23 August Rome and The Vatican

We are staying in a hotel called Club Roma which is situated in a suburb called Cornelia. It is close to the Metro so getting to the centre of Rome is quite easy. This morning Lolz and I took the train to Spagna and started exploring from The Spanish Steps.

The steps were built in order to link the the Trinità dei Monti church that was under the patronage of the king of France, with the Spanish square below. The long, triangular Spanish square is named after the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See.

The church still has French priests and the Mass is said in French.

It was very hot in the city so after trying to sort out a SIM card for me to use on Lolz’s old phone and/or my IPad we tried to get into the Pantheon but the queues were ridiculous and I’d seen it on the orientation walk so we gave it a miss. Will post photos after we do it on another day.

We had a salad lunch at a restaurant and then I went to meet the Expats doing the Vatican and Lolz went to the Colosseum

Our guide Danielle was excellent – full of fun as she shared her knowledge with us.

Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro constructed the huge golden orb that stands as the centerpiece of the Courtyard of the Pinecone at the Vatican Museum. The structure is a sphere within a sphere. It is bronze but appears golden as the sun shines down on it. It represents the form of the earth. It gives the impression that it is reflecting the complexity of our world and how easily it can be torn apart.

It took a long time to get to complete the tour. There was so much to see and so much to take in. The history was fascinating and to think we still have the amazing creations and genius works of Michelangelo is mind blowing. I love that Michelangelo would only paint his frescos if The Pope would let him paint what he wanted to paint. And, wow, how well those pictures tell the biblical stories. No photography is allowed in the Sistine Chapel, you have to be appropriately dressed – no knees or shoulders showing – and no noise allowed. The officials called for silence every time the noise level rose.

Photos do not do justice to what we experience so I am posting just a few of the amazing sculptures, tapestries, mosaics and paintings that we saw.

We were all quite blown away by the superbness and extravagance of the exhibits. It was worth enduring the heat, the crowds and all the walking. It was then back on the Metro to the hotel. Later in the evening sixteen of us met at the hotel bar for drinks which we enjoyed outside and then we walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Don’t you just love the decor?