I had purchased a guided tour through Viator- and they used the local company “Tours About”. LC left Rome today (sniff) so as soon as she hopped in her shuttle to the airport, I made my way to Pyramide station to catch the metro to Termini station, where I transferred to another train and made my way to Ottavio/Vatican Square. While at the apartment and with wifi, I had pulled up google maps to to walk from the station to the meeting point for the tour - and taken pictures on my phone, so I knew exactly where to walk.
The meeting place for English tours had comfortable furniture to sit on and clean bathrooms (with toilet seats!) to use. I arrived about 15 minutes before the guide gathered us together to begin our journey. Our guide was Maria - a good catholic name - and she was excellent.
Today involved a LOT of walking - visiting the Vatican is not for the aged or infirm. We stood in line for “Skip the line” tickets and our 11 am reservation, from 10:40 until 11:30 am when we finally got outfitted with our audio headsets inside.
Our group of about 25, toured the Vatican museums first.
We then visited the Sistine Chapel - where Michelangelo painted the ceiling around age 30. It took him 4 years (1508-1512) of backbreaking work to do that. He never thought of himself as a painter - he felt he was more of a sculptor (and he was an architect too). He was then invited to paint The Last Judgment at the front of the Sistine Chapel at age 60.
No photos are allowed in this building, and voices are to be kept low so our guide did no talking in advance, but she had described much of what we would see in detail before entering the chapel. The reverie of our 15 minutes was interrupted by 1. The masses of people inside and 2. The harsh directives saying, “SILENCE!” - but the chapel was stunning, if not prayerful to visit the Sistine Chapel!
Rick Steve’s has an audio tour I was trying to play on my headphone while inside the Sistine Chapel but I didn’t have the right adaptor for my phone to listen!
We then were led to visit St Peter’s Basilica - the largest basilica in the world! And if memory serves me correct, it took about 200 years to build! One of the children asked who was the priest of this church who didn’t quite understand the question - but then realized the answer was - the Pope is the priest of this church!” Currently, we have Pope Francis, who declined the lavish Apostolic residence in which to live - instead he has chosen a humble 2 room apartment.
Above is a picture near the entrance of St Peter’s Basilica - the largest in the world, measuring about 187 metres in length.
This altar is 30 metres high - about 10 stories.
The letter above the altar below the dome are each 3 metres high.
Once the tour had ended, I chose to enjoy different aspects of the Basilica in my own for another hour. It was an emotional space to visit.
After leaving Vatican City later in the afternoon, I grabbed a sandwich to sustain me and headed off to the Castel Sant’Angelo - a building that has been a tomb, a castle, a fortress and now a museum!
I then made my way by bus to a restaurant to meet cousin Hazel. She is so pleased to have family come from abroad to see the city she has called home since 1959. And it is a delight to have her guide us on what to see and join us for dinner most evenings!
Hazel kindly delivered me by taxi safely back to the apartment before returning to her home on the opposite end of the city!!
I was so exhausted from all my walking and touring that I made a quick call to my husband then collapsed into a deep sleep!
I was so exhausted from all my walking and touring that I made a quick call to my husband then collapsed into a deep sleep!
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