Rome- July 9, 2019 - Vatican City

Rome- July 9, 2019 - Vatican City

Another scorching hot day in Rome!  We had a very early start- wake-up call at 7:00 a.m.  We boarded our bus at 8:30 a.m.and headed to the Vatican Museum. There were already hundreds of tourists lined up to visit the masterpieces within. Our guides started our visit by telling us about Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, the representations from the Old and New Testaments, and of course, "The Last Judgement".  On our way there we saw statues of Apollo and Hercules. We continued through the Map Rooms, the Tapestry Rooms and the Rafaello rooms, where we learned about the "School of Athens".  We then reached our destination- the Sistine Chapel. We all admired Michelangelo's creativity and attention to detail. We learned that it is in this very chapel the papal conclaves are held. 

We then headed inside St. Peter's Basilica.  As soon as we entered, we were in front of Michelangelo's marble statue, "La Pieta", one of the most beautiful sculptures in the history of art. As we left the Vatican, we saw the Swiss Guards. Pope Francis was in the Vatican today we were told.  It was a wonderful experience.

We had some time to eat lunch and do some souvenir shopping before heading back to the hotel to get some relief from the heat.

In the evening we had a taste of Italian culture as we participated in a dinner theatre at "Le Terme del Colosseo". We were entertained by waiters singing opera, Roman folk songs, as well as contemporary Italian songs.  Our guide, "Nonna Teresa" treated us to her rendition of an Italian folk song!

We say goodbye to Roma for now. Arrivederci Roma!  Tomorrow we visit Assisi before arriving in Siena.

 

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