Rome-day2-Norv

Rome-Day 2:
Melie and I took a walk this morning – the boys were still sleeping (and when we got back they were still sleeping) – along the Tiber. As we were crossing a bridge, we looked down and saw some horses and ponys (and a small colt). It was amazing to see a small farm in the middle of the city. We stopped at a small pizzeria and had a wonderful breakfast of pizza and beer – definitely a good way to start the day. Today was the Vatican – so we decided to use the Metro. Sharon had suggested the 23 bus, but we decided to stay with what we knew.
As you near the Vatican, there are lots of tour guides – “the wait for the Vatican Museum is 4 hours.” Well, we walked into St Peter’s Square and followed the crowd – we picked the cupola line – and ended up inside the dome of St. Peters! We were a hundred feet off the floor of the Basilica – right next to all of the frescos. It was fantastic. The boys wanted to go up to the top of the dome – and I let them. Another 330 steps wasn’t fitting into my schedule today. We waited on the roof of St Peters – what a view of the city. The boys went up to the very top of the dome – Greg said he got pictures – I look forward to seeing them.
When we got down from the dome, we were let out onto the floor of the Basilica. It was very inspiring. As we left the Basilica, we saw Michelangelo’s Pieta. I saw a copy when I was in high school – but the original was magnificent. As we walked out into the Square, we looked for directions to the Sistine Chapel – out through the columns, turn left – 1 Km. We’re getting a lot of exercise. We wound around the outside of Vatican city and eventually came to the entrance for the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. We didn’t realize that you basically walk the entire Vatican Museum before you get to the Sistine Chapel. It was late – they didn’t let anyone into the museum after 4 --- and I wanted to make sure we got to the chapel. By the time I realized what was happening, we had gone about 2/3 of the way through the museum. It was an incredible collection of art through the ages – Roman and Greek sculptures, medieval tapestries, Renaissance paintings, modern art (we saw 3 Salvador Dali’s and a Diego Rivera) - but eventually we walked into the Sistine Chapel. I was overwhelmed. Seeing pictures in books just doesn’t match it. The colors and life of the frescos is overwhelming – I know I’m using that word a lot – but tonight it’s the only word coming to mind. This is an extraordinary experience. I don’t know if the boys understand what they’re seeing – but I know that they’ll remember this experience.
So I want to see the Pantheon. We had thought to go tomorrow, but Melie had read that it was beautiful at night – it was about 5 so we thought we’d head that way. Everyone decided the Metro was a better bet than walking – so back to the Spanish Steps as the shortest route (Spagna station). We wandered through the area again (we’ll probably be back tomorrow since this is listed as a good shopping area) and eventually came upon the Pantheon. It’s almost 2,000 years old and Michelangelo used it as his model for St. Peter’s. It’s 2 feet larger in diameter than St. Peters and is 142 feet high and wide – a perfect half-circle (half a ball). There is an 18 foot hole in the ceiling to let out the smoke from the sacrifices. It was originally built by Agrippa in 27BC and rebuilt by Hadrian (of the wall fame) in the second century – he actually designed the dome. Until the 20th century, it was the largest concrete dome in the world. We saw them setting up a concert venue, so we decided to have dinner on the plaza. Beer sounded great. Dinner was so-so. As we waited, various street entertainers passed through – an accordion player and a clown – although in white face he was a lot like the clown we saw in Sienna. The Italians certainly don’t rush you – and we sat there for three hours. It was worth waiting, because an opera singer showed up. All of the performers picked other café’s as their focus – so we never faced the passed hat. It was probably because we were right next to the McDonalds – another café on the piazza. Since it appeared the music wasn’t going to start, we headed off to a fountain that Sharon had suggested to me. It was great. The fountain itself was being restored. But it was a huge square with three fountains – and lots of entertainers and artists. We enjoyed an easy stroll around the square, then decided to head back home. The shortest way was back through Pantheon square – this was a great opportunity. There was a mime who was great. We watched him for almost half an hour. After he finished, we finally headed back to the apartment. Another full (and exhausting) day. However, all of the “sites” are now crossed off the list (Chris wants to see the catacombs but they’re not anywhere near here – it’s good to leave something for the next time).