Hey its me, Caroline here for more on our Roman holiday!
We started with a delicious breakfast at the hotel, and got ready to visit St. Peters Basilica. We took the subway over and one minute we were in a tourist packed area waiting to get in, and the next we were in the smallest country on earth! We walked around at the art museum passing up lines of tourists( it was just March! I'd hate to be there in July waiting!) We strolled through walls of Rafaels, visited his famous rooms, and saw the School of Athens. More and more beautiful art that we had heard about, but were amazed to actually see! As we crossed further and further into the rooms our excitement mounted, soon we would be visiting the most famous part of the museum of all, the Sistine Chapel! As we passed through the doors, I remember practically gasping in awe. It was so beautiful and intricate. We just walked, with our heads up, for fear of missing a beautiful detail. My mother and I found a seat among the many people and just sat for a long time taking in the beauty and the fact that we were in the fabled Sistine Chapel. Soon, though, it was time to leave and we walked out with a final glance back at the awe- inspiring chapel. After the chapel it was time to move onto the main attraction, the Cathedral. Martin and Francesca( our city guide) told us a bit about the history before we entered and showed us in. It was big and grand and a bit overwhelming. The ceiling was encrusted in a gold plate. Those letters that looked so small were 7 feet tall. The whole building was fabulous and it simply took my breath away. I really don't know what else to say, you just have to see it to believe it. It was beauty beyond words. We viewed the breathtaking Pieta, real and true. We viewed Pope John Paul's body, he was going to be canonized soon. We touched the walls and we stared with awe. Soon our guides left, though, and we were on our own for the afternoon. We decided to climb up the dome. We thought it would be fun and cool. DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU GET CLAUSTROPHIA. The stairs started out okay. Then they got steep. And steeper. And Steeper. Then we were on a balcony overlooking the church, it was pretty. I got a feel for how big the lettering really was. Then we climbed further, and it got even steeper. Then we were on a platform overlooking the Square. Then we got in a tiny stairwell and we were shoulder to shoulder with other tourists. It got steep and I was afraid if one person fell then we would go down like dominoes. When we got to the top, though, it was worth it. The view was great, we could see the city spread out below us. Plus we had gotten to do something that only some tourists get to do. We ended the trip with some pizza, and then headed back into Italy. We walked around for some time. Grabbed some gelato. Visited Trevi Fountain. Took a tour of the o-so cool Pantheon. Tried to find a famous Gelato place .Went to the famous walk. Finished out with a dinner of Pasta. Saw it all. Not necessarily in that order. |