The Vatican is more than the world headquarters for the Catholic Church. It’s also home to a world-class collection of art from some of the great masters including Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Carvaggio and Raphael. Some of the most prolific work belongs to Rafael, including the four rooms of the Papal apartment known as the Stanze di Raffaello or Rafael Rooms.
The rooms are covered in extravagant frescos detailing various tales from Christianity. Ceiling medallions such as this one, entitled “Poetry,” depict some of the core tenants of the religion. The phrases held by the angels read “Touched by the Breath of God.”
A note on the Sistine Chapel: We walked through Michelangelo’s masterful works in the Sistine Chapel twice during our visit and it was as impressive as we are led to believe. Photos are prohibited in the chapel as it’s considered a place of worship. You can find tons of pictures online from people who ignore the no-photo rule. While not religious myself, I believe in respecting the sacred spaces of those who are, hence no Sistine Chapel photos in our collection.
Fontana dell’Acqua Paola, aptly nicknamed “The Big Fountain,” sits atop the Giancolo hill near Trastevere. Built in 1612, it was the first major fountain on the Tiber Riber’s left bank. We hiked up the hill early in the day, enjoying the sights of the churches and monuments of San Pietro in Montorio.Opposite the fountain, we had amazing views of Rome from St. Peter’s Basilica to the Forum.Atop Giancolo, we found a widespread tribute to Giuseppe Garibaldi, a 19th century Italian military hero and the namesake of a small seaside town in our home state! But even better, we found an espresso stand! Italy is the best!In the 1500s, Pope Gregory XVIII commissioned a priest/cartographer named Ignazio Dante to fill the 400 feet long hallway of the Belvedere Courtyard’s third floor with maps featuring battles, waterways and detailed regional topography. The ceiling, painted by a group of artists, depicts scenes corresponding to each map.The Belvedere Torso is one of the most important pieces in the Vatican collection. While the artist who carved it around 1 A.D. is relatively unknown, the piece had a huge influence on 16th century artists, in particular Michelangelo, who patterned the figures of many of the frescos in the Sistine Chapel off the sculpture.A sculpture of river god Arno reclines in the Vatican’s Octagonal Courtyard. The sculpture was originally carved in the second century, but restored and changed throughout the centuries by various artists. The current form is the result of Renaissance-era artists in the 16th century.Transfiguration is the last work completed by Raphael before his death in 1520. It was taken by Napoleon’s troops during their invasion of Italy in 1797 and installed in the Louvre. It was returned to the Vatican in 1815 where it has been displayed since.A stained glass piece in the Vatican Museum.Sphere Within a Sphere, a modern piece by Arnaldo Pomodoro, sits in the Belvedere Courtyard. St. Peter’s Basilica can be seen in the distance. The sphere was originally designed for the Vatican in 1990 and has been duplicated for installations around the world.The aptly named Hall of Busts contains an impressive collection of famous faces from the empires of ancient Greece and Rome.The exit of the Vatican Museum takes you down a steep spiral staircase (really it’s a ramp with speed bumps). Most folks took pictures from the top looking down, but the view looking up was quite stunning.Four hours in the Vatican Museum (including two trips through the Sistine Chapel) looks like this…We searched far and wide for Rome’s best gelato and found it a short walk from the Vatican. Lemongrass has a philosophy about its ice cream that includes touting the nutritive qualities of its natural flavors. It played out in the amazing, Roman-influenced flavors like this mixture of bacio (like Nutella!), gianduja and pistachio.
More Photo of the Day posts from our January-March 2016 trip to Europe
On our second day in Rome, we tried to visit as many of the must-sees as we could, including the famous Trevi Fountain.
The 86-foot tall fountain was built in the 1700s as part of a design competition sponsored by Pope Clement XII, a popular Baroque-era method for designing the magnificent structures of Rome. The fountain took more than 30 years to complete and the architect, Nicola Salvi, died before it was finished.
It’s estimated that more than 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain every day. The funds have been used to build a supermarket offering basic items for free to families in need.
Pope Francis greets the Vatican cardinals following his weekly Wednesday audience with the general public. After the service, the Pope waded into the crowd as they chanted his name.The crowd begins to disperse in front of the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square following Pope Francis’s weekly audience.St. Peter’s Basilica as seen from Via Dei Corridori. I love the optical illusion of the street lamps “bending” down the street.One of the angel statues lining the Ponte Sant’Angelo bridge leading to the Castle of St. Angelo. The castle was built in the second century as a mausoleum for the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Over the last 2,000 years, it’s served as a military fortress, an emergency Papal residence, a prison and now as a museum.Built in the 1700s, the Spanish Steps link the Trinità dei Monti church to the Plaza of the Spanish Embassy to the Vatican at street level. Usually a popular hang out space for Romans and tourists alike, the steps are currently closed for restoration due to wear and tear from all those tourists. Luxury jewelry brand Bulgari is footing the bulk of the restoration bill.Trinità dei Monti is an excellent example of Italian Renaissance architecture. During Napoleon’s occupation of Rome, many of the church’s adornments were damaged or looted. The church was restored at the expense of French King Louis XVIII in 1816. Among the works inside is this sculpture called Deposition by German sculptor Wilhelm Achtermann depicting the descent of Jesus from the cross.The streets of Italy’s largest city are still paved in cobblestone. Locally, the stones are known as “SanPietrini,” or “Little St. Peters.” The name most likely came from the stones first appearing in St. Peter’s Square, but local legend says there’s one cobblestone for every soul saved by St. Peter. If that’s the case, that’s a lot of souls!A typical Rome apartment building. The disrepair of the outside is quite beautiful, fitting into the rustic look that dominates this ancient city.A restored Italian coupe parked in an alley in the Trastevere neighborhood. The district retained its distinct old world charm due in part to its separation from the rest of Rome by the Tiber River.Closing time in a shop near the Campo de’ Fiori market.
More Photo of the Day posts from our January-March 2016 trip to Europe
It took 17 hours to leave the bone-chilling cold wave in Tokyo behind. After a brief layover in Doha, Qatar, we arrived in Rome to get our 40-something day adventure through Europe underway. And we wasted no time in getting started!
Rome’s Colosseum was built in the first century A.D., holding an estimated 80,000 spectators for gladiator flights, war reenactment and other entertainment events. On a cold January night nearly 2,000 years later, just a few of us sat along the stone rail at the end of Via Del Serpenti to enjoy the architectural marvel in all its splendor.
The Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere is one of Rome’s oldest churches. The public square in front of the church is one of the charming Trastevere districts liveliest community spaces.The afternoon sun made the bright earth tones of Rome’s buildings glow as we crossed the Ponte Sisto bridge. I especially liked the cast of the long shadows, including the “BAR” sign on the wall opposite the alley.The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of Four Rivers) stands at the middle of Piazza Navona, a 15th century public square. Sant’Agnese in Agone, a 17th century Baroque church, soaks up the setting sun in the background.The Pantheon is one of Rome’s most famous architectural masterpieces… and that’s saying something for a city full of them. It’s been in continuous use since its completion in 128 A.D., serving as a Catholic Church since the seventh century and still holding regular services today. The rotunda is its most recognizable feature and is the largest I reinforced concrete dome in the world.
More Photo of the Day posts from our January-March 2016 trip to Europe
