Cittá del Vaticano

Another city and country. No passport required.

We had planned to get up fairly early to catch the 9:00am shuttle to the Vatican, but ended up sleeping a bit later, and dawdling a bit in the morning. We figured 11:00am would do, so we popped into the restaurant to have some breakfast, "American-style." What the Italians don't seem to realise, however, is that it is very uncommon in the Americas for people to have dry toast with their breakfast. Butter and margarine don't seem to be very common accessories to toast there.

We got on the shuttle bus and sweated all the way. The ride was only about ten minutes, and when it stopped, we were a bus load of people with no idea where we were. I wasn't expecting the bus to drop us off in Piazza San Pietro, at the steps of St. Peter's, but we were in a mystery spot, though it was only a few blocks away from the walls of the Vatican. The driver in his broken English pointed us all in the right direction. On the walk there, I noticed a University of Manitoba bag, and struck up a conversation with some fellow Bisons. That was the first and last we saw of them.

Climbing a set of stairs, we came up to the wall of Vatican City, a whole other country within Rome. We could see the entrance to the museum and began walking down the queue to find the back. We kept walking and walking and walking, and finally we found the end. Despite its length the line was moving pretty fast, past the people handing out ads for their restaurants, past the destitute beggars, and past the golden opportunity bottled water sellers. Alas, the entrance, and alas, the metal detector routine. We paid our €13 to get in (a price I'm sure the Vatican sets because of the deep meaning of the number. Coincidentally, the Vatican is the thirteenth country I have visited). We followed the crowds through the musuem, most of whom were just itching to see the famed Sistine Chapel. We were ourselves as well, but if we knew how far the pilgrimage to it was, we might have moved through a bit differently.

We went through halls of statues from ancient Rome, by the famed Laocoön and his Sons, sculpted in the First Century B.C. Then into the many rooms and chapels of the Vatican, much of which was frescoed by Raphael. All along the way there are signs pointing toward the Sistine Chapel, and there are hordes of people with audioguides and live guides, buzzing through without paying any attention to whose feet they are stepping on, snapping pictures of everything. Somewhere in the shuffle, I lost Darryl. I knew I'd meet up with him in the Sistine Chapel. No worries.

Just before the chapel, there is a large exhibit of modern religious art, which was a breath of fresh air after so much of the antiquated stuff, and a bit of a break before the ultimate painting, Michelangelo's ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately most people didn't seem to share this appreciation and kept buzzing past. In one room there were three Salvador Dali paintings. I stepped out of the stream of spawning salmon to gawk at them for a bit. Only one other person did the same.

Continuing on, a British woman behind me was grinding my gears with her "I could do that" attitude about modern art. I felt like turning around and saying, "Well you didn't so put a sock in it." Later in the Sistine Chapel I heard that same woman say, "We queued an hour to see this?" Before getting to the chapel there is a staircase, where guards tell everyone to put their cameras away. No pictures. There are also signs telling of the sacredness of this place, and that you must be quiet. Meanwhile the guards yell, "No cameras" and "Shhhhh" at the top of their voice, and then walk around whistling.

The Sistine Chapel is quite a sight. The ceiling is much higher than I had imagined and is covered in Michelangelo's work. It's hard to imagine that he spent four years on his back painting this. Some of the most recognised images of Renaissance art are in that fresco.

We found our way outside and then followed the wall back to get to St. Peter's Bascilica, the piece de resistance of Vatican City. I tried to walk in near the Pope's apartment and was very gently told by one of the Swiss guards that St. Peter's was further down.

We came upon the arcade surrounding Piazza San Pietro from the back, and walked beneath for a bit. In the square there were thousands of chairs set up. Darryl had read somewhere that the Pope comes out of his window every Wednesday. This was Tuesday, so the chairs were likely for that. The heat of the day was at its peak, and after seeing the line to get into the basilica, we decided to grab a bite and a drink first.

We braved the mob and got through the metal detectors. The basilica is free to enter, but one must pay to go up the dome or down to the tombs of the Popes. We opted for the freebie again, though a later attempt at going up the dome would be futile, as they close it at 4:00pm. Inside the church, it was immediately evident that this was the church of churches. The entire interior is marble with gold trimming everywhere. In one of the side chapels, near the entrance, Michelangelo's Pietá sits behind glass, the result of an attempted vandalisation some time ago.

All along the outside walls are mini chapels, some bearing the mummified remains of Popes, all with ornate carvings and paintings. At the very heart of the church is Michelangelo's amazing dome. Beneath it is Bernini's Baroque alterpiece and below that is the tomb of St. Peter. Of course all around, in every direction, are people.

Back out on the streets of the Vatican, we headed along the river, past the solitary priests and groups of nuns, to find ourselves in Rome once again. We headed for the Pantheon, as our last stop. It was open and we stepped in to the great dome, with its oculus, projecting an oblong spot of light on the interior. It is also in this church that Raphael's tomb is located. We sat on a bench inside for a bit and then headed back to the campground for a quiet and early night. Our shuttle service to Ciampino Airport departed at 6:45 the next morning.

But that's a whole other adventure that needs its own post.

Cheers.