Today is another hot day, 32c and a big day walking around the ruins in Rome.
We start early leaving our hotel at 730am, after a short sleep after our night out in Rome.
We have group access to all tourist destinations, which basically means no queueing up. Which saves a lot of time, as queues start forming at 730am.
Our first tour is of the Vatican museum, followed by the Sistine Chapel.
Words like fabulous,magnificent,awesome all come to mind, but are quite inadequate when describing the masterpieces of Michelangelo and Botticelli throughout the museum and chapel. How they painted those ceilings, ( which was commissioned in the 15 th century, and took Michelangelo 4 yrs to paint) is amazing and the tapestries were incredible.
The Sistine Chapel is only used for conclave- the selection and voting of a new Pope.
Church attire is obviously required to gain entrance to these areas, ie no bare shoulders, knees or hats and of course silence.
The Vatican City has 25,000 visitors a day, so you could say that we were not alone.
Following this jaw dropping experience we headed to St Peters Basilica,the largest cathedral in the world, the size of a soccer field. Once again statutes and mosaic paintings adorn this massive space as well as the preserved bodies of two popes- their faces are either masks of gold or wax depending on if you are a saint - which takes 8 years to be canonized . The Basilica was built in the 15- 16th century.
Next was a very informative tour of the Colosseum, Roman Forum, the Arch of Constantine, St Peters Sq and the Temple of Venus. The day was becoming progressively hotter and the enthusiasm of us tourists was declining rapidly, however we all soldiered on like good Aussies.
The Swiss guards guard The Vatican City, and are dressed in brightly colored stripped outfits, designed by Michelangelo.
All around the Vatican City and Colosseum are African students selling all sorts of goods, scarves, postcards, hats and bags. They become quite annoying after awhile, everyone is out to get the tourist dollar. Even men dressed as gladiators, will pose for a photo for you as long as you pay!
Our tour guide warns us not to buy any goods off the street, as they are illegal and fakes. We can be fined 750 euro for purchasing a fake Prada handbag. These kids are unfortunately working for the mafia- disappointing really I wanted a fake Prada bag! The students place their illegal goods on a white tarp on the ground, and as soon as the police are seen, quickly pick up the corners of the tarp and run for their lives- really fun to watch.
Rome of course, is made up of 85% roman catholic and the second most common religion is Islam.
We leave Rome at 2pm, exhausted and hot. Greg heads straight for a rest, he has done really well coping with the day and is feeling a bit better. I on the other hand will hand wash some clothes- oh the life of a woman!
Ciao
Leanne and snoring Greg xx
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Rome
Ha, I knew he would be snoring!
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