Day 2:  Monday, July 22, 2013 - Rome
Link to Day 2 in Rome Photographs

For our morning adventure we wanted to see the Colosseum and Ancient Rome, saving the Vatican for the afternoon when we expected the heat to be intense.  Charles had arranged for out tickets to both in advance - saving us from long lines - I can’t imagine waiting in the heat for 2 hours!  

The Colosseum was completed about 80 AD, a gift to the people of Rome from the Flavian emperors who built it on the site of Nero’s private lake and gardens.  The cost of the building was paid for out of the spoils brought back from the destruction and sack of Jerusalem in 70. The massive Colosseum would rival most modern football stadiums and is estimated to have held as many as 70,000 spectators.  We saw several museum pieces, largely busts and statues of Constantine and his family, but a few pieces from the time of Hadrian and Titus.

I think the thing that is most impressive about the Colosseum is the engineering that went into the construction.  Different types of stone were used to provide strength and distinguish sections.  Flowing water and cooling sail-like shades would be helpful additions to stadiums today.  Tunnels, elevator shafts and trap doors kept the action constant - adding new combatants and animals and props.  Different “games” were held there until 523 AD.  There is some question whether Christians were martyred during the games, but criminals were often executed as a precursor to the gladitorial combats.  Gladiators generally fought only twice per year and could win their freedom.  The belief that Christians were martyred in the Colosseum led to it being declared a shrine - something that helped keep it from being totally destroyed over the centuries.  One side of the Colosseum was destroyed by earthquake and much of the original marble was “recycled” in the building of St. Peter’s!

After touring the Colloseum we walked through the Roman Forum and the Palatine.  The challenge comes from imagining what it must have been like over 2000 years ago.  So much was destroyed or plundered over the centuries.  But it is still very impressive, and includes the Arch of Titus and Temple of Julius Caesar.

In the afternoon we went to the Vatican.  We started with the Museum and were again grateful that we had reservations.  The line to get in circled around the wall for nearly a mile.  Many of those tourists would be disappointed when the Museum doors closed, if they survived the heat.

The marble busts and statuary, the frescos and the tapestries reflect the art and history of the Church.  Ancient Assyrian, Egyptian, Persian, Roman and Greek works trace the course of human civilization.  Works by Raphaell, Da Vinci, Giotto, Caravaggio and hundreds of other artists fill the collection but it is Michelangelo’s magnificent “Last Judgement” in the Sistine Chapel that draws in the crowds.  The Chapel, and in fact the whole museum, was crowded with tourists which made it difficult for us to linger.  Still there was so much to take in and appreciate that we spent over three hours wandering among the phenomenal works of art.

Next, we wandered out around the Vatican walls and into St. Peter’s Square and towards the Basilica.   The line to enter the Basilica was long but moved quickly.  Many tourists who arrived dressed in shorts or sleeveless shirts were turned away.  The church has a fairly strict dress-code.  We did consider viewing the interior of St. Peter’s from the walkway around the dome, but the 320 steps up to that level discouraged us.  We instead passed directly through the main doors of the church.

I had been in Rome a few years ago but couldn’t get near Michelangelo‘s Pieta on that trip.  This time, it was the first thing I wanted to see when we were allowed to enter.  Everything in the bascilica is made of magnificent marbles and much is covered in gold or bronze.  There are also colorful mosaics and frescoes depicting scenes from the Bible and the lives of the saints.  Some of the past popes are laid to rest in the Basilica itself, like John XXIII, but the majority of the bishops of Rome, including the man himself, St. Pete, are in the crypt beneath the Basilica. We explored the crypt and the foundations of the original Constantinian-era Basillica underneath the main altar of the “modern” church.  Then, as we were leaving, a wedding party was gathering.  One can still be baptized, married, or buried out of St. Peter’s which is a very active parish.  We actually visited during a Mass at which a youth choir sang a series of glorious Latin hymns.

From St. Peter’s Square we walked a few blocks straight out the front gate to find something to eat.  We ended up at the Universal Bar/Don Chisciotie (the Italian spelling of Quixote) Restaurant and Bar.  The service was excellent and we’d happily go back next time we’re in Rome. A taxi ride back to the hotel, a shower, and bed were all we needed to complete the day.