Of course there are many super-famous works of art in the Basilica; Bernini's baldacchino and Michelangelo's Pietà are staples of Art History survey classes, but the real magic of St. Peter's is in the atmosphere of the whole. The building's interior is so gorgeous, the mosaics of the ceilings, the frescoes... there is gold and gilt everywhere; it is rich and sumptuous without being gaudy or overdone. The basilica is huge - the second largest in the world, and there are many niches and sanctuaries, each one adorned with marble, carvings, sculptures and paintings.
Bernini's baldacchino
Michelangelo's PietÃ
I reluctantly left St. Peter's and made my way along the wall of the city to the Vatican Museum. It was still 45 minutes before opening time, but already the line stretched back about 30 meters from the entrance. I parked myself in queue and read some Goethe while we waited for the doors to open. As soon as I made it into the museum, I high-tailed it straight to the Sistine Chapel. Since it's the biggest tourist draw, I figured I would get it out of the way before the real throngs arrived. The chapel is beautiful, of course, really very amazing, but still it's one of those things that is so built-up that its reputation is really more impressive than the reality. Close by the Sistine Chapel are the Raphael Rooms, with some almost equally famous frescoes by Raphael, which I really enjoyed seeing. In particular, The School of Athens was one I had studied in college and really appreciated seeing in person.
The School of Athens
The Vatican Museum is enormous - you could really spend a few days there and not see everything, but I was able to see the main points and some other things that sounded interesting. The building itself is a work of art - every ceiling and wall is covered in paintings and each room filled with sculptures and antiques. There is a beautiful courtyard in the middle and picturesque views from many of the windows.
Vatican Museum courtyard
At the Vatican Museum, St. Peter's in the background
detail
detail
After I blazed through the Vatican Museum, I headed right back to St. Peter's to see the crypt, which had been closed earlier in the morning. In the crypt there are the tombs and sarcophagi of popes going back over 1,000 years. The basilica had really filled up with tourists by this time, making me even more grateful I had gotten there so early that morning. I looked around a little longer, took a few more pictures, then headed to the Spanish Steps. I found the steps to be less impressive than I had hoped. In pictures there are flowers planted all the way up and down the stairs, but when I saw it there weren't any flowers. While it was pretty, I wasn't blown away. Luckily, it is only a short distance from the steps to Trevi fountain, so I made my way back to pay my dues to Rome and make my momma happy.
Spanish Steps
Throwing my coins into Trevi Fountain
After tossing my coins in the fountain, I headed back to the area of the Central Station, where I visited the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme. This museum was very interesting for me. It had some amazing examples of Ancient Roman jewelry in great condition, a huge exhibit on the history of Roman coins, and a large display of frescoes taken from the walls of a Roman villa. The frescoes date back to the time of Augustus, who reigned from 27 BC to 14 AD. Looking at the vibrant color and detail of these frescoes, which are amazingly well-preserved, it is extremely difficult to imagine that they are over 2,000 years old.
Pretty, pretty jewels
Not so pretty mummy
Map of trade routes for precious stones to Ancient Rome
Sign telling the story of the discovery of the frescoes in 1879
Some nice ancient mosaics
When I arrived in Assisi, after a beautiful drive through the countryside, it was just before sunset. I had to wait for a bus to take me from the train station to my hostel, which was up closer to the basilica. When the bus dropped me off at the base of the hill the basilica stands on, the sun was starting to set and it was absolutely gorgeous. Assisi is a quiet little city, on the edge of a mountain in the Umbria region. The countryside surrounding it is like a rich quilt made of forest green, gold, and silver. The silver comes from the many olive trees growing in fields all around; I had never seen olive trees before, but I knew what they were as soon as I saw them from reading Italian Journey. Assisi was home to St. Francis, and St. Francis Basilica is a World Heritage site and a destination for pilgrims from all over the world.
Peaceful Assisi
I couldn't wait to visit the church the next day, but that night I was incredibly tired. I headed down the hill from the bus stop to my hostel, a little medieval building in an olive grove. After my experience with the train that evening, I really wanted to purchase my train ticket for the next day online. I was so tired I could hardly think straight, but I asked the lady at reception to use the computer and went to the Italian railway website to try to buy it. Of course, the website was acting up, and no matter what I tried I couldn't figure out how to make it work. I became more and more frustrated until I literally had tears rolling down my face and was sobbing quietly. This may sound disturbing, but actually it was pretty amusing. I was so tired I was like a little kid. The nice lady at the desk consoled me, and I put myself to bed, knowing that things would look much brighter in the morning.
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