Thursday: Vatican City and Piazza Navona

Thursday October 11^th

Today was dedicated to seeing the wonders of Vatican City. After a leisurely morning in the apartment, we strolled down the Spanish Steps to the Spagna metro station to catch a train to the Ottaviano stop. Maybe because it was later in the day, or maybe the metro cars had been updated, but the ride seemed better (and pickpocket free) as compared to our 2004 adventure on the same line.

We stopped for a mid-day schnekken before entering the belly of the beast known as the Vatican Museums. Michael had already ordered our tickets online, so it was a quick trip through security (bags are checked as at the airport) and then up the long escalator to the beginning of the museum area.

We followed the Rick Steves tour (using Michael’s iPad) and first saw the Pinacoteca, which housed art from the medieval to the Baroque. The medieval art was so-so (we rarely care for the creepy Byzantine figures), but the one stand-out piece was “The Transfiguration” by Raphael. Apparently the last thing that Raphael painted before dying at the age of 37 was the beatific face of Jesus. It was beautiful and somehow peaceful.

The next part of our tour took us through the Egyptian rooms. While there were plenty of sarcophagi, and an unwrapped mummy , other museums do the Egypt thing much better (vis. Metropolitan Museum of Art). And all those hieroglyphics and Sumerian clay tablets: meh. I guess it’s just not my cup of tea.

(Allan) I actually prefer the clay tablets and stone with hieroglyphics to the moldering old sarcophagi any day J).

From the Egyptian wing we went up several sets of stairs before arriving at the Octagonal courtyard. This courtyard featured a number of sculptures, including the Apollo Belvedere, sculpted in Rome by a Greek sculptor based on a Greek original.  Classic and beautiful. There was also a sculpture of a Roman river god that is said to have been the model for Michelangelo’s Adam on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Also the thrilling statue of the Laocoön, which was the most famous Greek statue in ancient Rome; thrilling because it showed the snakes (representing the will of the Greek gods) that were overcoming the high priest of Troy (Laocoön) and his sons. It was that same high priest that warned of “Greeks bearing gifts”, the “gift” being the Trojan horse.

Onward to the Round Room, which was packed with tour groups circling a low-fenced giant basin made for the emperor Nero that was made of a single block of purple marble that was imported from Egypt. The beautiful mosaic floor once decorated the bottom of a pool in ancient Rome. Again, an embarrassment of riches from the Imperial Roman era.

The next portion of the museum was down a quarter-mile long (really!) corridor that connected the art of the Ancient World (Egypt, Greece, Imperial Rome) with the art of the Renaissance. The ceiling decorations were incredible. There was an entire section of musty tapestries that we hurried through, but we lingered over a section that featured enormous 16^th-century maps of the old regions of Italy.

Once we arrived in the Renaissance section, we lingered over the Raphael rooms, each more exquisite than the next. One of my favorites was “The School of Athens”, in which Raphael is seen in a lower-right corner grouping of men looking out at the viewer.

We stopped for a quick espresso and rest at a conveniently located snack bar before climbing the stairs to the Sistine Chapel. It‘s darker than I remember, although the vivid ceiling still dazzles. The crowds are tight and the guards are constantly trying to shush the crowd. It works for about 30 seconds before the din rises again. No pictures are allowed, but I did manage to sneak in a couple with my iPhone before being chastised by a tour guide for not “obeying”. 

Thanks to Rick Steves’ advice, we were able to go from the Sistine Chapel through a back way directly to St. Peter’s Basilica, bypassing a very long and slow-moving line entering from St. Peter’s Square.

What to say about St. Peter’s? It’s huge. REALLY huge. They have a mark on the floor showing where other cathedrals and such would end if measured from the front of the alter to that point. It looked like  you could fit TWO St. Patrick’s Cathedrals (NYC) into that one space. As I said: huge. And also very crowded and very loud. You couldn’t get within 40 feet of the Pietà, and some sections were closed off with signs indicating that they were only enterable by those wishing to pray. I could respect that.

Allan was tiring of the “museum shuffle”, and we decided to head outside and wait at our agreed-upon meeting place of a fountain in the piazza. Along the way we saw the cute Swiss Guards in their colorful uniforms, and a few priests and higher-ups in their colorful regalia. We also did a lot of people watching (and sneaky picture taking).

Eventually, the four of us met up and staggered out of the Vatican City toward the west and to a pizza place recommended in the Rome for Foodies guide. Half an hour later, when we finally found Pizzarium, we discovered it was closed for a few days, including today. Grrrr…. We took the metro from the nearby Cipro station (that’s pronounced CHEEP-row, not SIP-row as in the drug) back to the Spagna station.

We walked a few blocks through the Tridente area and ate too large of a dinner at the Pizza Ciro (pronounced CHEE-roh, not SEE-roh). By the time we staggered back to the apartment, we were ready for bed.

Or so some of us thought. Later in the evening, Allan, Shaun and I headed out to visit the Piazza Navona. It was a nice walk, and in between the occasional bustle of restaurants, there was the quiet, peaceful city. Rome at night is magical – sort of like Paris.

The Piazza Navona is famous for the Bernini masterpiece called the “Four Rivers Fountain”. At night, it was beautifully lit, and the crowds nearby were enjoying a relaxed late-evening stroll. Next to the fountain is a church by Bernini’s student Borromini, who later turned into a rival. The church of St. Agnes is another baroque beauty, and this night featured some beautiful choral music accompanied by guitar. I couldn’t tell if it was live or if it was Memorex, but the effect was lovely.

We stopped for some terrific gelato at a place called “latoG”. The server was young and friendly, and the selection and quality were excellent. The walk home seemed shorter, and we were back before midnight. What a long, but rewarding, day.