Before we left the beautiful city of Florence this morning by train, we had to load our luggage to the big bus really early in the morning. After we packed up everything and sent it on its way to slowly trek to Rome, Richard realized he needed long pants (for the visit to the Vatican City) and he was wearing shorts. So we walked for an hour around our hotel to try to find pants, but it was too early so none of the stores were open! Finally we found a store and purchased a pair of pants just in the nick of time. LOL. It definitely a different experience and created lots of unusual memories!
Today we spent most of the day inside the smallest sovereign country in the world- Vatican. The independent city-state was established in 1929 by Lateran treaties and has an area of 110 acres and population around 840. It is an ecclesiastical state, ruled by the Bishop of Rome- the Pope. It is also the sovereign territory of the Holy See (Sancta Sedes) and the location of the Pope’s official residence. In the city, a few famous sites such as St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum, where some of the world’s most famous painting and sculptures are held. The structures of the Vatican City was constructed by Benito Mussolini, and St. Peter’s Basilica has architects including Bramante, Michelangelo, Giacomo della Porta, Maderno and Bernini, is a renowned work of Renaissance architecture.
The Sistine Chapel is famous for its frescos, especially the ceiling and Last Judgement by Michelangelo.
There is a Vatican obelisk, originally take from Egypt, symbolizes the exact spot where the Apostle Peter was crucified up side down. Also another point of interest is the military defence of Vatican City, provided by Italian armed forces and the pontifical Swiss guards in their clown-like uniform who are directly responsible for the personal security of the Pope, though the Swiss guards are listed under “Holy See” instead of under “State of Vatican City”. All recruits must be Catholic, unmarried males with Swiss citizenship who have complete their basic training with the Swiss Army with certificates of good conducts, be between the ages of 19-30, and be at least 5 ft 9 in (174cm) in height.
After the Vatican City, we walked in the streets of Rome visiting Castel Sant’Angelo (Castle of the Holy Angel), it is a towering cylindrical building by the river Tiber accompanied by the Ponte Sant’Angelo (Bridge of Hadrian) wtih its 10 statues. If you had read Dan Brown‘s Angels and Demons, you’d know there is a covered fortified corridor connecting the Castel Sant’Angelo to the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano (St. Peter’s Basilica).
We also visited Capitoline Hill, one of the 7 hills of Rome, it was the citadel of the earliest Romans. We walked around the ancient Roman ruins and forum to Altare della Patria, also known as the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II, commemorating the first king of a unified Italy- Victor Emmanuel. To date, the Vittoriano is the largest momument in white marble Botticino ever created, and features stairways, Corinthian columns, fountains, and equestrian scultptures.
Then onto Piazza Venezia, a major circus and the central hub of Rome, and a former embassy of the city of the Republic of Venice to Rome. The last and best stop of the day is the outside of the Colosseum! My favorite place in Rome! It got me all hyped up for the inside tour of the Colosseum tomorrow!
