Day Four
St. Peter's and the Vatican
Today we went to St. Peters and the Vatican. It was sunny but cold. Took the bus. St. Peter’s Square is very large and imposing. There was a giant life-size manger. Went inside and was duly overwhelmed. Went down into the catacombs and saw all of the Pope’s tombs, then up the elevator to the Dome. Then up 360 steps to the top! Wow.
You can look down inside the dome to the altar, and then you climb ramps and stairs around the dome (leaning to one side) and then up endless spiral stairs and finally up a tiny spiral staircase with no handrail only a rope! The view is worth the aching legs! You can see all of Rome from here, the Vatican residences and the gardens.
Vatican Residence
Then we mailed postcards to people with a Vatican postmark. Then it was off to the Island of Pizza for lunch. Excellent vegetable antipasto and anchovy pizza! Our waiter was a big Bill Clinton fan. The coffee amazing. We planned to meet back in that neighborhood for dinner at 8pm at a Tuscan restaurant.
I went then to the Villa Borghese. Walked through the park. Fountains, statues, got lost, ended up at the riding stables, asked directions, and finally found my way to the museum. Got there at sunset. What ceiling murals! What statues, what paintings! So much in one tiny museum (just two floors)- well when you have paintings on the ceilings too you can pack a lot in! They won't let you take photos and there was no book of the ceilings.
Bernini’s David and his Apollo and Daphne were breathtaking statues and he was only 25 when he did them!! Loved the St. Jerome and the Lucretia paintings Wow. Bought the book.
Walked down the Via Veneto and bought a neat tie for my stepdad, gold with a regular pattern and a hidden pattern of leopard spots. Then took the train back to the Vatican from the Republica. That is some building! Talk about columns. Dinner was exceptional. Had the most exquisite pumpkin and ricotta tortelloni, handmade and paper thin.
