Wrapping up Rome!

Rome is definitely a place that everyone should visit at some point in their life.

The amount of history and art is quite simple overwhelming. We spent half a day at Vatican City and didn’t even scratch the surface of all it has to offer. We shuffled through corridors and halls adorned with magnificent statues, baroque tapestries, and beautiful frescos on the ceiling. You could spend an entire day in one hall and not even begin to comprehend all the history that you are experiencing. Our tour guide, Christiana, did a fabulous job explaining the highlights of what we were seeing, and giving the history behind certain pieces, paintings and structures.

The two gems of the whole tour were the Basilica of St. Peter and the Sistine Chapel. There is very strong evidence that authenticates this as the grave site of St. Peter, to which Michelangelo was commissioned to build the Basilica that has become one of Rome's greatest landmarks. Yes, this is the same Peter that denied Christ three times and then went on to be one of the utmost evangelical preachers of all time. When you enter, the sheer size will cause you to gasp. The art work throughout this actively working chapel is astounding. Many ancient Roman structures, the Pantheon included, were stripped of their gold and copper in order to make this historic and religious landmark so marvelous.

But for me, it didn’t get any better than the Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately, there were no pictures allowed and talking was at a whisper level, due to the reverence of the room. I had always wanted to see for myself the fresco representing God creating man, where the finger of God and Adam are extended and almost touching. Surprisingly, it was Michelangelo’s final painting in the chapel, painted 30 years after the ceiling work, which spoke to me the most. The Last Judgment adorns the entire wall opposite where the Pope enters, and it’s evident that the last three decades had both sharpened his talent as well as his disdain for the corruption of the church. The wall is much more sinister and grave than the stories told on the ceiling. If you look closely in the center and you will notice just the skin of a man, which is rumored to be his self portrait. After all, he was in his 70’s at the time.

After leaving the Vatican, we strolled across the Vittorio Emmanuelle Bridge with the Castle Saint Angelo in the backdrop. It was this fortress that was used as refuge for the Pope when Rome was occupied by Mussolini. Again, the history lessons are literally around (and on) every corner.

We made our way down to The Colosseum (its real name is The Flavian Amphitheater) where my male testosterone went into overdrive! Images of men fighting for different causes; freedom, penance or fame; but all fighting for their very lives made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. On out tour, we discovered that 85% of the Gladiators were slaves, who were forced to fight but could win their freedom with 5 victories. Ten percent were criminals who were sentenced to battle for their crimes. The last 5% were the ones who sought fame, fortune and most importantly, women! Evidentially, chicks really dig Gladiators. It was truly amazing to be standing inside of a structure that not only has housed so much sordid history, but one that has been around for almost 2,100 years.

I could go on and on about the history and culture of this immense metropolis, but it still wouldn’t accurately capture its essence. Like I said in the beginning, it’s definitely a place that everyone should visit once in their lifetime!

We are currently on a cruise ship heading to Cyprus. We just passed the Straights of Messina and will be docking in the morning to tour Ancient Olympia …….life is good.