Rome, Italy, August 23, 2011

We were up again at 5:30 preparing for our 6:50 departure.  We'd learned a lesson from Florence and I brought an extra bottle of water.  So a cup of coffee, a quick breakfast, and packing my bag with 2 large bottles of water, camera, extra batteries, extra memory, a brush, money, identification and a towel to wipe our faces we were off to the theater to await our instructions. 

When deciding on tours for this trip, the one thing I was certain about was seeing the Sistine Chapel.  When I found a tour with the Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and the Colosseum I signed up immediately.  I'm not Catholic nor religious but the thought of seeing Vatican City with it's rich history and expansive wealth and opulence appealed to me.  I remember being a little girl and watching television with the black and white smoke from The Sistine Chapel telling the story of a new pope.  I was so anxious, I had anticipated this would be my favorite stop on the cruise.  Was it?  It was very close to the top, these ports are like my children, I can't choose among them.

We docked in Civitavecchia (don't ask me to pronounce it) which is an hour bus ride to Rome, directly outside of our bus was an old fort.

When the bus rounded the corner and I got my first glimpse of the Colosseum I gasped.  There it was in all it's grandness.

The yellow is just the natural light coming from the inside.

We stood outside for several minutes waiting to enter and our guide gave us a brief history of the building.  This is the place where the gladiators (mainly slaves, condemned criminals, and prisoners) fought, this is where people were fed to the lions, this is where theater took place.  The men were seated according to rank and the women had to stand or sit in the upper decks, at least they didn't have to be the gladiators.  At the end of the matches if the gladiator survived, the emperor would determine whether he lived or died by a simple thumbs up or down.

Many of the ancient Roman structures were destroyed when the Christians assumed power since the Romans were considered Pagans.  The Arch of Constantine located right next to the Colosseum and the Colosseum itself was saved because Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity.

The details are exquisite.

 

Do you think this language is Latin?

It's time to go inside:

The holes are mainly the work of vandals after either the metal within the walls or the marble.

These are the underground rooms where the animals were kept.

 

The animals were brought up on a system of pulleys.

Obviously a later addition.

There were always massive crowds.

It looks like a maze.

 

 Those things around our necks are transmitters, our guide is speaking into a microphone and describing what we are seeing.  That transmitter, the camera and the colored stickers on our shirts were definite targets for the street vendors. 

Just me and my sweetie (and a million other tourists) in Rome!

The Christians did let the building survive however they had something to add:

The cross seemed very out of place.

 As I said my goodbyes to the Colosseum we were off to lunch, spinach cannelloni (yummy) and a pork dish and then to the Vatican.  Vatican City is the world's smallest sovereign city state and holds some of the worlds most priceless treasures, we heard two different stories about how they acquired them.  Our guide in Rome said they were gifts to the pope, our guide in Athens implied they were stolen.  As with every story the truth probably lies in the middle. 

On the way to the Vatican:

There are several Vatican museums we only had time and tickets for the statue museum and the tapestries.  They are both massive and when we'd completed walking through them we entered the Sistine Chapel, from there we visited St. Peter's Basilica and finally into the square.  Starting with some of the Greek and Roman statues:

This is a modern piece in the lobby of Pope John Paul II

 

Augustus Caesar, first century AD

Laocoon and His Sons, 25 BC

What appears to be Cleopatra with the asp, however I have no idea, since the guide didn't mention this tomb.

This is the ceiling.

More of the ceiling.

 

This looks like a bathtub but is actually a tomb.

 

The ceilings

 

These treasures are priceless.  More ceilings and tapestries: 

There are guards posted inside the chapel to quiet the crowds and to monitor photography.  Pictures are not allowed in the Sistine Chapel so here is one that I copied off the internet.  No picture could ever do it justice, it's stunning.
 
After walking outside of the chapel we headed to St. Peter's, the largest church in the world and I'm sure the most ornate.  Here are some pictures with explanations:

Looking up through the dome.

This statue is the Pieta, by Michelangelo 1499

 

Tomb of Pope John Paul II

A glass coffin with the remains of a pope.  He has a mask on his face and his hands are covered.

 

St. Peter is buried beneath this altar.

Gold is how much an ounce?

 

St. Peter's

From these photos it's hard to tell that the church is so large and beautiful.  We went out to the square and I took a few more pictures.

The middle window is the one from which the Pope addresses the square.

The pointed roof is the Sistine Chapel

 

The front of St. Peter's, I'm very far away.

The Swiss Guard, or the royal jester.

 

My trip to Rome was everything I expected and so much more.  I'd love to return!  On the bus ride home our guide told us, "Rome wasn't built in a day, therefore you can't see it in a day."

Back to the ship hot, tired and thirsty.  Tomorrow is the last of our long days for a while, then we get a sea day to rest up. We didn't do much other than relax, enjoy a cocktail and go to bed early on these three straight morning until night excursions.  Many people developed a rash on the inside of their legs just above their ankles.  The ship's doctor said it was due to the extreme heat and all the walking.  I credit living in Florida as the reason I didn't develop it. 

More tomorrow, it's Naples and Pompeii!