Italy: Monday in Rome

We are back from all of our many travels with the Baker family and wow, did we do a lot!  But before I get to those adventures, I have to finish writing about our Italian adventure!  Our last day in Rome was Monday, August 1st.  Our first stop that day was to the Pantheon.  The Pantheon was built in the 2nd century AD by Emperor Hadrian as a temple to the gods, and is Rome's best preserved ancient building.  The reason is because it was converted into a Christian church in the 7th century, so it has always been taken care of.  At first, the Pantheon didn't seem all that interesting, but there are so many great details about it that we learned from our audio guide that made it a must-see for me.

The Roman Pantheon, which is now a Catholic church that still holds mass

First of all, this building is another excellent example of what fantastic engineers the Romans were.  The Pantheon is the largest unreinforced solid concrete dome in the world.  The dome also has amazing symmetry with it being as high as it is wide (43.3 m).  This architecture has been admired for centuries and was the inspiration for the designs of the Florence Cathedral (Duomo), and St. Peter's Basilica.  The opening in the roof is the only light source for the interior.  There is no glass covereing the opening, so water can get in on rainy days.  But those smart Romans made holes in the ground and tilted the floor toward the edges to allow the water to drain.

The opening in the roof is known as the oculus

The main altar in the Pantheon

The Pantheon is now also a famous burial ground.  One of the great Renaissance artists, Raphael, is entombed here.  Even though he died at the young age of 37, Raphael had already established himself as one of the most important artists of his time.  In his will, he asked to be buried in the Pantheon and the Catholic church gladly allowed it.  Also buried here are the first two kings of modern Italy, including the great King Victor Emmanuel II.  Now you can see why this building is so important: its history spans 2,000 years!

The tomb of Raphael

After touring the Pantheon, we walked over to see Vatican City, the world's smallest state.  We had bought tickets online to enter the Vatican Museum at a certain time, but we were early, so we stopped by St. Peter's Basilica first.

Crossing the bridge into Vatican City

In Piazza San Pietro, where St. Peter's Basilica is

The obelisk is a reminder of the Christians martyred near the obelisk in the Circus of Nero

After taking some pictures, we walked over to the Vatican Museum to see their collection.  The Vatican Museum is a weird amalgamation of old Pope's apartments and buildings with random collections of art and sculpture that the Popes each gathered over the years.  The real reason everyone goes to the Vatican Museum is to see the Sistine Chapel, though.  I don't know why the Sistine Chapel is in the museum, but that's where it is.  We weren't allowed to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel (yes, we followed the rules unlike everyone else), so we only have highlights from other parts of the museum.

An open courtyard inside the Vatican Museum

A beautiful room in the Vatican Museum with statues and frescoes

My favorite room, which has maps of all different parts of Italy

Old map of all of Italy with some southern Switzerland

The famous School of Athens by Raphael

The staircase leading in and out of the museum is a cool double helix

Me in front of the Vatican Museum

The Sistine Chapel was amazing and lived up to all of its hype.  We spent about 20 minutes in the chapel craning our necks to view the ceiling as we listened to our audio guide.  I don't really have time to give a proper analysis of Michelangelo's work in this blog, so all I will say is that I have a new love for Michelangelo and I am glad I finally appreciate what a genius he was.  After leaving the museum, we went back to St. Peter's Basilica to go inside.

A Swiss guard at St. Peter's Basilica, they really still are Swiss

St. Peter's Basilica sits on the site of the supposed burial location of the Apostle Peter, after he had been crucified by the Romans.  The great church that we see today was built during the Renaissance and replaced the original church that had been built by Emperor Constantine, which was falling apart.  There is so much history and detail I could talk about concerning the basilica, but I'll just have to share the highlights.

Michelangelo was the original architect, but he died before it was finished, so Bernini took over

This massive canopy stands over St. Peter's supposed tomb

The feet of this statue of St. Peter are worn down by the touch of many visitors

Michelangelo's Pieta was completed in 1499, when he was 25

More cool Swiss guards

The statue of Peter in front of the basilica with keys in his hand

The windows near the top corner of that building are where the Pope's apartment is

After seeing the Vatican, it was time for us to pick up our luggage and head to the airport.  We made sure to stop and get some gelato before we left town, though.  It was a great way to end our trip to Italy.  We had a fantastic and spontaneous trip to Rome and I'm glad we went!