Rome, Italy

We've all heard of Rome - whether you read scriptures, study history, watch movies or TV.  I won't spend any time talking about the history of the city itself - there are plenty of other websites to take care of that ; )  Let's get right to it, shall we?

One of the first stops is the famous Piazza di Spagna, which is the square right in front of the Spanish Steps:

Neal, with more hair, circa 1996

Another famous spot in Rome is the Trevi Fountain.  Made famous by the 1954 film Three Coins in the Fountain. The tradition is to throw a coin over your left shoulder into the fountain - guaranteeing a quick return to the world's most beautiful city:

When in Rome...

Now, don't get me wrong.  There are some beautiful spots in Rome.  However, I found it to be one of the noisiest, dirty, crowded cities in Italy.  Not quite my speed.  I found other Italian cities to be far superior.  However, you can't pass up the historical significance of the city.  For example, you can see the Roman Forum - with ruins that go back thousands of years.

  

Temple of Castor and Pollux

The Forum Romanum was designed to be the center of social, political and economic life for Romans. The remains include the Arch of Emperor Septimius Severus, with reliefs showing his big-time military victories. The Rostrum is the famous platform where Mark Antony gave his speech in Shakespeare's play after Julius Caesar's assassination.

The Roman Coliseum is also one of the "icons" of Rome.  It was originally built around 70-80 AD to hold about 55,000 people - making it comparable to today's football stadiums.  After watching the movie "Gladiator", I think we all understand what the Coliseum was used for ; )

One of the sites that I was really interested in seeing, was the Vatican.  Specifically, I wanted to see St. Peter's Basilica for myself:

Neal mocks the Basilica and says its got nothin' on the Salt Lake Temple...

It didn't disappoint.  It's hard to imagine just how big this is.  Like you, I've seen the square in front of the Basilica a million times on TV - particularly when the Pope holds services in front of thousands of people:

The interior of the Basilica was awe-inspiring...but that's exactly how and why it was built.  Don't get me started on Roman Catholic cathedrals ; )  I had a unique experience while visiting St. Peter's.  I found out that there was a "secret" climb that would take you to the top of the Basilica itself.  It was a long series of very, very steep steps, that wound all the way around the dome. 

The funny thing was that most people didn't either know about the climb, or were intimidated by the signs that indicated how far you had to go.  I think the best thing I saw, was a few older nuns that attempted the climb.  Even though they had to rest every few steps, their faith carried them to the top.  A lesson to be learned.

View from the dome

Another funny thing – there was a gift shop at the top!  I guess anything to help pay the bills.  I can't imagine that business was too good all the way up there ; )

Next, I made my way to the Sistine Chapel, to view the artwork there.  First, some background (warning: long sidenote about to commence). While at BYU (the first time), I was lucky enough to take a classical-art appreciation class. I learned about the different art movements through history, and had to memorize several famous pieces. The one painting that I fell in love with, was Raphael's School of Athens. Finished in 1510, Raphael's most-famous painting depicts a greek school of philosophy - with almost every great Greek philosopher in history engaged in discussion. In addition to Plato and Aristotle in the very center, you have Socrates, Michelangelo, Pythagoras, Archimedes...and plenty of others:

I was just drawn to the painting - the color, the sheer craftsmanship, the symmetry, the actual subjects themselves...I could go on-and-on. I imagined this painting to be like many I had seen in the Louvre - maybe 5 or 6 feet wide. All I had were textbooks, showing consistent sizes of all the paintings.

While touring the Chapel and Apostolic Palace, I was appreciating the art and architecture throughout the building. I turned a corner - and to my astonishment - there was the School of Athens.  The original.  Right in front of my face. I was blown away to learn that the painting took up an entire wall of the room - maybe 30 feet across. What an amazing discovery, that I never, ever expected.  It made the trip to the Vatican very special, indeed.