Vatican City

Saturday Aug. 7, 2010-Today we had breakfast on the roof of our hotel (we can see the Colosseum from our table).

After breakfast we took a taxi to the Vatican. Our tour guide was named Rachel and she was from Ireland. I loved her accent.

Literally "Stato della Citta del Vaticano" which translates to "State of the city of the Vatican". It is a land locked city state that sits independly inside the boundaries of the Italian capital city of Rome. It is approximately 110 acres and has a population of just over 800. They have a zero birthrate (surprise, surprise) and they issue their own passports.

The pinecone is gilt bronze. Originally from a Roman fountain dated to 1st or 2nd century AD. The pinecone is a symbol of enlightenment. The peacocks on either side are said to be symbolic of the phoenix and the entire balcony was designed by Michelangelo. Finally, this pinecone is the largest pinecone statue in the world.

Sfera Con Sfera (Sphere within a Sphere). Created for the Vatican Museum in 1990 by artist Arnaldo Pomodora. The fractured surface of the outer sphere reveals a very complex inner sphere that represents the harsh difficulties that the modern world finds itself in at the end of second millennium. The very intersting thing about this huge bronze casting is that each of the spheres rotate opposite of each other and freely. So one rotates one way and the other moves opposite of it on the inside. It is very cool to see. Rachel told us there are several smaller versions of this piece located all over the world.

The Vatican City is .6 miles wide and .8 miles long. Also known as the "Holy See", the Vatican is the smallest country in the world.

There are cracks in the barel vaults and the cornices. They have attached alarmed sensors to many of them. If there is seismic activity or the crack moves more than 1 millimeter-the Vatican knows about it!

Scholars have always disagreed about what is protruding from her body. Some say infants, some say breasts, some say testicles...what they can agree on is that she is a fertility godess. Duh!

All I know is that is about 1500 years old and I loved it! It reminded me of the theater.

This is the ceiling that leads into the Raphael room.

So, Rachel told us the story and it goes something like this. Michele might have to help fill in the gaps. The picture above is Raphael's School of Athens or Scuola di Atena. Completed either in 1510 or 1511, this is considered Raphael's greatest masterpiece and a prime example of high Renaissance style. Plato and Aristotle are at the center of the scene and it filled with all the great minds of history.

So, Rachel's story goes like this...It seems that Michaelangelo was sort of a butt and he didn't like people looking at his work until it completed and unveiled. Raphael thought Michaelangelo was a hack and snuck into the Sistine Chapel after work one night. Michaelangelo was working on the ceiling at the same time that Raphael was working on this piece. Raphael helped himself to a peek at Michaelangelo's work while the master was out. It is said that he promptly went back and painted the above image as the completion of his work. This image of Michaelangelo is particulary a compliment since Raphael (who made it clear that he still didn't like the guy but he had to acknowledge his genius as a master) portrayed M. as a writer! M. really loved to write and sculpt-so R. paid him a huge compliment by adding him to the great minds of history and adding him as he sat writing right down in front!

This is inside St. Peter's Basillica and I don't know what it is all about. I just was awe struck by the artistry out of one piece of marble!

The altar piece of St. Peter's. The basilica is considered late Renaissance style. It is the largest in the world and holds 60,000 people! Catholic tradition holds that this basilica is built over the burial site of it's namesake, St. Peter. Rachael told us a very compelling story that makes me inclined to believe this tradition. This tall, baroque piece stands over the altar and is called the baldacchino. It was designed by Bernini and was considered, at the time, to be the biggest bronze sculpture in the world.

Michele standing in front of the famous Obelisk of St. Peter's square! Brought to Rome from Egypt by the Emperor Caligula in 37 AD. It was relocated to this spot in 1586. It works as a sundial by casting its shadow on the long white tiles you can see on the ground. Tradition states that the bronze cross on top contains a fragment of the true Cross.

Me standing in Piazza san Pietro-St. Peter's Square. The building behind me is the exit from St. Peter's Basillica. All before noon! Just another day in Rome. ;)