Day 3
Rome, Italy (Voltera)
Monday, 13.6.2011
Breakfast: Continental at the hotel: Cereal, milk, bread, cold meats, coffee, orange juice.
Another beautiful day in Paradise. Probably 80 degrees plus, sunny, actually quite warm. Had a great nights sleep. Sharon and Deb were on duty last night. Roger had to go down and get water for coffee in room. French coffee press requires hot water. :) Good Morning.
Board your motor coach and depart for the world renowned Roman Catacombs.
Descend under the city of Rome when you visit the Christian Catacombs! Enjoy a guided subterranean walk and learn more about Rome's history. The Catacombs of San Callisto are known world-wide for their rich art and heritage.
Our first stop today, of course are the catacombs. This is unbelievable. All cameras had to be put away. We had to descend underground, there are five levels to this particular catacomb. It is sort of a sacred place.
It goes on for 30 miles, has 3 or 4 entrances – 500,000 people buried here or entombed here. Many Popes in this particular catacomb. There are 60 of these catacombs around the city. It has been difficult to create a subway system here in Rome because they are constantly discovering these catacombs under the city. Not all are as large as this one.
Many of the crevices where bodies would have been entombed area small due to the death rate for children and young adults. Girls during this time could have been married as early as 12 years old because life expectancy wasn't that long, maybe 30 years old.
Most of the tombs, places where bodies would have been had been raided over the years. Nothing there now but a hole in the wall, plaques are found as well. It is a bit tight down here, claustrophobia setting int a bit, narrow walkways.
The date for the catacombs was 3rd and 4th century AD.
Servicemarks: As the Catacombs are under the earth, it might be cold and students should wear a jacket. Closed shoes are recommended.
12:00 PM The Taverna Lino is waiting to serve you a delicious lunch! Enjoy
Lunch: Lasagne, spaghetti, salad, coke, water, Teramasu.
Visit the center of the Catholic Church and the world's smallest country, the Vatican! Go in the Vatican Museums and admire the frescos of the Sistine Chapel. Wonder at the scale of St. Peter's Basilica.
Vatican Museum:
Chris was our tour guide. He was from South Dakota, studying theology and living in Rome. Maybe would like to teach some day. In the museum there is no flash on cameras but you can take pictures, but there will be no pictures in the Sistine Chappel, and of course it has to be very quiet in there as well, Sistine Chapel.
There was a problem with getting tickets. Apparently there was some paper that PTP should have had in order to get the tickets for the price they had agreed on so it may have cost a bit more to get in. This put us a little behind on our tour.
The museum was absolutely fabulous and of course this was where we saw the “Statue of David”. It is supposedly one of the sculptures that resembles a perfect body, perfectly done. Of course done by Michelangelo, took like four years to do the one statue. Magnificent! Of course much, much more art work in this museum, we saw just snippets of it with the time we had, and of course the people in there was wall to wall. We tried to keep everyone together, very, very difficult.
The last stop for us as we were leaving was the Sistine Chapel. There was a man, guard, that would make statements regularly for everyone to be quiet. After this we we went through a gift shop, which there are gift shops all along the way, at every place we were. There was a gift shop at the catacombs as well that we stopped at.
Many people bought water as well. Very hot today. Will be in the 90's with high humidity.
In the center of the Museum, outside, there is a huge sphere, work of art done by Pomadoro, looks like a death star from Star Wars.
St. Peter's Basilica is built over the tomb of Apostle St. Peter.
Servicemarks: Please encourage your students to behave quietly during the whole Vatican visit! Dress code: Girls must cover their shoulders and knees. Long skirts or pants are appropriate. For boys, shorts and T-shirts to cover their shoulders.
Participate in a unique educational meeting with a priest who will speak generally about Catholicism in Italy and the organization of the Vatican. Please feel free to ask questions.
The Vatican City is a separate state. All Popes are now 1st Bishop of Rome.
Pope established museum to put all historical material on display so people could see history. There is a marble copy of original – Apollo.
Life in the Vatican – it is 1/5 square mile. Wall around the city itself. The Vatican City, since it was a separate state gave the Pope the opportunity to participate in International Affairs.
Swiss guards protect the Pope. There are guards in blue uniform as well. The blue uniform maintain peace in the Vatican City I believe. Like 200 Swiss Guard, guard the Vatican City and Pope. 2 year term for them. Oldest military core.
Vatican has their own money; 480 residents from 30 countries, 380 citizens.
The priest that talked to us got his job there because of recommendations from his superiors. He spoke three languages; Italian, English, and Spanish. Also can write and read Latin, Portuguese, and French.
This priest was very interesting. Had lots of information, way to much to digest. It was a great experience just being there in the Vatican City and seeing the museum. What a day.
Our kids were great during this whole day, even though it was very, very hot. They hung in there.
6:30 PM Get to know an “Italian Original” at the restaurant Vito e Dina! Have fun and enjoy the dinner there.
Dinner: Pasta, chicken, salad, ice cream.
Spend you overnight at the Torre Pratolungo Roma.
Tonight:
Room Check: 10:00
Lights out: 10:30
Morning:
7:30 Room Check (before leave hotel) be outside room.
7:45 Breakfast
It takes a bit of time to check all rooms.
8:15 Meet downstairs at bus.
Breakfast was in a room off the lobby.
This was a very comfortable hotel. It had lots of places for kids to hang out and visit. Some of them hung around outside for a bit. You could even eat out there if you had wanted to I believe. Quite a nice place for our first stay.
Vatican City
In the heart of Rome, the Vatican City (“Citta del Vaticano”) is a state within a city, the papal seat, and the headquarters of the Catholic Church. It houses numerous treasures, most of them open to the public. Saint Peter's Basilica, mostly the work of Bramante, Michelangelo (the dome), Bernini (the colonnade), and Maderno (the facade), dominates the Vatican City. The scale of the basilica is immense. It occupies the site of Saint Peter's tomb and is therefore the world's principal Catholic shrine. Most of its treasures are no in the adjacent Vatican museums, although Michelangelo's “Pieta” and an array of massive sculptures by Bernini are still in Situ. The Treasury houses interesting relics of the earlier church which once occupied the site. To one side, behind the basilica, lie the vast and elaborate Vatican Museums which house some of the great treasures of the western world. Highlights among the museums include the Egyptian Museum (one of Europe's best), the Chiaramonti Museum and the Pio-Clementino Museum (both filled with stunning collections of classical sculpture), the “Pinacoteca” is filled with a wide range of Italian art – including Raphael's “transfiguration of Christ” and Leonardo da Vinci's “Saint Jerome”. Perhaps the best known of all the Vatican's treasures, however, is the Sistine Chapel, scene of the election of succeeding Popes. Its altar wall is adorned with Michelangelo's “Last Judgment”, considered his masterpiece, and its ceiling with his frescoes depicting scenes from the old Testament. These were recently restored to reveal startlingly bright colors.
Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel is the most famous single element in the Vatican. Its ceiling was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512 for pope Julius II and his late masterpiece, the “Last Judgment”, covers the rear wall (1534 – 1541). The ceiling provides a detailed and majestic vision of the Old Testament. Recent restoration have revealed strong, uncompromising colors. Wall frescoes include works by Botticelli and Perugino. The election of new popes takes place in the Sistine Chapel.
Saint Peter's Basilica
Saint Peter's Basilica (“Basilica di San Piertro in Vaticano”), built between 1452 and 1667, is the largest church in the world and a pace of pilgrimage for thousands of people. The enormous dome is the best known feature of the great basilica. The interior is ornately decorated, with a profusion of marble, gilding, stuccoes and frescoes. Bernini's elaborate “baldachino” (canopy) rises above the altar, above the supposed tomb of Saint Peter. Michelangelo's tender “Pieta” is in the first chapel on the right.
Trevi Fountain
The most famous of Rome's fountains, the Trevi Fountain (“Fontana di Trevi”) is the work of Nicolo Salvi, completed in 1762 as a decorative terminus to the canal bringing water into the city. The sculptural theme is the ocean, with Neptune riding on a shell drawn by winged horses. Tourists follow tradition by throwing coins into the fountain to ensure their return to Rome.
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