Day 3 Rome: Vatican, St. Peter's, Forum & Palatine; July 18, 2008

Today has been absolutely the most wonderful really long day on my feet any tourist would ever do! Of course, you know that when I go alone, I go longer and further, but no tourist wants to run that hard!
The Vatican Museums were at the top of my people's list, so we went there first, even though I knew it was prime time and the line would be forever. It was! The line stretched along the ancient brick wall surrounding Vatican city, down the street and around the corner, so Larry and Dick stayed in line while I took Edith and Ron on a walk over to see St. Peter's Square. By the time we returned, they were already waiting for us at the front of the line. It actually moved pretty fast.

The Vatican museum is one of the very best in the world. We saw lots of original Roman and Greek statues, many of which had fig leaves added in strategic places during the 1800's. We found Leonardo da Vinci's St. Jerome looking appropriately miserable. I think he's the Catholic version of the prophet Jeremiah, the one who predicted the destruction of Jerusalem at the time of Lehi. We found a Caravaggio of Christ being taken down from the cross (very cool) and a couple of Salvador Dalis (not very cool.) My favorite was Raphael's School of Athens. We stood and talked about it for awhile. Edith pointed out that it's very pagan, but it was painted in the Pope's chambers.

We loved discussing Michelangelo's Last Judgment as we gazed at it in the Sistine Chapel. Then we scooted out the back door and right into St. Peter's Cathedral. It's huge and ornate, and the seat of a billion Catholics. If you kiss the bronze toe on the statue of St. Peter, it's supposed to make you go to heaven, so they did and I took pictures to prove it. They have their hand on the toe in the picture. I notice the toe is getting worn out, so much that it's almost gone. I guess eventually no one will be able to go to heaven!

At 4:00 we met at the entrance to the Palatine Hill to see where Rome was founded. There's lots of tall pines and ruins of palaces from the time of Caesar. It overlooks the Forum, and it was a nice break in the trees, on the hill above the bustle of Rome.

Then we went down to the Forum and I gave them a little tour of the ancient center of the known world. It's so amazing to think it's still here! All my kids, do you remember when you were little, and we got in trouble for you making so much noise in the Forum and climbing all over the monuments? It's still just as wonderful!
We came out the far end of the Forum into the Campidoglio and up the back side of the Wedding Cake. (Military museum and tomb of the Italian unknown soldier, picture at left) There's a little cafe on the high terrace where we rested and had a melon drink and looked out all over the city. It was magical!

At left you see Edith and Ron on the steps of the Campidoglio, which is the town square designed by Michelangelo to show the new Renaissance paower of Rome.