catchall for whatever was left. Friday was ancient Rome day and Saturday was Holy Rome day. The schedule mostly conformed to these labels, but we also were victims of random wandering. During these forays our conversations went roughly like this . . .

These carts were everywhere! And they all looked identical

“Where are we?” (K)
“I know where we are” (J)
“Are we lost?”(K)
“We’re not lost!”(J)
“How the heck did we wind up here?”(J+K)

On Friday, after visiting the Forum, we were parched. To relieve our thirst we stopped at one of those ubiquitous carts in Italy . . . souvenirs, gelato, drinks, paninis, and postcards, all in about 40 square feet. He bought a beer he dumped most of (Italians are known for wine) and I bought a diet coke I ended up sharing since he had dumped his beer. When it came time to toss the coke bottle we couldn’t find a trash can. During our search (seriously, where are all the trash cans) we encountered an immensely huge, white, columned building on hill. We finally found a waste receptacle and returned to this building.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Rome, Italy
This does not properly convey the sheer size of this building.

Our View
Yes, that's the Colosseum there in the middle of the skyline.

The sign said, “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier”, and as there was no admission fee we wandered in the gate, and up the steps. Our feet were killing—several-thousand-year-old cobblestone has a tendency to do that—but the rules prohibited sitting on the steps, so we climbed. Mostly we just followed the people in front of us, but as the crowd thinned and we continued to climb, we needed to find a purpose for our ascent.

I saw a sign for “Terrace/Cafeteria” with an arrow pointing up. We followed these signs up until we ran out of steps. We were on the terrace, about 20 feet below the base of the columns. We were only about halfway up the building, and already it felt like we were on top of the city. There was a glass elevator to the roof, another 100 feet or so above us, but at 8 euro apiece, we voted against riding it.

Walking around the terrace we found the cafeteria, or more accurately, the café, and we stopped for a snack. Here we had our first authentic Italian cappuccino. I don’t like coffee, but I would drink one daily if they always tasted like that first sip. We complemented our coffee with pastries we shared. Joe chose a dark chocolate-coffee flavored one (not tiramisu), and I selected one with fruit and creampuff cream. Best afternoon pick-me-up EVER. Midway through the coffee we realized where we were and what we were doing: having dessert and cappuccino over panoramic vistas of Rome. Somehow, this has become our life, and we are so blessed to live it. Thank you to our friends and families who manage to continue loving us, despite the distance. Sharing these stories with you brings a new level of joy to our experiences. So again, thank you!

Traditional Roman Ruins

The Roman Forum looking toward the Colosseum

The Colosseum is, without a doubt, the biggest draw of the ancient neighborhood. A ticket to the Colosseum also includes entrance to both the Palatine and The Roman Forum, but there were far fewer people at the latter sights. If you have the Roma Pass you can visit these 3 monuments in any order, but if you are buying a ticket on sight, go to the Forum or Palatine first—the line is much shorter.

The Temple of Saturn; former treasury of Rome

At its heart, the Colosseum was an entertainment complex, but the Forum was the center of the ancient Roman republic and empire. There were temples to various Roman gods, each with a specific purpose for protecting and promoting the well-being of the empire. Returning from a successful conquest, the armies would parade through the Forum along the Via Sacra, or sacred way, up to the Temple of Saturn. This was where the Roman legions deposited their treasure into the coffers of Rome. Only the columned façade remains of the treasury of Rome. After unburdening themselves, the leaders of the armies would proceed to the Temple of Jupiter, the King of all the gods, to dedicate their victory to him, and to pray for future conquests on the battlefield.  Walking along a similar path, picking your steps carefully on the uneven Via Sacra, it’s overwhelming when you think about the people who’ve come before you. I know the stories, I’m aware of various emperors who left their mark on the world, but walking here, tracing their footsteps, I knew they were real. I knew the stories were more or less true.

The House of the Vestal Virgins

Another important temple in the Forum was dedicated to the goddess Vesta, the patron goddess of hearth, home, and family. This temple was tended by a group of priestesses called Vestal Virgins. These women were selected from among the children of the aristocracy before the age of 10. They served a 30 year term, and their most important duty was to keep the fire burning in the Temple of Vesta. This fire was the symbolic hearth of Rome, and if it ever went out, it signified certain disaster for the Romans. If the Vestal Virgins fulfilled their duties and remained pure, they lived a pampered life. They had box seats at the Colosseum across from the emperor and they lived in a beautiful home adjacent to the temple. At the end of their service term they were permitted to marry and given a large dowry. If, however, they were unable to abide by their vows of chastity, they were punished most severely; they were dragged out of their home, and buried alive. I loved the ruins of their former. It had a lovely courtyard with two pools in the middle. It was very peaceful, and it still managed to convey seclusion, despite missing walls and a roof.

Flowers in the Temple of Julius Caesar

Near the Temple of Vesta was the Temple of Julies Caesar. This temple commemorates the location of where his body was burnt following his brutal murder by the Senate. Caesar was later deified by Augustus, and since his death, citizens have left fresh flowers on the altar (now a mound of dirt/rocks) to show their support for the fallen emperor.

Maxentius Basilica. Only 3 side apses remain

Besides Temples, the Forum was dotted with basilicas. Roman basilicas were covered meeting places where justice was meted out. The general layout of Roman basilicas is similar to modern, religious basilicas. There is a large central aisle, and several covered apses on the sides, as well as an apse where the altar would be located. The most intact basilica on the Forum is the Maxentius Basilica, named for the emperor who started its construction, even though Constantine finished the building after defeating Maxentius. All that remains of this basilica are 3 side apses. Standing in this hollow shell, it’s hard to believe the surviving bit of the basilica is roughly ⅓ the size of the intact structure. The apses are humongous by today’s standards.

Another view of Maxentius Basilica, from Palatine Hill

Above the Forum is the Palatine Hill. Legend has it that Romulus and Remus were orphaned on this hill and raised by the she-wolf, Lupa. Romulus eventually killed Remus, and founded the city Rome, on the hill. Later, emperors built fabulous villas here in to which to gaze upon the Forum below. After the fall of Rome, the area was used by wealthy people in the middle ages for the same purpose. At one point there were beautiful gardens here as well, but these were removed during more modern excavations of the area. Today the Palatine is like a garden dotted with the ruins of palaces.

Ruins of a Roman Circus, seen from Palatine Hill

This area had the fewest visitors and was the most peaceful. The sunshine on top of the hill felt wonderful and the views of the surrounding areas were spectacular. Among the ruins of emperors palaces was the ruin of a circus, but Roman circuses were not modern circuses. Like the amphitheater, they were a class of building for a specific type of entertainment, in this case, chariot racing. The Palatine has been a beautiful vantage point for hundreds of years. Generations of people have enjoyed the sprawling area; don’t miss out on this treasure—especially since you've already paid for admission with your visit to the Colosseum.


Useful Links!
Pictures from our Trip
Information about Vesta, goddess of hearth, home, and family
Brief History of the Forum and Palatine
Interesting Article about the Roman Underground
How Rome Built Lasting Buildings
Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Online Booking
Roma Pass

OMNIA Pass

Visiting the Colosseum

You can purchase a ticket to the Colosseum for €12.00 and this will also include admission to the Palatine and the Roman Forum. The ticket will be valid for use on 2 successive days. If you choose to purchase the Roma pass, the Colosseum is an eligible choice for one of your free tickets. With the Roma pass or the stand alone ticket, you will be able to explore the first 2 levels of the Colosseum. If you want to see more, you can book a guided tour of the hypogeum and the 3rd level for and additional €9.00 (as of 2013). For more information about booking this tour, check out my previous post, Optional Extras.

Heading into battle

Make sure you book using the Colosseum’s website. There are other tour groups that offer a similar tour but I doubt their validity. Plus, booking through the Colosseum gets you a guide that works there; our guide introduced herself as an archaeologist  and during the tour her knowledge was evident. Another bonus: the tours are comprised of small groups, about 20 people.

Our first stop on the tour was the reconstructed arena floor. We were at gladiator level, and the size of the building was more apparent than ever. It would be very intense fighting for your life against man or beast, even more so under the watchful stares of 50,000 pairs of eyes.

Next we descended to the hypogeum where we were able to see many of the original architectural components. This area survived because after the Colosseum fell into disuse, the area filled in with mud and dirt and it remained covered until excavations in the late 1800s.

The moss covered ruins indicate the amount of moisture present in the hypogeum

The area is damp, dark, and prone to flooding. There is the possibility of your tour not visiting the area if it floods. You are warned of this possibility when you purchase your ticket. Also, you are reminded that access to the hypogeum and the 3rd level of seating are conditional on your ability to climb stairs. Visiting Rome is not for those faint of heart or weak in the knees.

View of the forum from the 3rd level of the Colosseum

The final stop on the tour was the 3rd level. Due to recycling, this level in incomplete and does not go completely around the ellipse. Like the rest of the building it is open air, allowing views of the skeletal interior as well as parts of the nearby Roman forum.

I highly recommend this tour. We visited in the morning, in February, the low season, and the place was still packed. I can’t imagine the crowds during the high season. The first 2 (public) levels are very noisy and crowded, but during the tour the area is quiet and secluded, allowing you to fully appreciate the unique history around you.

Useful Links!
Photos from Our Trip

BBC History of the Colosseum

Colosseum Facts

Article by Tom Mueller (olive oil guy) for Smithsonian Magazine about the Secrets of the Colosseum
Colosseum Online Booking

Roma Pass

OMNIA Pass
Colosseum Wikipedia Page

The Flavian Amphitheater aka the Colosseum

Boom! Colosseum.

Stepping off the metro and immediately seeing a 160 foot tall structure causes you to pause; knowing said structure is nearly 2000 years old can stop you dead in your tracks. The Colosseum is an iconic monument known the world over, and I’m struggling to write something original about it, so instead, I’ll dazzle you with facts. 

Interior of the Colosseum with the exposed hypogeum. 

The Colosseum is a skeleton of its former self, a fitting description as the hypogeum (basement) reminded me of the sinus cavities in the human skull. So what happened to this jewel of ancient Rome? In a word, Catholics happened. The Colosseum is a ruin because after the fall of the Roman empire, the building was used as a quarry for constructing new projects—such as cathedrals and basilicas and *cough cough* St. Peter’s. While some of the damage can be blamed on time, most of its present appearance is from being stripped down by early Catholics. The Colosseum was not the only casualty; nearly every ancient site in Rome was pillaged and the marble reappears in the newer religious buildings. 

The Colosseum was so named not due to its size, but to the colossal statue of Nero out front; a 120ft shiny, bronze, man-god. After Nero’s death, the face of the statue was changed to Helios, the sun god. It was later moved and then disappeared into the annals of history. The actual name of the structure was the Flavian amphitheater, named for the family of emperors that built it.  Construction only took 10 years and resulted in the largest amphitheater in the empire. 

Reconstructed iron staple near holes from
previously removed staples.

On the grounds where the Colosseum now stands, Nero had built a series of palaces and gardens. His home was called the Domus Aurea or golden house because of the richness of the decorations, including gold filigree. Nearby Nero created a large lake which had to be drained before starting construction on the Colosseum. Nero’s land was for his own private use, such as throwing intense parties. When the Flavian’s built the amphitheater it was a way of returning the area to the people. 

The exterior retains much of its marble but it is pockmarked. The holes dotting the stone are not due to the ravages of time but due to the removal of iron supports. These were used to keep the larger stones together, but like much of the Colosseum, they were recycled into other building projects. It makes you wonder; if the Romans thought the staples were necessary, why have they not been replaced to maintain the structural integrity of the monument?

To enter the Colosseum today you must find that 1 magic arch that is open—the rest are blocked with bars, like jail. In its heyday, all 80 arches would have been used as entrances. Admission was free to the events organized by emperors or senators for the benefit of the people. 

Labeled seats at the lowest level of the Colosseum. 

There were 5 levels of seating, capable of holding 50,000 people, and the seats were arranged by social hierarchy. The lowest level was reserved for the emperor, senators, and foreign dignitaries. Seats at this level were labeled, and the emperor had his own private box in the middle. With each successive level, the social status of the spectators decreased. Women were accorded space on the top level unless they were the family member of someone important on the first level. On top of all the levels there was a canvas roof that could be unfurled to protect the spectators from rain or sun. 

Remains of the galleries in the ruins of the hypogeum

Each entertainment building in Rome was designed for a specific purpose. The amphitheater was the scene of gladiator fights. They were fights of animal vs. animal, animal vs. man, and of course, man vs. man. While some fights were to the death, the crowd had favorite gladiators, and this favoritism often spared the life of the loser. The fights took place on the arena floor; a sand-covered, wood surface. In Latin, the word for sand is arena. The floor covered the stone work in the middle area so none of this lower level hypogeum was visible during Roman times. 

The hypogeum was a labyrinth of galleries, cages, and cells holding scenery, animals, and slaves for the fights above. All of these were lifted to the arena level via elevators moved by winches and slave power. At the top of the elevator a trap door opened onto the arena floor. There were 60 of these elevators lending an element of surprise to fights, as a new opponent could surface anywhere. 

There are conflicting theories about early uses of the Colosseum. Some reports indicate that the hypogeum was built after the rest of the Colosseum. Before the hypogeum was built, it is possible that the arena was flooded for mock sea battles but historians have not reached a consensus. 

Panorama from the 2nd level. Notice the reconstructed arena floor. 

Useful Links!

Photos from Our Trip

BBC History of the Colosseum

Colosseum Facts

Article by Tom Mueller (olive oil guy) for Smithsonian Magazine about the Secrets of the Colosseum

Wikipedia Page about the Colossus of Nero

Wikipedia Page about the Domus Aurea (Golden House of Nero)

Rome Trip Planning pt. 2; Optional Extras

In addition to the Roma pass, we also signed up for some other tours that really made our trip a more unique experience. The first of these tours was at the Colosseum; the hypogeum tour. This tour is €9.00 on top of admission to the site (free with Roma pass) and is a guided tour of the basement of the Colosseum and the 3rd (highest surviving) level of the arena. In these areas it is just the tour group accompanied by the guide and it is a much more intimate experience. To book this tour you can visit the website site of the Ticket Office for the Ministry of Heritage and Cultural Activities. If you have decided to purchase a Roma Pass, you will need to call the ticketing office directly at +39 06 399 67 700, or you will be paying for general admission to the Colosseum twice, once included in the Roma Pass and once included with the event ticket. The people who answer the phones at the ticket office speak English, but a help phrase is Parla Inglese prego? Make sure you are booking a time in your correct language, there are many tours throughout the day, but you won’t learn much if you and the guide aren't speaking the same language.

Another tour we signed up for was the tour of the Necropolis below St. Peter’s Basilica. The Basilica was built over the tomb of St. Peter, and during this tour you descend below the floors of the Basilica to archaeological excavations to see the original tomb of the Saint. This tour takes place below the grottoes where the Popes are buried and is not part of a normal St. Peter’s visit. This tour is a little more complicated to book and costs €13.00 per person, for guests older than 15 only. Entrance to the tomb is strictly controlled with a maximum number of visitors permitted each day. When you know when you will be going to Rome, send an email to the Ufficio Scavi, or the excavations office, the address is scavi@fsp.va. In the email you must detail the names of all participants, the language you would like the tour in, and the dates you are available for the tour, and your best method of contact. I recommend trying to book the Scavi tour first, and then scheduling your other tours around that date. Tours do not take place on Sundays. This is the email I sent, with my information removed:

To Whom It May Concern,
We are interested in taking a tour of the Necropolis during our upcoming trip to Rome, if possible.
There are [insert number of tour attendees here] of us who would be taking the tour:
        [name of tourist]
        [name of tourist]
We would like to take the tour in [insert language preference here] please.
The dates we are available to tour the necropolis are;
        [available date during your vacation]
        [available date during your vacation]
The best method of communication is via [email, snail mail, or phone], and my [email address, address or phone number] is;
        [insert email address, address, or phone number here]
Thank you,
[sign your name]

I emailed the office on a Saturday and I heard a reply on Monday. I don’t know if this is typical, but the earlier you know your dates the better. If they can accommodate you, the Ufficio Scavi will send you an email with a confirmation number and the time of your tour. If all the information is correct, and you would like to take the tour on that date and time, you must email them back within 3 days confirming you will be taking the tour. If you do not confirm you will lose your spot on the tour, I saw it happen to a couple on the day we visited.

Useful Links!
Colosseum Online Booking
More Information about Ufficio Scavi (Excavations Office)

Virtual Tour of the Necropolis

Roma Pass

OMNIA Pass