We started the morning with a visit to the Vatican Museums, opulent in the extreme and housing a magnificent collection of art works, and tapestries, and the gallery of maps. We then walked through to the Sistene Chapel and spent a good while admiring the ceiling and altar wall decorated by Michelangelo some 25 years apart – all with the expert commentary of a local Italian woman as guide. Rather overwhelming when you get the real low-down on the symbolism and meaning in each panel. Then into St Peter’s Basilica – more opulence and magnificence. Apparently the Pope returned from his summer home today – and held an audience a “stone’s throw” from us and blessed everyone and everything within 1 mile so we were blessed while we had early lunch across the road! The guide then took us on to other sites around the city including St Paul’s Outside the Wall – another magnificent church, one of four churches of great significance – obviously not visited by every tourist as not as crowded as some of the other sites visited!
We finished up early afternoon walking around the magnificent remains of the Colosseum and Roman Forums with more knowledge imparted by our guide. The Colosseum seated 50,000 people to watch the gladiators and condemned prisoners fight off hungry lions – admission was free as this was entertainment put on by the emperor – had a retractable canvas roof to shade from sun and rain and natural air conditioning with air coming in the bottom arches and going out through the top of the canvas – most of the seating was marble!
Back to the hotel at 2.30 for a respite from the 35 degree heat. Dinner tonight and an opportunity to see “La Dolce Vita” – when Italians step out to see and be seen! Also have got our 3 coins ready for the Trevi Fountain.
Comments
Comment by Brownie on 2008-09-03 20:39:56 -0700
Sounds exciting, maybe you should stop by Sicily and check out the opportunities for property development….
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7596341.stm
Houses are on sale for just 1 Euro.
