All roads lead to Rome

So yesterday was really just a travel day. The trip from Venice to Rome was scenic as you would expect with yellow houses and vineyards. However, it was a rather long travel day. We were on the road by 8am and including a lunch stop and a couple of bathroom breaks it took us till 4pm to get to the great city where all roads once lead. So truth be told I really don't have much to say about the day. We went back to our hotel had a margarita pizza for dinner and called it a day.

Today, however made up for everything yesterday lacked.  We were out of the hotel by 7.30 on a direct route to the worlds smallest country - the Vatican City. Our tour providers had made group bookings for us months in advance so we avoided the 3-4 hour wait and went straight inside and through security to the Vatican Museum. The museum was very interesting and our local tour guide (Cynthia) talked us through some of the older and more important pieces from four of the galleries which included statues, maps, tapestries and some very interesting ceiling paintings.

The Map Gallery of in the Vatican Museum

At the end of the four galleries we reached what most of us were really there to see, the Sistine Chapel. The rules were very strict and well policed - there was to be silence and no photos. In fact we witnessed someone attempt to take a photo of the ceiling and they were promptly accosted by a guard made to delete the photo before being escorted from the building. Anyway, the room was truly impressive, I would hate to think how sore Michelangelo's neck must have been for the four years that it took him to paint it. I know that many people say this but I didn't really think about it today but the creation picture of God and Adam is significantly smaller than you would imagine - it really is just a segment of a much much bigger piece. The wall showing the Final Judgement is also very impressive - Interestingly it contains Michelangelo's only self-portrait in the flayed skin of St Bartholomew, supposedly the whole experience of dealing with the Pope had left this sculptor (not painter) feeling skinned alive.  Naturally, due to my explanation above regarding photos.

From the Sistine Chapel we were taken through a back exit (because tour groups are special) straight through to St Peters Basilica. So jury is in, Kimilla and I still prefer the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona but this one ranks a rather close second. The size and status of this Cathedral pretty iconic and the tiled artwork on the wall is nothing short of amazing. We had a good look around (while keeping hawk eyes out for pick pockets) exploring the different statues and catholic things that I really don't have a very good idea about. We got as close as we could to the place where you can see the entrance to St Peters grave site (well supposedly). It was good fun but the sheer volume of people got a little overwhelming.

After we had all had a good explore around the Church we went outside to St Peter's Square to look at the Obelisk, while we were there Cynthia showed us where the Pope makes his various address and where the smoke rises from when they go through the process of appointing a new pope. From what I've head of this Pope Frances guy, I kinda like him. Our tour guide explained that he is very much a people person, shunning many of the physical aspects that give him status. I guess an example of this is the fact that he refuses to wear red shoes and doesn't live in the Pope's apartment - rather he lives somewhere a little more humble surrounded by everyday people, much to the disdain of his security staff.

Anyway, moving on. We stopped for a quick but very pricey lunch (I wont dwell on my 5 euro half of a sandwich) before heading on to the Colosseum. Again we got to skip the lines due to our clever preparation of our tour guides and to nearly an hour to explore and take photos of this remarkable piece of Roman history. 

In this case the Colosseum, which tragically is only a skeleton of what it once must have been, looks very much like you see in the pictures. It was just cool to be there though, I imagined Russel Crow standing out in the middle slaughtering men in masks while dodging wild animals and felt very masculine. 

Kimilla did her thing and took some great photos, which given the angle of the sun was a bit interesting. We even managed to elbow the crowd's away enough to get some shots of ourselves with the stands in the background - which is more impressive than it sounds.

After the Colosseum, Kimilla and I ditched the group to go do some exploring on our own. Despite being a very large city and once the center of an Empire, the actual ruins and interesting monuments are in rather close proximity. So we spent the afternoon walking around taking photos and enjoying being there. From the Colosseum we walked passed the Roman Forum, up to the  Altare della Patria (unaffectionately known here as the Wedding Cake).

looking down on the area where the Roman Forum is.

The Wedding Cake!!!

From there we headed North to the Pantheon, to check out the dome which predates St Peter's by around 500 years. I don't know how they engineered it all them years ago - it even has an "eye" in the top which lets the rain in and drains to remove the excess water from the inside. We didn't stay there too long as it was very full of people.

Outside the Pantheon

Inside the Pantheon

Scenic sites in Rome after leaving the Pantheon

We finished up our little self guided tour at the Trevi Fountain. Despite being the busiest place we had been all day Kimilla managed to elbow her way in and get some good photos.

From there we made our way back to the Hotel and collapsed in a heap on the floor. Tomorrow we leave Rome and head off for more adventures!!!