Day 10: Rome

We weren't expecting rain today, but we got it. Our day started early, with a trip to the Vatican. While this is technically a different country, it doesn't feel noticeably different from Italy. Well, except for the massive basilica. We decided to go very early, before we had eaten breakfast. We didn't see any of the basilica until we rounded the corner and then boom! There it was in front of us, golden in the morning sunrise, with a rainbow overhead. It was an amazing sight. 

We listened to the Rick Steves audio tour throughout the visit, mostly from the shelter of the colonnade to start with. We entered through the security gate, checked our backpack, and entered the basilica. All I can say is: wow. The Basilica of Saint Peter is awe-inspiring. By most measures, it is the world's largest church. The floor is marked with the names of several other churches around the world, and where they would end if placed inside this basilica. The capstone of the church is Michelangelo's dome, which is breathtaking. It also contains the (alleged) tomb of Saint Peter himself, as well as the actual tombs of most popes, including John Paul II and John XXIII (whose body is on display).

This church is also the home of Michelangelo's Pieta, on display behind bulletproof glass near the entryway. It was damaged by a deranged man in the 1970's, and has been behind protection ever since. Sad we couldn't get too close, but we were close enough, and it's a magnificent work of art. We took in the scene at this church for a while longer before heading back outside, where it was still raining.

We were too hungry to climb the dome, so we went to the bathrooms (Liz got stuck behind a large student trip group) and got some breakfast at the classic Italian eatery, McDonald's. To Liz's consternation, they had no savory items or eggs on the menu, so we had to make do with sweet pastries (and a dark hot chocolate for myself).

We decided to go to the Pantheon after this. The third time was the charm: after waiting in line for almost half an hour, we got inside. This time we got to enjoy a different dome, built over 2000 years ago (which inspired the domes in Florence and the Vatican). It was magnificent inside. The Pantheon also houses the tombs of Raphael and Victor Emmanuel II. To my surprise, the oculus of the dome is still uncovered: it was raining into the inside of the Pantheon. I figured they would have covered it up with plexiglass or something, but they left it just as it was in ancient Roman times.

After the Pantheon, we went to a nearby shop that contained lots of Christmas ornaments and bought a tiny nativity and three angel ornaments for the kids. We also picked up a lunch at a nearby grocery store and went back to the hotel to recharge before returning to the Vatican for the afternoon.

After our break, we headed for a different part of the Vatican: the Vatican museums. This is a vast museum complex that you could conceivably spend all day in. Unfortunately I didn't have my audio guides downloaded, so I had to share a headset with Liz, which meant shuffling awkwardly close together. The museum has an astounding collection, including some very old Egyptian artifacts (the oldest thing we found was a figurine of a woman that dated back to Neolithic times, around 5600 BC). There was also a Raphael room featuring his large-scale paintings, a hallway of tapestries, countless sculptures, and much more. 

These are the oldest artifacts we found in the museum

My personal favorite was a hallway of maps: The hallway itself was beautifully ornamented, and the maps themselves (which were actually maps of various parts of Italy) looked like they came out of fantasy novels. These were the Vatican's official maps for a long time.

Finally, there was the Sistine Chapel. The chapel itself is glorious to behold, and it was amazing to actually see it in person. At one point, a museum worker asked for silence and directed a prayer in the room, in both Italian and English. We weren't really sure how to participate, so we bowed our heads and remained silent. It would have been nice if there were places to sit in the chapel. After a long walk-through of the museum, which has few benches, we really needed a break. Normally the chapel has benches around the side, but they were roped off because of Covid. The audio tour we had downloaded would have worked fine if those benches were open, but with us standing, it just took too long and we had to leave. We took a long sit-down break at the nearby courtyard.

Now we tried to head over to St. Peter's to climb the dome - after waiting in the line for over 20 minutes, we approached the entryway to find it closed. Apparently it closes at 4:30. Some signage would have been nice, but there was none to be found. Another example of poor wayfinding in Rome. 

At least we got a good look at the Swiss Guard

We decided to get some dinner, and we found an inexpensive place nearby with lasagna ready to eat, and some spinach because Liz was craving vegetables. The man working there was very nice and gave us some crispy pizza dough-like bread for free.