The Unmissable

Ok. 105 words to wrap up the Coloseo: No, my story is not real, but some of the things like the different shows, animals, and purposes were all what really happened. The last thing I wanted to share that I found super interesting was something I read online. The Coliseum has become a religious place of gathering because of the belief of many christian martyrs dying there including St. Peter. It is also used as a symbol of attitudes about capitol punishment, abolished in Italy in 1948. It changes the night lights from white to gold when someone's death penalty sentence is lifted, if they are released, or if the penalty is abolished.

Whew. Time to move on to the smallest country I have ever visited (0.6 miles long, 0.5 miles wide): The Vatican City. The city-state has it's own sovereignty, ruled by the elected Pope, of course. Swiss guards, decorated in traditional uniforms that are uncommon for the modern world that surrounds the Holy See, protect the Pope and his home.

I left later in the morning than I had planned, but still within good time. I didn't really have to wait in line (but when I say that I mean I didn't have to join a crowd of people that wrap around the cities walls sometimes all the way to St. Peter's Basilica at the opposite end of the entrance). I didn't realize I would have to go through metal detectors and for a minute I was annoyed because of my history with them. I usually beep from all sorts of things like buttons, bobbi-pins, and under-wire bras (grr). I am usually patted down quickly, but I have heard in Italy they like to be REALLY certain . . .

Fortunately, it was fine.

However, there was still a great discomfort with the amount of people. They have to take pictures of everything! What is the point of enjoying the museum? I did, however, snag a few myself. Needless to say, I was a little stressed out by all the people and the number of times I was polite and let them control the 15 feet of space in front of an artifact to get a picture.

The thing is that there is so much to see and it is so big. Without really taking my time to go through it, it still took over 3 hours. From the Egyptian museum, to the room of animals, to the courtyard, to the hall of tapestries (really huge and really cool), to the frescoes and paintings of Raphael, to the room of statues and the miscellaneous works, to the museum of modern religious art (my second favorite part), to the toilets, and FINALLY, to the Sistine Chapel and beyond I was in awe at the amount of money and dedication it took to create one of the biggest tourist attractions in the entire world.

I am going to try to just pick highlights to share. It is too overwhelming to even try to be creative with the way I tell the journey or every profound thought I had while in it.

The tapestries amazed me. Being a cloth person, I have always been drawn to them when I read books, but I have never seen one. The scenes depicted, like a lot of Catholic art, were a little dark and dreary. I never imagined them to be so big. They went from the floor to the ceiling, which in this particular hallway couldn't have been less than 18 feet.

This one is the bringing of gifts from the Magi.



Just a few rooms before the chapel, there is this fresco by Raphael called The Fire in the Borgo. My audio guide didn't tell me what eavesdropping on the tour guide next to me did. This neighborhood set on fire near St. Peter's Basilica. The people ran to the window and cried for the Pope. He saw the fire and immediately blessed the air and the fire went out. In the left bottom corner we see a man carrying an old man, a woman, and a young child. This is supposed to be "Aeneas carrying his father Anchises from the fires of Troy; it is, therefore, an allusion to the traditional idea that Rome was the new Troy." I love things like that.


I will leave it there for today. I know how some of you have commented on my posts being too lengthy (IT WAS TREVOR IN CASE ANYONE WAS WONDERING- but I agree with him). I will post the Sistine Chapel as a separate piece.

Love you all!

M.Jean