Exploring The Vatican

 Today's adventure took us to Vatican City, for a tour of the Vatican Museums.  We left our hotel, by taxi, at 6:30 am and traveled to a plaza nearby, where we were scheduled to meet with our tour guide, Laura, who was with City Walks in Rome. 

Needless to say, breakfast was not an option at our hotel prior to us leaving, so it was a pleasant surprise to find a small cafe at the plaza, where we had plenty of time to enjoy a Cappuccino and split a delicious croissant before meeting our guide. 

Once we were set up with our group, we hiked up several sets of steps that led to the walls that surround the Vatican.  Although our scheduled tour time was 7:15, it turns out that the Vatican Museum doors don't open until 8:00, so we spent the time standing outside while Laura gave us the detailed history of Vatican City and explained how it was granted the status of a country in 1929 after the signing of the Lateran Treaty. 

She also handed each of us a schematic of the Sistine Chapel which detailed the various artwork adorning the ceiling and walls, as guides are unable to give any details while in the chapel.  She explained that much of the original work by Michelangelo had featured angels without wings, saints without halos, and men painted nude.  But over time, this was considered to be distasteful, so fig leaves were painted to impose modesty.  I found it amusing that she referred to it as censorship.  

Finally, it was time to enter, and after going through security, we made our way up a set of stairs, and then outside to a beautiful plaza that featured an awesome view of the dome of St. Peter's.  

As you can see, we were blessed with a gorgeous day, temps in the mid 70's and brilliant sunshine.  You really can't beat that, can you? 

Our next stop was the Pinecone courtyard, and looking at this photo, you can probably easily figure out why it was named such. 

A large bronze fountain, in the shape of a pinecone, adorns the center of this alcove. It dates back to the second century.  On either side of the base of the fountain stands an ancient Egyptian Sphinx.  I find it amazing that items of such age have been preserved over the centuries.

Yesterday's tour guide had explained to us that many statues had been erected as adornments during the time when Nero served as the Roman Emperor.  But, during the decline of the Roman Empire, many of these statues had been lost as the city began to decay over time, and in the 13th century, the Roman Forum was used as a dumping ground for old medieval buildings. 

In the early 1800s, excavations were initiated,  and these statues that had once stood on temples, were uncovered, sometimes in pieces, and delicately restored and safeguarded in this museum.  

Laura headed over to the Laocoon, excited to give us its history. 

This statue is believed to have originated in Greece, prior to 40 B.C.  It was discovered in 1506 on Esquiline Hill.  The sculpture represents the story of the Trojans, from Virgil's Aeneid. 

When the statue was uncovered, the right arm was missing. Michelangelo determined that the arm should be bent from the position of the shoulder.  Later, in the 15th century, the arm was located, and the museum connected the arm to the back of the statue. 

We crossed the plaza that featured the arts

And came to the Marforio,  depicting Oceanus.  It is believed to have been sculpted in the 2nd century.  It was discovered in the Forum of Augustus and is believed to have once been part of a water fountain.   

There were theatrical masks

And an original mosaic floor.

And statues just about anywhere one turned. 

This one is called The Torso, found in the late 15th century. The sculptor engraved his name:  Apollonius, son of Nestor.

We walked into a room designed to represent the Pantheon.  Standing in the middle is the "Bath of Nero", which is also believed to be a fountain. It was found near Nero's house on Esquiline hill. It is carved from purple marble known as Red Porphyry.  It originates from Egypt, and, due to its scarcity, was strictly reserved for emperors .

Along the perimeter is a  statue of Hadrian

Moving on, we saw the sarcophagus which had been carved for Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great. She died in 335 and had been buried in a mausoleum which was located just outside the city of Rome.  It, too, is made of Red Porphyry. It was brought to the city in 1777 and restored by Gaspare Sibilla and Giovanni Pierantoni. 

There was beauty to behold at every turn: adorned hall ceilings,

statues along the walls of the Gallery of The Candelabra

as well as painted ceilings to admire. 

There was this unusual statue of Artemis, the goddess of fertility which would have originated in Ephesus.

Our guide had us walking through the gallery at a pretty fast pace, so it was difficult to stop and admire much of what there was to behold. Which was probably a good thing, because I would more than likely have way too many photos to share. 

We entered a hallway with walls covered by tapestries.  This particular one was Flemish, made in the 1500's in Belgium.

And this tapestry was unique, in that the eyes of Jesus followed one as you walked along the hall.  I inspected it closely, and, sure enough, it looked like the eyes were staring at me from every angle. 

Isn't it fascinating that someone could manage to achieve that affect with woven fabric so many centuries ago? 

Walking through the ornate hallways, I glimpsed some of the beauty outside the windows. 

The hallway of maps featured large paintings of maps from every area of Italy.  But it was the ceiling that really caught my attention!

From here we moved onto the papal apartments. There was a room devoted to the Immaculate Conception.

This room was painted by Rafael,  and it featured  Pope Julius II, painted as if he was looking back in time over two hundred years. 

This painting shows Julius II in the left hand corner, as if he is watching a scene depicted from the Bible.  Rafael was quite clever the way he used the medium to highlight the stories of the Bible while bringing it to a more recent perspective. 

The ceiling in this particular room was extremely colorful and ornate. 

I soon found myself fascinated by the amount of decoration on the ceilings of the various rooms that we walked through. 

Finally, we were in the Sistine Chapel, where no photos are permitted, due to it being a sacred papal place.  It was nice to take a seat along the side wall and admire the works of art covering nearly every section of wall and ceiling, and having the schematic was a huge help in understanding the meaning behind the paintings. 

Now, one would normally exit the Sistine Chapel and head to St. Peter's Basilica.  But, it was Wednesday.  And, unbeknownst to us, the Pope has a papal audience on Wednesday mornings, and entrance to the Basilica is not permitted.  We had hoped that since our tour was SO early in the morning, that we would be given the opportunity to visit the basilica prior to our tour, but apparently the touring system is not designed to accommodate visitors of any kind on Wednesday mornings, except on rare occasions when the Pope does not grant an audience. Today was not one of those days. 

So, we exited out the opposite door, and headed to the Vatican Painting Gallery, which, as you can well imagine, had countless works of preserve art. 

The Stefaneschi Triptych was commissioned as an altarpiece for the high altar in the old basilica of St. Peter in the 1300's.  It is painted on both sides so it could be seen by both the priests and the congregation on a free standing altar. 

The left side shows the crucifixion of Peter and the right, the beheading of St. Paul.  In the center  Christ sits in Majesty, surrounded by angels. 

We were moving along at a fast pace again, but I did manage to get a photo of this beauty, but I can't give you a detailed explanation regarding it history. 

Laura then led us to the tapestry room, which featured huge, ornate tapestries, woven in fine filament, some sections highlighted with gold.  They were held behind glass, and kept in a relatively dark room to preserve their color. 

Finally, we made our way to the religious paintings.  This is the Madonna of Foligno, painted by Raphael in 1512.  It was originally painted on wood, but transferred onto canvas.

Another famous painting attributed to Raphael is this one entitled, The Transfiguration.

Here you see  La Nativita.  I so loved the smiling child and the beautiful colors.

And finally, this is a painting of the Annunciation.   I cannot tell you the artist, but I was captured by the delicate nature and serene calmness that I felt while admiring it. 

At this point, our tour concluded, and considering that we had been with Laura for well over four hours, I was happy to end the day visiting the museum.  We would have been permitted to stay as long as it was open, but, there were scores of tours coming and going, and we really felt that we'd seen enough for sensory overload!

So, after exiting the building, we headed around the walls to St. Peter's Square, which was packed with people in hopes of seeing the Pope pop his head out. 

Within short time, the barriers came down, and people could explore the square at leisure. 

We gave some thought to standing in line to see if we could gain entrance to the Basilica, but, once again, it was obvious that we would have had to wait for a very long time, and my knee was at its limit.  So, we managed to catch up with our tour group from the hotel, who had a later scheduled tour through their agency, and we took the bus with them back to our hotel. 

I'll admit...I was exhausted, and we decided to just relax in the room for a bit to give my knee a break from all of the extra activity over these past two days. 

We then met up with our new found friends and headed a few blocks to a nearby restaurant, where we were ushered to an outside terrace to enjoy dinner together.  I must say, we had a blast, and the staff was probably grateful that they sat us away from the other customers as we had some pretty entertaining conversations and lots and lots of laughs.  It's as if we've known each other for years.  

And, it looks like Marty has managed to entice some future fans to follow his Yinzerfishing channel.  So, you know he's happy!

Tomorrow we head to Tuscany which will involve a four hour bus ride.  I sure hope the driver is ready for this entertaining group of travelers!

Until next time...

Gallivanting Through Ancient Rome

 We might be here for just two full days, but I'd venture to say that we covered a LOT of ground today to make the most of our time here.  In fact, checking our steps walked today, it appears that we tracked well over 6 miles.  Pretty amazing, considering the condition that my knee has been in.  

But, I took one of my trekking poles, and the other members of our group were graciously patient with me, acting like Zebras, according to what I recently learned from my Tennessee grandson.  ( He informed me that a herd of Zebras will always accommodate the slowest one in the group.  Now, I wonder how many know that?)

As soon as we walked out the hotel door this morning, the clouds decided to burst, making me grateful that I had taken the time to pack a raincoat.  We headed to the metro in the rain, like ducklings following Mama Duck, (our tour leader.) Each of us was wearing our transmitter and earbud, as had been instructed,  so that we could follow her directions.  She ensured that we all squeezed into the metro (which, believe me, was quite a tight fit.  Although we did have to chuckle when she said it wasn't very crowded this morning.  I'd hate to see her idea of crowded!)

Three stops later, we were exiting the station, in the rain, with this as our view. 

The Roman Colosseum , of course. 

We were handed over to a second guide, who spent three hours with us, explaining the history of the building and the unique structures within.  I don't have the time or the energy to offer the Roman Experience to you tonight, but I'm going to just share a few of the many photos that I took, that highlight our adventure today.

After exploring nearly every facet of this amazing construction, we headed to the Roman Forum.  It began with yet another short deluge of rain

but the skies soon cleared

and we were bathing in brilliant sunshine by the time our tour was complete. 

Ambra was ready to pick up where our Colosseum guide had finished, to show us some of the brilliant highlights of this part of the city.

Walking from the forum, you can see the discoveries of a past civilization below the ground level of the city.

I was quite surprised to see these brilliant poppies, growing wild in the fields within these grounds. 

To our left was the Victor Emmanuel II Monument on top of Palatine Hill.

and adjacent to the Mayor's Office Building, there was a replica statue of the She Wolf, mother of Romulus and Remus.

Just down a walkway past this statue, I was able to take this stunning view.

and around the front, just to the left, stands this beautiful church

with an amazing set of steps that we did NOT even TRY to venture!

Strolling through the narrow alleys, Marty tasted the icy cold water from one of the many fountains.

And I was charmed by the beautiful icons that are featured on so many buildings.

Here you see one of the fountains in the Piazza Navona

The Fountain of Four Rivers stands in the middle of the piazza, directly in front of the Church of St Agnese of Agone.  An inscribed obelisk stands upon the statue that was designed by Bernini and Borromini. 

We passed by the Pantheon, but did not go inside.  As you can see, another inscribed obelisk stands in front, but since the fountain was being repaired, there were protected screens surrounding the structure and this was the best photo that I could muster. 

We managed to make our way to the The Column of Marcus Aurelius, an impressive sight in itself. 

And, finally, we conquered the crowds who had come to see the Trevi Fountain, 

and even managed to get a selfie in front.

From here, we found ourselves struggling to make our way through throngs of tourists, while attempting to avoid mopeds that wove in and out, suddenly popping up when least expected. 

We finally made it to the Spanish Piazza, where the Column of the Immaculate Conception graces this magnificent area.  We were told that on every December 8, the local fire company places a wreath upon her head in honor of the protection that she offers. 

And, to the far end of the piazza, just to our right, we saw the Spanish Steps.  As were most places today, the steps were quite busy, so it was difficult to get a photo, but there was NO way I was climbing up those steps for a better view.  The walking today was already challenging enough, and I certainly wasn't going to risk it for the sake of a better photo. 

 Marty needed a selfie,  (are you surprised?) particularly since he was now sporting a new hat.  Doesn't he look spiffy? 

Directly below the steps sits a unique fountain, in the shape of a boat.  As you can see, the fountain was a favorite as well. 

From here, we headed back to the Metro, under Ambra's direction, to once again face the Sardine Can experience to return to our hotel.  We had just about an hour to freshen up and dress for dinner, as tonight was a special treat in the Trastevere Section of the city. 

We were all pretty excited to find ourselves on a large, air-conditioned bus, with comfy seats and large windows.  Certainly overkill for 8 of us to travel, but believe me, after the day we had walking, none of us was complaining!

We passed some interesting sites on the way.

And, after departing the bus, we strolled along several quaint streets until we reached our dining destination. 

It was quite obvious to us that this was a restaurant who catered strictly to American tourists, but the wait staff was super friendly, the food was delicious, the wine was outstanding, and we even had a group of singers entertain us. 

Honestly, it was the perfect way to end the day!

Until next time....

Another Gallivanting Adventure

Ciao! Can you guess where we are?

Well, here we are at the start of another adventure,  and, actually, quite exhausted, having only gotten a few hours of sleep in the last 24.  But we're hitting the sack early tonight so that we can be refreshed for our morning day out in Rome.

If you follow my blog regularly, then you realize that our trips are generally planned by me, but driven by Marty.  So, we are wavering from the norm here, as we decided to take the plunge and book a trip to Italy with AAA Choice.  It was well over a year ago when I spotted the ad in our monthly newsletter, and we decided that this was the perfect opportunity to see Rome....under someone other's direction. Although our time here is relatively brief, we hope to make the most of it. 

Of course, the trip was paid in full when I injured my knee in late January, and I'll be honest and admit that I've been pretty stressed about how much strain it can take, despite having PT treatments weekly. And I'm hoping that today's discomfort stems from sitting on a plane for 10 + hours and then walking a LOT inside airports.  Finger crossed that a good night's sleep finds me ready to take on the Roman hills tomorrow. 

Our adventure began by escort from the local AAA to the Philadelphia airport where we were dropped off at the doors to the international terminal.  How great is that? 

We headed to the Discover Airlines counter, where we needed to wait some time until the personnel showed up for check in. I'll be honest and admit that the travel arrangements did not go as smoothly as expected.  But we're here and not too much worse the wear. 

I'd never heard of Discover Airlines before (as it appears many have not), and I will admit that the seating was a bit cramped, although I did like sitting in the middle section of the plane, which makes it easier for getting out of the seat to walk around.  And, although I only managed a few hours sleep, if even that, I can tell you that I was much more comfortable thanks to this nifty neck brace that I had purchased for situations just like this. 

Inside that bag of wonder is a comfy, cozy contraption, that wraps snugly around the neck, offering a haven of comfort for one's neck.  You should try one!

Although we did seem to be crammed into a relatively small space, the young man in front of me, turned and asked me if it would be OK to put his seat back.  Let me tell you....that doesn't happen often.  What a nice kid!  

And, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the chicken dinner was actually tasty!  Believe me, that doesn't happen often either. 

The flight involved a layover in Frankfurt, which is what happens when one lets a 3rd party book travel.  I generally try to avoid international transfers, but had no choice.  Frankfurt involved a tram ride to a different terminal, a LOT of walking, standing in a long line for passport control, and, finally, a trip through security, again, after having walked nearly the length of the terminal in search of our gate. 

But, I must say that the attendants were super nice, including the woman who had to "feel me up" after I walked through the scanner, just to be certain I wasn't carrying anything hazardous. 

The flight to Rome seemed like Nirvana in comparison.Just look at that leg room!  We thought we were in heaven! 

Once in Rome, we headed to baggage claim, found our luggage, and stepped out into the admissions hall to look for our driver.  There were dozens of people of various ages, holding up signs for pick up. But, none of them had our name.  Finally, after about 10 minutes of searching, I was able to spot a "Colette" sign which led to our meeting a greeter, who then graciously led us to our driver, in terminal 3.  The woman had been on the hunt for two missing clients, which is what caused all of the confusion regarding our pickup. 

 We didn't arrive at our hotel until close to 4:00, and until we refreshed ourselves, we only had a short time to investigate the area.  Here are just a couple of shots from the nearby neighborhood.

We met with our fellow tourists at 6:00, where our guide gave us each a transmittal device to wear while out on tour, so that we can hear her.  (That certainly won't make us stand out as tourists) 

Our companions are delightful and include two couples from Tennessee, a young man traveling solo, and a young, married woman, also traveling solo, who happens to be a travel writer.  Such an entertaining group.   We were served a lovely dinner made by the hotel restaurant, in a private room for us to enjoy.  

Great food, and great company.  I'd say that's a great way to start our newest adventure. 

That....and some sleep.  

Until next time....