Roman fever

11/4/11

We just got back from a busy day in Rome. Rome is huge! And we should know since we practically walked the entire city ;) we woke up late this morning but we really needed the sleep. So instead of the colosseum, we decided to go to the Vatican since Justin's surprise was in the area. We took the metro to the Vatican and had no trouble finding our way. Once inside, we decided to take the short tour of the museum since we didn't have much time. We went right for the Sistine Chapel. We passed through Raphael's rooms and a modern art exhibit (which was really cool) before stopping for cafe and a leg rest.

Upon entering the chapel, it was dark and the air was cool. There were guards everywhere telling visitors to be quiet, take off their hats, and not to sit on the steps of the alter. We grabbed a coveted bench seat near the wall and pulled out our tour book that described what we were seeing. At first, Michelangelo didn't want to paint the chapel but after being begged, bribed, and threatened by the pope, he reconsidered. The ceiling is almost 6,000 feet and 6 stories high! Can you imagine? He painted every square inch! Most painteres in the day would be commissioned to design someing but en let their students finish it. Michaelangelo did it all himself and it only took 4 years.

The last judgement over the alter was very inspiring. It would give you chills. While the ceiling was well balanced, the last judgement was a swirl of angles and demons pulling at men, Jesus and Mary are at the top center, Jesus raising his arm to punish the wicked. Michaelangelo is also in the painting. His skin is being held by a saint as if to suggest that he was unsure of his fate. Charon (Greek god that shuttled souls to hell) was also in the painting, odd considering it was a Christian painting. And Michaelangelo's main critic was in hell being squeezed to death (and bit strategically) by a large snake! It was a beautiful chapel that served as the pope's private chapel and is still used when the new pope is selected. All the Cardinals meet (conclave) and cast their ballets at the alter before the last judgement mural.

We saw a lot of blind people in the Vatican which given the crowds, I thought was just ludacris, especially if you couldn't see the beauty. But then we saw a replica of la pieta that the blind people could touch. It would almost bring you to tears. We went to find the Belvedere torso, the broken statue adored by Michaelangelo and often used as a reference for other works (including the body of Jesus in the last judgement). We went through several courtyards, saw the tapestry room and the animal room, they are exactly how they sound. All beautiful. Sometimes it is difficult to really take it all in. Everything in the Vatican and the city for that matter is opulent beyond description. There are beautiful statues and marble fountains and staircases everywhere! We didn't have time for St. Peter's bascillica but hope to go back.

To make a long post short, Justin's surprise was a bust. We walked for an hour to the "old location." It was a low point but thankfully the old location ended up being the owners address. She apologized and offered to reschedule until tomorrow. Unfortunately, tomorrow's tasting is only champagne, not all the wines we were signed up for, but it was so nice of her to offer that to us. I was super bummed. To easy my sorrows, we found an amazing decedent dessert bar and ate until we felt better. I had the best cannoli I've ever eaten!! I wish I could mail back a million for everyone to eat! We finished our long walk back and had pasta and brucetta at a local restaurant near the fountain. Then we got more pizza (from Justin's grouchy Italian) and gelato and headed back to the room to rest and blog our day.

Tomorrow is the colleseum and the new wine tasting. We're going to try not to plan out too much of our day. We end up overbooking ourselves. Buona Sera!