Benvenuti a Roma, Italia!!!! Part 2

Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti ~ Spanish Steps

The monumental stairway of 138 steps was built with French diplomat Étienne Gueffier’s bequeathed funds of 20,000 scudi, in 1723–1725, linking the Bourbon Spanish Embassy, and the Trinità dei Monti church that was under the patronage of the Bourbon kings of France, both located above — to the Holy See in Palazzo Monaldeschi located below. The stairway was designed by architects Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi. The Scalinata is the widest staircase in Europe; with its characteristic butterfly plan, the Piazza di Spagna is one of the most famous images in the world, as well as being one of the most majestic urban monuments of Roman Baroque style.

In the Piazza di Spagna at the base is the Early Baroque fountain called Fontana della Barcaccia ("Fountain of the Old Boat"), built in 1627-29 and often credited to Pietro Bernini, father of a more famous son, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who is recently said to have collaborated on the decoration. The elder Bernini had been the pope's architect for the Acqua Vergine, since 1623. According to an unlikely legend, Pope Urban VIII had the fountain installed after he had been impressed by a boat brought here by a flood of the Tiber river. Referring to a folk legend whereby a fishing boat carried away by the flood of the river was found at that exact spot.

Fontana della Barcaccia

Trinità dei Monti Church

After walking all around Rome on the second day, we decided to go sit on the Spanish steps like the locals and just relax. Back in 2004, we had done the exact same thing. It's the perfect hang out place for "footsore" tourists. From here we decided it was time for some dinner.

Since we were early for the dinner time for restaurants to reopen, we headed for a small cafe to wait until then. While drinking our Cafe Latte's we started planning what we have to still see tomorrow as well as where to maybe get some more gelato. By the time we had it all figured out it was time to go eat at Al Vantaggio. We each had a Mozzarella and Mushroom Pizza that was amazing. 

Look Charla made her very own Roman arch in Rome!

Musei Vaticani ~ Vatican Museum

The man on the left is Michelangelo
The man on the right is Raphael

Inside the Vatican City, are among the greatest museums in the world, since they display works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries including some of the most renowned classical sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world.

Pope Julius II founded the museums in the early 16th century. The Sistine Chapel with its ceiling decorated by Michelangelo and the Stanze della Segnatura decorated by Raphael are on the visitor route through the Vatican Museums. (They were visited by 4,310,083 people in the year 2007. The Vatican Museums broke attendance records in 2011 with just over 5 million people).

The Vatican Museums trace their origin to one marble sculpture, purchased 500 years ago. The sculpture of Laocoön, the priest who, according to Greek mythology, tried to convince the people of ancient Troy not to accept the Greeks' "gift" of a hollow horse, was discovered 14 January 1506, in a vineyard near the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Pope Julius II sent Giuliano da Sangallo and Michelangelo Buonarroti, who were working at the Vatican, to examine the discovery. On their recommendation, the pope immediately purchased the sculpture from the vineyard owner. The pope put the sculpture of Laocoön and his sons in the grips of a sea serpent on public display at the Vatican exactly one month after its discovery.

We decided to buy a ticket package for the Vatican that included: ticket into Vatican Museum, a tour of the museum, access to Sistine Chapel, and skipping the line into St. Peter's Basilica. Which was an alright idea, mainly because our tour was done in 2 languages. First she would explain everything in French and then English, so it took twice as long to get through. The museum seemed very small, although I believe we only saw half of it. 

The old entrance/exit to the Museum,
now just an exit.

Laocoön

Mosaic

Cappella Sistina ~ Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is famous for its architecture and its decoration that was frescoed throughout by Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Pinturicchio and others. Under the patronage of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted 1,100 m² (12,000 sq ft) of the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512. The ceiling, and especially The Last Judgment (1535–1541), is widely believed to be Michelangelo's crowning achievement in painting.

Michelangelo was intimidated by the scale of the commission, and made it known from the outset of Julius II's approach that he would prefer to decline. He felt he was more of a sculptor than a painter, and was suspicious that such a large-scale project was being offered to him by enemies as a set-up for an inevitable fall. For Michelangelo, the project was a distraction from the major marble sculpture that had preoccupied him for the previous few years.

The Ceiling

To be able to reach the ceiling, Michelangelo needed a support; the first idea was by Julius' favoured architect Donato Bramante, who wanted to build for him a scaffold to be suspended in the air with ropes. However, Bramante did not successfully complete the task, and the structure he built was flawed. He had perforated the vault in order to lower strings to secure the scaffold. Michelangelo laughed when he saw the structure, and believed it would leave holes in the ceiling once the work was ended. He asked Bramante what was to happen when the painter reached the perforations, but the architect had no answer. The matter was taken before the Pope, who ordered Michelangelo to build a scaffold of his own. Michelangelo created a flat wooden platform on brackets built out from holes in the wall, high up near the top of the windows. He lay on this scaffolding while he painted.

The Last Judgement

Michelangelo used bright colours, easily visible from the floor. On the lowest part of the ceiling he painted the ancestors of Christ. Above this he alternated male and female prophets, with Jonah over the altar. On the highest section, Michelangelo painted nine stories from the Book of Genesis. He was originally commissioned to paint only 12 figures, the Apostles. He turned down the commission because he saw himself as a sculptor, not a painter. The Pope offered to allow Michelangelo to paint biblical scenes of his own choice as a compromise. After the work was finished, there were more than 300. His figures showed the creation, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and the Great Flood. The painted area is about 40 m (131 ft) long by 13 m (43 ft) wide. This means that Michelangelo painted well over 5,000 square feet (460 m²) of frescoes

One of the primary functions of the Sistine Chapel is as a venue for the election of each successive pope in a conclave of the College of Cardinals. On the occasion of a conclave, a chimney is installed in the roof of the chapel, from which smoke arises as a signal. If white smoke appears, created by burning the ballots of the election, a new Pope has been elected. If a candidate receives less than a two-thirds majority, the cardinals send up black smoke—created by burning the ballots along with wet straw and chemical additives—it means that no successful election has yet occurred.

Because of the delicacy of the paintings, you are not allowed to take photos within the Sistine Chapel. All the photos you see here were taken off the internet. You must also be silent, because it is a holy place. Which is fine because you just stand there in awe at the years of work. Within The Last Judgement and in the top left hand corner you can find Michelangelo's self-portrait, since at this time you could not sign your work. 

Flailed skin is Michelangelo

From here we were able to go straight to the entrance to St. Peter's Basilica.

 Basilica di San Pietro ~ St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter’s is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and remains one of the largest churches in the world. Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. While it is neither the mother church of the Roman Catholic Church nor the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, Saint Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world” and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom." The entire interior of St Peter's is lavishly decorated with marble, reliefs, architectural sculpture and gilding. The basilica contains a large number of tombs of popes and other notable people, many of which are considered outstanding artworks. There are also a number of sculptures in niches and chapels, including Michelangelo's Pieta.

La Pieta

It was strange as soon as I walked through those doors, it all came flooding back to me. I remembered all of the Basilica, and where everything was. As soon as you enter, directly on your right is Michelangelo's La Pieta. We headed there first and made our way through the little crowd to get a glance at it. From there we walked around the whole outer part of the Church before walking up the middle.

Jubilee Year Door

The Altar

Me with St. Peter Statue

St. Peter's Tomb entrance

When I came to Rome last time, it was with my choir (Milwaukee Children's Choir) and we sang noon mass on Sunday here in the Vatican. The spot where I'm pointing to in the picture to the left is where we sat and sang that mass. (In front of organ).

Singing mass back in 2004

Piazza San Pietro ~ St. Peter's Square

Long line to get in on Saturday

According to Origen, Peter was crucified head downwards, by his own request because he considered himself unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus. The crucifixion took place near an ancient Egyptian obelisk in the Circus of Nero. The obelisk now stands in Saint Peter's Square and is revered as a "witness" to Peter's death. Which is why there is an Egyptian Obelisk in the middle of St. Peter's Square.
After a very long tour and morning in the Vatican City, it was time for our second gelato break.

Gelarmony
"A superb Sicilian gelarteria, ideal for a lunchtime dessert, a mid-afternoon treat, an evening fancy - in fact, anything any time. Alongside 60 flavors if ice cream, there's a devilish selection of creamy sweets, including the best cannoli this side of Palermo." And boy they weren't kidding! The cannoli's were delicious! As well as the gelato :)

We each had a cannoli, and then Charla got Pistachio while I got Strawberry.