Rome over the last few days

Today’s post is going to try and catch you up to this incredible tour.  We know that we have been using the word “incredible” a great deal in this blog but it seems to be an accurate description of what we are experiencing.

On July 17^th, we started the day at the Church of St. Peter in Chains which houses the statue of Moses by Michaelangelo.  Sigmund Freud devoted an entire book to analyzing the feelings animated by Moses as represented in the statue.  The eyes of Moses are most expressive and the most powerful work of this acclaimed master.  St Peter in Chains was to contain the Tomb of Pope Julius II and “Moses” sits atop the Tomb.  The gash in Moses’ knee came when Michelangelo threw a tool at “Moses” when the statue could not speak.  The Tomb was never finished despite 30 years of work.  But remarkably, the chains that bound Peter and Paul in Jerusalem when they were jailed by Herod both found their way to this church. 

Then off to the Campidoglio, the Capitoline Hill which has always been the home of every Roman and the heart of the city.  Today it preserves its ancient feeling of pride combined with a sense of intimate elegance.

 Visit to the Capitoline Museums is a must-see for visitors who are entranced by ancient Roman history and welcome the chance to view some of the city’s best treasures.  The museums, housed in two palaces, are situated around a central square or piazza and designed by Michaelangelo Buonarroti in 1536 and completed over a period of more than 400 years.  The museums are connected via an underground tunnel which also leads to the ancient Tabularium.  The origins of the museums can be traced a little further back to 1471 when Pope Sixtus IV donated his impressive collection of ancient bronzes to the city for public viewing.  Here are a few pictures from the Campioglio.

Off to the Forum which we found hard to believe.  We walked the Republican or Roman Forum which was the center of life in Imperial Rome evidenced by the many remains of triumphal arches, temples and basilicas.  Until 509 BC, the city was ruled by an Etruscan dynasty of Tarquin Kings.  They built a sewer, the “Cloaca Maxima” to drain water from the marshlands of the valley between the Palatine, Capitol and the Esquiline Hills to the Tiber River.  Ever since, the area was the center of activity in Rome.  It was the first forum.  Here triumphal processions took place, elections were held and the Senate assembled.

Today the “Foro Romano” may look like a disorderly collection of ruin to the uninitiated but with some imagination you can see the Roman Empire come back to life at this site.  Remains of many buildings from different periods are visible.  Here is some of what we saw.

The lines around the Colosseum (see the last few pictures above) were too long and we did not have a private tour.  However, we are going to try and squeeze it in the day we fly out of Rome.  Just in case this doesn’t happen, here are a few details and pictures.  The Colosseum is 2000 years old and once held 50,000 spectators and was the wonder of its age.  At Imperial Rome’s peak (80 AD) killings here (gladiators, slaves and Christians) were a spectator sport.  Over 9000 animals and 2000 men were killed at the opening festival in 72 AD.  In ancient times, it had a massive canvas cover called the “Velarium” which was a remarkable feat of engineering for the times.  Less than one-third of the original remains; mostly a victim of earthquakes over the centuries.  The floor is gone so we can see the intricate maze of underground rooms that held gladiators, wild animals and Christians.  Its fantastic marbles were mostly looted to build Catholic churches including St Peter’s. 

We visited the Lateran Palace which was the official former residence of Popes before they moved to Avignon, France in 1309.  After being destroyed by a fire, Domenico Fontana carried out a complete reconstruction of the structure and the new Lateran was intended to be a summer residence for the Popes but they used the Quirinal instead.  The Palace is full of Pope memorabilia.

These guns were so big that it took 3 people to shoot them!

Looks like the suit is a perfect fit for my knight.

Then, off to the Holy Steps and the Sancta Santorum.  In the 15 Century, the staircase was declared to be that from Pontius Pilate’s house that Christ descended after his condemnation.  According to the legend, it was brought from Jerusalem to Rome by St. Helen who was the mother of Constantine.  The 28 marble steps are now protected by boards and worshipers are only allowed to ascent them on their knees.  They have glass holes so you can see through and see Jesus’ blood. 

At the top of the steps is the “Holy of Holies”.  It is a private chapel of the Popes in the Middle Ages and considered the Holiest place on earth.  Insideis a gold encrusted portrait of the youthful Christ that was miraculously conceived by St. John and an angel and not created by human hands.  Really that is what we were told.  We were able to enter  for a quick visit inside which is something that is very seldom done.  The chapel upstairs is very small and fit only about half of our tour.  Women were not allowed into the chapel in the 1970s but could look through a barred window in front of the chapel.

Now we are at today.  Today we spent in the Vatican Gardens, St Peter’s Square and Basilica and the Scavia tour under St Peter’s Basilica.  What a DAY!!!  First, we saw the crowds at St Peter’s which we had not experienced since our tour of the Vatican had been a private tour after everyone had left.  It made us very thankful that we didn’t have to stand in all the long lines.

Many consider the Vatican Gardens the most beautiful in the world.  Undoubtedly exceptional and rich in treasures, they are home to rare and venerable plants, marvelous fountains, the science academy, the papal heliport, the first radio and television station, the Vatican train station and the Pope’s own private kitchen garden.  We were told that the Pope walks in these gardens most days when he is in the Vatican.

Vatican Television Station

St Peter’s Square and Basilica is a huge square that signifies the Catholic Church’s open arms welcoming all believers (and lucky for our group non-believers too).  The Square was designed by Bernini and built in 1657 – 1667.  At its center stands the great Egyptian Obelisk moved from the Circus of Nero which once was beside the site of St Peter’s.  It was first erected here in with the efforts of 150 horses and countless men in 1586. 

The Basilica is the center of the Roman Catholic church and is the greatest church in all Christiandom.  Believed by Christians to have been erected over the site of St Peter’s 64 AD crucifixion.  It is also believed that St Peter’s remains are under the main alter.  The first St Peter’s was originally built in 349 AD (some 300 years after Peter was crucified) on orders of the recently converted Emperor Constantine.  Today while we were “underground”, the construction of the church was greatly discussed since it accidently preserved much of the underground work. 

In 1506, Pope Julius ordered that the falling down structure be town down so a “new” St Peter’s could be erected.  This task took over 100 years leading to the Church’s consecration in 1626.  St Peter’s was so big and so grandiose that o pay for its construction, the Church began to sell “indulgences” which so enraged the Monk Martin Luther and you know what happened then.  The Church will hold 60,000 people (and countless tour groups).  The Dome was designed by Michelangelo.  By the way, the Pieta is in St Peter’s.  This was the only work signed by Michelangelo.  Much of the beautiful marble in the Church was looted from the Coliseum, Forum and Pantheon.

One of the most interesting tours in Rome is a visit to the excavations of the Necropolis (City of the Dead) underneath St Peter’s Basilica.  It was there that St Peter was buried after having been crucified in the nearby Circus of Nero.  The tour takes you through several excavated streets of the Necropolis and ends at the grave of St Peter’s.  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures.

Now you are caught up with Rome.  Unfortunately, it is after 8:00 a.m. and our next tour starts at 8:30 a.m. so it seems like it is easy to get behind.  Hope that you are enjoying this blog.  See you soon.

Jack and Nancy