Vaticano

Today was our last day in Italy. The excitement of going to The Vatican was as exciting as getting home in two days tomorrow night to see Susan. First, we had to have breakfast in the hotel lobby, a wonderful buffet of mostly American food.

Following breakfast, we went upstairs to retrieve our cameras and get to the shuttle to catch the train. It was much easier to navigate the train and subway today compared to yesterday. But the foot traffic with the tourists was much heavier today following the conclave and election of the new Pope, most likely because many of the Catholic pilgrims were staying to hear his first mass on Sunday.

There were three Vatican exits and one of them was closer than the other three to the entrance to the Vatican museums. We picked the wrong stop, but had the opportunity to walk through part of Rome about six blocks to get where we needed to be. When we finally arrived, the line for tickets was long, but Mark had pre-ordered tickets that allowed us to jump the line and get ahead.

Entering the Vatican means you are entering another country and security is pretty tight. To get to the museums, a tall escalator (I would estimate 4-5 stories) was the required entrance to get to the first museum. I was fascinated with the thousands of sculptures, paintings, mosaics, frescos, and the intricate designs on the columns and ceilings.

The museums seemed endless and I could not get enough. I tried to photograph as many of the exhibits as possible, but it was not possible as the crowds were getting heavy. And the further we went into the hallways of relics, the thicker the crowds. In one room filled with paintings on all walls and the ceiling that was absolutely beautiful the visitors were so thick that you were shoulder-to-shoulder with hundreds of people speaking every language under the God’s heaven. Mark and I were separated, so as I made my way to the exit, I was snapping photographs as I could and left the room through a hallway and into a room with some additional sculptures that was not so crowded to wait for Mark. It was a good five minutes later before he finally emerged.

Vaticano’s museums were absolutely wonderful. My only wish is that we had been able to see them with fewer people and could take our time. Finally, we were ready to leave and go to Piazza San Pietro (St. Peters Square) and St. Peter's Basilica. Leaving the exit, we walked down a long sidewalk around the museum to the back side where entry to the square was very easily accessed.

Walking under several brick arches into the square gives one the feeling of walking on sacred ground. The square was huge, but not as large as it appeared on television. I could easily imagine the square filled with people shoulder-to-shoulder just two nights before. The two looming structures are the basilica and at the center of the square is an Egyptian obelisk, erected at the current site in 1586.

Around the basilica sides of the square at the top of the museums were sculptures of each of the popes through the centuries. There was netting and scaffolding around several due to recent renovations to the buildings, but they were beautiful. The square was filled with tourist, several in tour groups, and much to my surprise there were younger people than I had expected.

The line to get into St. Peter’s Basilica wrapped around the outer circle of the square and was estimated to be around a three hour wait to get it. Mark and I were disappointed that the wait was so long and we were tired from the museums, so we decided to forego the tour. And getting into the Sistine Chapel was not possible because of the recent conclave. The Sistine is closed for several days following conclave because the election of the pope is conducted there with none of the Cardinal’s being allowed to leave during conclave.

The whole Vatican experience was great, but could be even better without being rushed. As we left we followed the signs to the nearest Metro and passed a pizzeria with outdoor seating. We stopped to have a pizza and some wine. While we waited for it, I purchase a few souvenirs from a nearby vendor. Then we proceeded about four blocks to the nearest Metro stop, took the subway to Termini Station, went to the Trentalia and headed back to the hotel.

Resting at the motel was a priority for us until it was time for dinner, again in the hotel lobby. Tonight was caceo e pepe and wine. The dinner was very relaxing and we both were sad to be leaving Italy. But Mark understood that I was still anxious about seeing Susan. We finished eating and went back upstairs to pack for our return trip to the United States in the morning.