Final day with the Beabouts: A Roman Pilgrimage

Vatican Museum courtyard with St Peters
 in the background

The day started out with a morning appointment at the Vatican Museum. We were able to walk right by the ½ mile long line of tourists waiting in the hot sun to see the museum because we purchased tickets ahead of time. I would highly recommend doing this when you come to Rome! The museum took all morning and we were able to see a lot of Roman history. The museum was a palace full of hundreds of busts, statues, old tombs, paintings, maps of Rome throughout its reign, and many other fun things. We took the long way through and at points there were so many people that we were literally being herded through the museum. About 2.5 hours later we finally arrived at the Sistine Chapel!! We didn’t get to see this when we first visited Rome, so that was definitely the highlight of the museum. Of course they save the best for last- you have to walk through the whole museum before seeing the chapel. They have audio guides to tell you about the amazing ceiling and other paintings on the walls. I could have stayed in the Sistine Chapel all day if my neck didn’t start to hurt from looking up the whole time! This was the one thing I wanted to see this time in Rome, and now I’ve seen it. It lived up to expectations!!

Silenus with the child Dionysus-
this one was my favorite statue

Athena- goddess of war,
I really liked this one too

Etruscan exhibit (Josh was pretty excited about this one)

Hall of maps- the ceiling was awesome

the ancient city walls outside of the Basilica

With our necks sore from looking up and our legs tired from walking the museum for a few hours, we decided to grab some lunch at the cafeteria. When I say cafeteria, I mean cafeteria… The food at the Vatican museum leaves a lot to be desired, but it was the only option at that point. At least is filled us up and re-energized us for the afternoon. At that point, Josh and I walked James and Sofia to St Peter’s square so they could see the basilica. Sofia was in awe the whole time and was overwhelmed with emotion. Being a devout Catholic, seeing the Vatican was a solemn experience for her. Since Josh and I had already seen the basilica, we decided to part ways and see other sights in Rome. We wanted to see other famous churches that many tourists don’t see, so we headed to Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (the Bishop of Rome’s official church).

Basilico di San Giovanni

the HUGE bronze doors (and me)

Emporer Constantine

Being the Archbasilica of Rome and containing the papal throne, it is ranked above St Peter’s Basilica. This makes the Archbasilica the “number one” Catholic church in the world. There are six Popes buried there. Attached to the church is the original Papal Palace that was used before the Vatican was established for the Pope. The Lateran Palace (as it is known) was given to the Bishop of Rome by the Roman Emperor Constantine in the early 300’s. Before the palace was given to the Bishop, it was used for Emperors and their councils. The size of the church is very large, one of the largest I have ever seen (but smaller than St Peters Basilica). Before entering the church you must see the enormous central bronze doors that are original Roman doors brought from the Imperial Forum. To the left of the doors at the end of the portico is a statue of Constantine the Great.

the High Alter with the heads

the amazingly ornate ceiling

Pope Clemens XII tomb

The interior is exquisite and overwhelming. Every time I enter these large churches it reminds me of how small I am compared to the world (maybe that is what they intended when building these churches). The nave of the church has twelve niches with statues of the twelve apostles. The ceiling of the nave has crests of past Popes and is ornately decorated. Above the high alter at the front of the church is what looks like a tomb. It is said to have the heads of St Peter and St Paul, but there are questions surrounding if they are still there. They may have been removed during the French Occupation of Rome in the 18^th century. The high alter can only be used by the Pope and it contains a relic that is said to be a part of St Peter’s communion table. Tradition also talks about the “Sweating Stone” which is a part of Pope Sergius IV’s tomb. It is said that when this tomb starts to sweat, it is time to start weeping for the current Pope. When the tomb sweats, the death of the current Pope is eminent.

The "Sweating Stone"

While we were there, many nuns were visiting the church and there was a ceremony about to start (it looked like a wedding ceremony). We also saw about 8 confession booths with four or five different languages offered. There weren’t many tourists in this church, just mainly nuns and people gathering for the ceremony. It seems that the big attraction in Rome is St Peters Basilica.

Outside of the Lateran Palace is the Lateran Obelisk, the largest standing obelisk in the world. The construction of the Obelisk was started by Thutmose III and completed before the Karnak temple in Thebes, Egypt. It was originally meant to be shipped to Constantinople, but it was shipped to Rome instead. It was moved to its current site in 1588. After taking in all of the sights of San Giovanni we walked to another church called San Clemente. Entering this church was like going back in time! Construction on this church was completed in 1123 and the mosaic in the apse is amazing. Titled “Triumph of the Cross”, it has twelve doves symbolizing the twelve apostles and the figures of Madonna and St John, St John the Baptist and other saints surround the cross.

One final stop on our pilgrimage included the Scala Santa (holy stairs) across the piazza from San Giovanni. It is said that Jesus walked up these stairs in Pontius Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem. Because Jesus walked on these steps, you can only ascend them on your knees. The stairs are surrounded by an amazing marble archway with paintings, and at the top of the stairs is a beautiful representation of the crucifixion.

the Holy Stairs- people are climbing on their knees

By the time we were done with our mini pilgrimage, we were really tired and I was cranky because it was so hot. My Scandinavian blood is not cut out for the heat of Rome! So we headed back to the B&B for a nice nap in the air conditioning. On the way, we found a great pasticceria with Sicilian cannoli. Since we had been talking them up to James and Sofia we stopped to buy some. We didn’t forget the cannoli! We also found a travel agency named “Tutti Fruitti”. LOL.

James and Sofia joined us for cannoli before heading out to dinner. They spent all afternoon in St Peters Basilica and experienced mass. I could tell Sofia was emotionally exhausted from the excitement, but she was a good sport and went to dinner with us anyways. Our final night consisted of another great dinner, but calling it early because James and Sofia had an early flight back the US in the morning. We sat in one of the Piazzas and enjoyed the people watching and the great food.

One last look at my favorite fountain

Piazza Navona again

Another great vacation in Italy! And we learned a lot this week about Catholicism (not only from the churches we visited, but also from Sofia and James). I’m impressed with their devotion to the Catholic faith and it makes me question my own faith… Something to think about.

A whirlwind of sightseeing and designer shoes!

Friday- the first order of the day after breakfast was to sight see in the amazing city of Rome. We had a lot to see, so we needed all the energy we could get (and we got many carbs with our breakfast full of bread…). On my first trip to Rome with Josh in 2006 we only spent two days in the city and saw the big things (St Peters Basilica, Colosseum and Roman Forum) so we were excited to see some new and historical places. The B&B host was telling us about a great park that overlooks the city (Villa Borghese). He said we could take a train to the park and then walk down to the Spanish steps and the fantastic shopping area. So, this is what we did!

Santa Maria del Popolo

Raphaels dome

Sphinx in the Piazza del Popolo

Outside of the train station before entering the park was a huge square called Piazza del Popolo with two churches and a huge obelisk. One of the churches, Santa Maria del Popolo, was a stop that morning. This church is famous for its appearance in Dan Brown’s “Angels and Demons”.  The church has a chapel commissioned by the banker Agostini Chigi that was part of a scene in the book (and the movie). The chapel was designed by Michelangelo and finished by Bernini. The dome in the church was painted by Raphael’s “Creation of the World”. It still amazes me every time I see a Catholic church! The amount of time and money that went into building these amazing places of worship is hard for me to wrap my head around. The fact that the church had that much money blows my mind. It’s also sad to think that this kind of art is not something that people think to build today.

Piazza del Popolo with the Vatican
 in the background

 

After admiring the church and the square, we sought cooler air in the shade of the park. It was so hot in Rome!! That day it was definitely mid-upper 90’s. We kept a large bottle of water with us at all times and that thing got heavy! When we entered the park, there was a great view of the Vatican, so we stopped for a few pictures.  

   

  

Run for your life!

The park was a nice reprieve from the crazy city, but we decided to keep moving since it was so hot outside. We walked towards the Spanish Steps which took about ten minutes. Once we arrived at the Spanish Steps we saw a bunch of street vendors there with their typical loot: sunglasses, knock off purses, etc. As we arrived their lookout gave the signal that the police were on the way and within seconds the vendors were gone! They grabbed their sheets with the loot, and took off up the stairs. We couldn’t stop laughing! They were running for their lives, lol.



Spanish Steps


Still laughing, we proceeded to Ferragamo to look at shoes! Sofia was promised a designer pair of shoes and Josh gave me the choice of a pair of shoes for my birthday, so the girls were pretty excited to go shopping! We came out with much smaller wallets and hands full of expensive shoes, but it was great! Thanks sweetie for my birthday present! I love them!

at Ferragamo with our shoes!

my new shoes!

By this point it was only lunch time and we were famished. Time for a much needed lunch break! We had also seen a lot by this point in the day and were a little tired. Lunch was a great time to unwind and regain our energy before heading back out into the hot weather of Rome! We needed the energy too because the next stop was the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. This was my second time to the Colosseum and it still amazes me! The first time it felt like I had been there before because of all of the photos and movies I had seen with the Colosseum. The second time it was great to just admire it from afar. James and Sofia took a tour inside, while Josh and I sat outside and admired it. We also walked around and found another group of Asian tourists… photo opp!!

Maren and Asia at the Colosseum

So, after a long, hot, fun day we needed a cold beer! Josh and I found a great little bar overlooking the Colosseum for refreshment and enjoyed the people watching. The day however is not over!! We walked past the Roman Forum and my favorite building in the city, the monument to Vittorio Emanuele II (The first king of the unified Italy). This beautiful white marble monument is a museum, but unfortunately it was closed when we were in Rome, so I haven’t been able to see the inside of the magnificent building. We also went to the Trevi Fountain, saw the inside of the Pantheon (where Vittorio Emanuele II and Raphael are buried) and back to Piazza Navona that night. The sights of Rome are so great! And there is something ancient around every corner, I love it!

The Roman Forum





Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II

 

Burial place of Vittorio Emanele II in
the Pantheon

at the Trevi Fountain

  

That night we went out to dinner and enjoyed more of the amazing food of Rome! The city is known for making artichokes, but they were out of season since it is a fall vegetable. Thankfully we were able to find some anyways, and they were fantastic!! Being one of my favorite vegetables, I was excited to eat some artichokes that were cooked properly! I am not skilled in cooking with fresh artichokes so that is now on my list of things to learn while living in Italy!! After dinner we found a fun bar on the Tiber River and sat down for drinks and Hookah! It was a fun atmoshpere and very relaxed. But the hookah definitely wasn't as good as what we had in Munich. After some drinks and listening to a band that played "Tutti Fruitti" (as we so lovingly named our GPS on this trip because it couldn't keep our location for more than a few minutes in Tuscany), we headed back to the B&B laughing about Tutti Fruitti.



Josh playing with the camera
to capture the smoke



Man, just thinking about everything we did that day I am exhausted! We went back to the B&B and got some much needed sleep that night! The next day was going to be another big day of sightseeing and our last full day in the city.

Up next: Sistine Chapel and the Vatican!

 

Interesting Fact: The Pantheon has and opening at the top of the dome, called an oculus. Since the air pressure inside of the Pantheon is so strong coming out of the oculus, it acts as natural protection from the elements. No rain ever enters the building through the hole in the ceiling. Our B&B host told us that it poured rain the week before we arrived, and inside the Pantheon is was completely dry.

Road to Rome

Montepulciano

Montepulciano- where’s Edward?

The Twilight Saga’s New Moon was filmed in Montepulciano even though the story takes place in Volterra. Both cities are amazing, but Montepulciano was chosen because it seems to be more “medieval” and beautiful than Volterra. Both cities are relatively undiscovered and don’t have many tourists. On this road from Florence to Rome we decided to stop by Montepulciano and see what all the fuss was about since we had never been there. There is a scene in New Moon where you see Alice driving a yellow Porsche down the road and then you get a view of the city. Well, we saw that view first hand! It’s pretty amazing to see the city pop out from the trees on top of its hill. The city of Montepulciano is designed in rings that go towards the city center (similar to the yellow brick road), and there are few cars allowed inside the city walls. The city is full of enotecas and gelato shops, so naturally the boys were excited (Josh was excited about the enotecas and James for the gelato). It was another hot day and all we wanted to do was eat gelato! But, but we kept it to only one gelato stop. The city is known for its wine “Vino Nobile di Montepulciano”, cheese, pici (a type of pasta), honey and pork.



Pinocchio clock tower



well in the city center

We walked up the main road to the city center and along the way we found a lot of churches and beautiful views of the region. When we arrived in the city center I could definitely recognize it from New Moon. There is no fountain in the center of the square as the movie shows, however there is a great church and Communal Palace. This city was a welcome relief after the craziness of Florence… there were hardly any tourists in the city! It seems that this city is an undiscovered medieval location.

view from the city

 

Communal Palace








One of the many churches

After spending some time in Montepulciano we continued on to Rome. Most of us slept in the car on the way, but once we got close to Rome we were all pretty excited. The energy in the car kicked up a notch about half an hour outside of Rome. Once we arrived we checked into our b&b and walked by the Vatican. Sofia was dying all week to see the Vatican and couldn’t wait to see it. So we walked by at night and it is amazing when it is all lit up! Since we were all famished, we decided to go to another part of town for dinner. We stopped to buy bus tickets on the street from one of the vending machines and the machine tried to eat a 50 euro bill! The machine spit it out because it would have to give more change that the limit of 6 euros change and the slot was blocked. We sought the help of the carabinieri that were standing 10 meters away, but they just looked at us like we were crazy. I’m sure they were thinking “stupid Americans”… After a few minutes of prying with our skeleton key, Josh was finally able to get the 50 back. Phew!! When we finally made it to dinner we definitely enjoyed it. We were all so tired and hungry that I think someone was about to throw down on that ticket machine!

Pantheon

After dinner we walked back to our b&b and on the way we saw the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and a few other fun places. Rome is such a great city with so much history! For me, the best part of Rome is the knowledge that people walked the streets thousands of years ago. It’s a concept that is surreal to me, but makes me feel like I am a part of something special. The architecture in Rome is unbelievable and I know my dad would love it! He’s an architect and he would be like a kid in a candy store in Rome. Hopefully he’ll be able to visit and see the city! I remember as a kid he would pull out a thick book from college that he studied from and he would show me pictures of the sites in Rome. He was so excited about the architecture in Rome but he has never had the opportunity to see it. The next couple of days we were able to explore the city and see some new sights. There is so much to see in Rome that a solid week would not be enough time! Unfortunately we only had a couple of days, but there will be other trips!

Fountain at Piazza Navona