We’re going to meet the Pope! Yep, today was Vatican City day for us. We joined the relatively fast moving line in the drizzling rain. Once inside the walls, we hit all of the highlights starting with the Vatican Museum which included the Sistine Chapel (impressive and very crowded), what I termed a ‘yard sale of marble figurines and animals’ (one room contained everything from marble reptiles to wild boars to human fish), and the tomb of Pope John Paul 2. Upon exiting the museum, we went into St. Peter’s Basilica- such a breathtaking place with so many ornate details on the floor, walls, monuments, and ceiling. After waking the stairs to the roof of the Basilica, we then walked 320 more stairs to the top of the cupola. (Take our advice, if ever in Rome, pay for the lift for the first part of the journey, as the stairs to the top of the cupola can definitely take the breath out of you). However, it was SO worth it! The dome offered beautiful views of the city and an ideal overlook for St. Peter’s Square. On the way home we stopped for a super cheap lunch at Dolce Maniera- 3 pastries and 1 sandwich was only 4 euros! It was a bustling bakery full of Italians and with our very few Italian words and slow spoken English, we finally walked away with some lunch. After walking for about 5 hours straight, it was nice to make it back home for a nap. For dinner, we visited Colline Emiliane. We felt super special because we were able to book a last-minute table, while the wait staff turned away group after group while we were dining. It was definitely a locals spot where we enjoyed zucca, ravioli and the freshest caprise salad ever! Tonight we also sampled Italy’s famous gelato. At San Crispino, all of the gelato is served from coolers that are religiously stored under stainless steel lids. Good stuff and we enjoyed it in front of the Trevi Fountain. Tradition is that if you toss a coin in the fountain, you’ll return to Rome at some point in your life! It’s estimated that about 3,000 euros are thrown in the fountain each day. Along our walk home, we saw what used to be the the Pope’s summer pad for 3 centuries, Palazzo del Quirinale.
Outside the Vatican City walls
Marshall's marble hero
Birds of prey at the marble yard sale
Another marble animal...among hundreds
The ornate ceiling of one of the rooms in the Vatican Museum
Sistine Chapel
Outside the Basilica in St. Peter's Square
Vatican Guards
The Basilica set up for the Christmas Eve mass
Mosaics along the inner walls of St. Peter's
On the first roof level of St. Peter's Basilica with the cupola behind us
Statues of the Saints that lined the edge of the Basilica roof
The climb to the top of the cupola
View of St. Peter's Square from the top of St. Peter's cupola
View of Vatican Gardens
View of the Vatican Museum
Lori and Marshall at the top of the Basilica dome
Lunch at a busy Italian cafe
When you can't find a motorcycle, just go for a 4-wheeler
Italian Gelato
The beautiful Trevi Fountains
Hopefully, we'll come back!
The Italian flag outside a government building at the Palazzo de Quirinale
The polizia outside those same buildings:) We saw lots of Police today due to the education protests from groups of Roman students, one which resulted in a dangerous riot in a Roman square.
Full moon
Rome Metro
Waiting on the train...
They're quick!