“Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.” Proverbs 3:23-24
This was definitely an early day for us. We had to be at our meeting point by 7:45 am! That meant if we were going to have breakfast, it would be a quick grab and go, so we could catch the Metro around 7:15 am. The last time we were here, the Metro station in front of our hotel was closed, but this time it was open! Yay! We hopped on and rode it to the Ottaviano station, then followed the written instructions to our meeting place. There were tons of people there on the steps checking in, so we joined in with the throng. We met our guide and before we knew it, we were headed into the Vatican. We were quite grateful that we had booked the “skip the line” tour!
The Vatican is the smallest city-state in the world, and it is in Italy. It is a sovereign state as of 1929, and it is the papal residence. It is the center of the Roman Catholic Church with the Pope as its head, and it is protected by the Swiss Guard.
As we entered the grounds, we first saw the Vatican gardens, which included our first “close-up” view of the St. Peter’s Basilica dome.
The first part of the tour took us to the Vatican Museums. Here we saw sculptures, paintings and tapestries. The painting here is by Raphael, and it includes many artists and philosophers who made important contributions to Italy. It is known as “The School of Athens.’
Center – in red: Plato; in blue: Aristotle; reclining on steps in blue: Diogenes; Left – in olive: Socrates; man in white with book: Pythagoras; writer with orange boots: Michelangelo; Right – man in red with compass: Euclid; man in orange holding globe: Ptolemy; man in black hat & red shirt (partially hidden): Raphael (the artist).
There were very beautiful tapestries. This one is of the resurrection of Jesus.
This was a room dedicated to the “Immaculate Conception.” This is a papal doctrine that declared Mary to be sinless from the moment of her conception.
After the museums, we went into the Sistine Chapel. This is the place where the new popes are chosen. Michelangelo painted the ceiling and walls in this chapel.
The Sistine Chapel
One of the more famous frescoes on the ceiling
After the chapel, we headed to St. Peter’s Basilica. This church is supposedly built over the tomb of St. Peter. It is a working church, and they have two masses daily, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Clockwise from top-left: St. Peter’s Basilica, altar area, inside the dome, Michelangelo’s La Pietá, statue of St. Peter, interior of basilica
When our Vatican tour was over, John decided to climb to the top of the dome on the basilica. He climbed over 500 steps and stepped out on the pedestrian area on the top of the dome. His view was amazing!
Looking down on St. Peter’s Square from the top of the dome of the basilica
Top: The fenced in area around the top of the dome is where he was; Bottom-left:stairway to the top; Bottom- right: John on the top
By now, it was time for lunch. Samantha had recommended a restaurant, so we thought we’d try to find it. It was the Il Vero Alfredo Ristorante. It was just a short 3-mile walk (ugh!) from the Vatican. John ordered their famous fettuccine Alfredo, while I ordered spinach and ricotta ravioli. We also shared an order of delicious zucchini fries!
Clockwise from top-left: the signature dish, fettuccine Alfredo; Il Vero Alfredo Ristorante; bread and olive oil; an outside table; balsamic vinegar, EVOO, and Coke Zero (the perfect trio); ricotta and spinach ravioli; zucchini fries (yum!)
We strolled to the Spanish steps to catch the Metro back to our hotel. Unfortunately, this ride was more traumatic than fun. I became the mark for a team of pickpockets. Despite their best efforts, God protected me, and nothing was actually taken. (See my “Watch Out!” devotional blog for the details.) We made it back to the hotel, a bit shaken, but safe and sound. A very special thank you to all of you who have been praying for us!
Tomorrow: The Colosseum