Today we are all excited as we are visiting the Vatican, also known as "The Holy See". Bill of course has been here several times, last time when he and his dad met with Blessed John Paul II (1978 - 2005), and I had been here way back when I was in my 20's (not THAT long ago). Do you know there have been 266 popes, since the first St Peter (32-67)? We were careful to follow the instructions of long pants for the boys and covered shoulders for the ladies.
Vatican City (formally established in 1929) is a land-locked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. It is about 110 acres, and has a population of just over 800. It is the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world in area and population. The Pope is the Head of State and Government. Inside the city walls are 11 Vatican Museums, the restored Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, St Peter's Basilica, and the Vatican Gardens (which date back to medieval times and include a fish pool and enclosure for rabbits!)
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| This fella greeted us as we began our tour.
As we moved our way through the crowds towards the Sistine Chapel, we passed by these incredible tapestries, designed by Raphael, which lined the hallway. Note the amazing ceiling.
    
Finally, we arrived at The Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo painted 12,000 feet of the chapel ceiling between 1508 - 1512. Later, between 1535 - 1541 he painted what is widely believed to be his masterpiece, The Last Judgement. One of the primary functions of The Sistine Chapel is the meeting place for the cardinals when electing a new Pope. When this important occasion occurs, a chimney is installed on its roof from which smoke arises as a signal: black "still talking" and white "we've made a decision".
No photos were allowed inside the chapel and NO TALKING. As we literally shoved our way through the small entrance door we entered the supposed silent room. It was difficult to stand around in wonder of the beauty surrounding us, as we were constantly being intoned by the guards speaking loudly into their microphones, "Shhh....." "Quiet"... "Shhhh.... no talking". I mean, the only ones talking were these loudmouths! Honestly it was an amazing room top to bottom which lives up to all it's hype, but the masses of people pushing this way and that, and continual noisy instructions from the guards made for a less than peaceful time of reflection. OK OK I did obey the rules on the "no photos under any circumstance" (our tour guide put the fear of God into us) and thus pulled these photos from Google.
  
The Creation of Adam
Next we exited The Sistine Chapel, went outside, and entered St. Peter's Basilica, thought to be the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture. It is also one of the largest churches in the world. It is the burial site of the Apostle St. Peter, and it is said that his tomb is located directly below the altar. There has been a church on this site since the days of Constantine, and construction of this Basilica began in 1506 and was completed in 1626.
The poet Ralph Waldo Emerson described St. Peter's Basilica as "an ornament of the earth...the sublime of the beautiful". Indeed I would agree.
   
Afterwards we all literally dragged ourselves to the air conditioned bus. Today was the hottest day with no breeze. Our trip has been blessed with good weather, but on this day it was unusually brutal. We were so grateful to be on Go Ahead tours since we had fast passes, and could not believe the mile long lines of people who stood outside all day long in the sun (no trees for shade) to get into the Vatican and St. Peters. The hawkers of cold water paid their rent on today's crowd!
Later that night we had dinner at Piazza Campo de' Fiori, which translated means "Field of Flowers" . The name was given during the middle ages when the area was actually a meadow. Surrounded with shops and restaurants with outdoor tables, this plaza had been recommended by a young couple who described it as a fun spot to enjoy a meal while listening to the various outdoor musicians. (Note - we preferred the atmosphere and cleanliness of the previous night's Piazza Navona)
  
As we enjoyed our various pasta dishes, Willie had a ball meeting up with these guys who were selling little plastic things that light up as you sling-shot them way up in the air. Unfortunately this entertainment was happening on the other side of the square and we had a hard time finding him after dinner and got all panicked, so we enlisted the help of several local policemen who were wandering around protecting tourists from pick-pockets (and harassing the street musicians). They spoke no English and I'm trying to describe "We've lost our son" and holding up my hand to illustrate his 6' height! Finally I had the brilliant idea of showing them a photo of Willie which I had saved on my camera, and they "got it" and within minutes 4 policemen came towards us with Mr. Willie Simon in tow, who was wondering what the big deal was all about. PHEW! I'm sure we over-reacted as indeed he was not far away at all, but when you lose a child no matter how old they are, a parent fears the worst!!! Willie was like, "Hey, you gotta see this" and brought us back to the shooting sling-shot guys, and after repeated demonstrations we bought one and headed back to the hotel. We plan on trying it out in our back yard - hopefully it will work there as well as it did in Rome!
Tomorrow our last full day on vacation as we head to Pompeii.
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