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To say the least, St. Peter's Basilica is immense. We were astounded by its size. The artwork and sculptures in St. Peter's Basilica are beautiful, as is the dome's interior, as shown in the following photos.
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The main altar is magnificent. Only the pope, or his designee, can celebrate mass at this altar.
Michelangelo's
Pieta is in St. Peters. It was one of many wonderful sculptures within
the
basilica. Michelangelo carved it out of a solid block of granite at the ripe old age of 23. He must have been some fabulous guy.
The Bernini statues (below) lining the roof of the portico of the basillica are truly magnificent and quite imposing.
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Later, we visited the grotto beneath St. Peter's where many of the popes are buried. This was a fascinating experience. Not all of the popes are buried here. Some are buried outside the old city wall in the catacombs.
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Day 3, Sts. Peter's and Paul's Prison, and the Forum Romanum
We set off to see the Forum Romanum. A street vendor gave us fabulous directions. As we went up a hill we stumbled on the prison where Saints Peter and Paul were held before their crucifixion. We went down a short flight of steps into a cell carved from stone that was unbelievably bleak. The steps we used to enter the cell did not exist when the cell was used. The only access back then was through a hole in the ceiling.
The prison is located at the foot of the Temple of Concordia near the Forum. It was constructed from the underground tunnels and galleries from which building materials were quarried. It was Rome's only prison during the times of the kings and the tribunes. As Rome grew, the prison became reserved for political prisoners who were condemned to death as enemies of the people of Rome.
The prison was originally named the Mamertine Prison, however around the middle of the fifteenth century the prison became known as S. Petri et Pauli in Carcere (Saint Peter and Paul in Prison) and the church of the same name was built over the prison.
The cell in which St. Peter and St. Paul were kept is twelve feet underground with a vaulted stone ceiling.
As desired by Pope Benedict XIII, an altar was placed against the North wall for the re-consecration of the church.
In the floor of the cell is the fount of water (Brenda pointing), which legend says miraculously appeared when St. Peter needed water to baptize his jailers, Processus and Martinianus.
In all, this was a very spiritual experience.
The Forum Romanum was the commercial, political, religious and business center of the city. Its origin was the coalescing of primitive villages that had grown up on the surrounding hills. In the 7th century BC, the Cloaca Maxima (Great Sewer) was laid out. It was designed to drain the stagnant waters from the Forum and surrounding hills. Construction began around 616 BC. Paving the Cloaca Maxima with stone started around 400 BC. This work permitted the construction of the Curia, where the senate convened, and the Comitium for the assemblies of the people.
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A small sanctuary consisting of an altar and an honorary column, along with a small block containing an inscription dating back to the 6th century BC is interpreted as the grave of the legendary founder of Rome, Romulus.
The Forum's shops and market stalls mingled with the city's oldest temples, those of Vesta, Saturn, Janus, and Castor and Pollux.
The construction of the first basilicas in the 2nd century BC further emphasized the Forum's character as a political and administrative center. Even today, the letters S.P.Q.R. (an acronym for the Latin phrase Senatus Populusque Romanus —The Senate and People of Rome) can be found all around the city. An example is the street access cover shown below.
Julius Caesar is still honored by Roman citizens, as witnessed by the fresh flowers on his grave.
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We walked on the same paving stones that the legendary Romans walked on, and our mind's eye reconstructed the ruins into their former glory. For a brief moment we were in Imperial Rome in all its majesty.
As we walked to catch the bus back to our hotel we came across a recently discovered site that is now being explored and reconstructed. It was Caesar's palace. It sits below street level, surrounded by the buildings and roads of the modern city.
Day 4, A Papal Audience and the Sistine Chapel
We arrived early for the papal audience. It was a good move because we had seats only about one-quarter of the way back from the stage. Then Pope John Paul II emerged. The place went wild, just like you see on TV. Flags waved, people cheered. It was controlled pandemonium.
Various tour groups sang for the pope. Later we found out that these tributes are limited to thirty seconds. The pope addressed the audience in eight languages, and concluded the official audience with a pontifical blessing to all.
It is customary for the pope to bless various groups at the end of an audience. Newly married couples were blessed, then a group of Roman firefighters, as were various personages of importance. An interesting group from Africa, obviously quite important people, had seats up front. They were attired as actors in a movie. It was somewhat appropriate that they were a group of three. The Three Kings?
Our visit to the Sistine Chapel was awe inspiring. To get to the chapel we wound our way up and down staircases and through a maze of rooms filled floor to ceiling with the most magnificent artwork and treasures. We saw the papal flag that traveled to the moon, lavishly decorated furniture and superb frescoes on walls and ceilings. After about twenty minutes we arrived in the chapel. Picture taking is not allowed because camera flash can harm the frescoes. I tried to use my video camera and was immediately informed that picture taking in any form is not allowed. One clever photographer next to me did take pictures, shooting from the waist, with an expensive camera that didn't require flash. He got his pictures, unnoticed by security.
Michelangelo, who considered himself, first, as a sculptor, then as an architect, and finally a painter, worked four years on the ceiling frescoes. He spent one full year on his back. To say they are magnificent is an understatement. The Sistine Chapel's ceiling is curved, so Michelangelo had to alter perspective so that the paintings, viewed from the chapel floor, would not have a distorted appearance.
Other frescoes on the walls were painted by Cosimo Roselli, Sandro Botticelli, and Luca Signorelli. Michelangelo's The Last Judgment fills an entire wall.
Day 5, Pompeii
We were on our way to Pompeii at 6:00 AM. Our Mercedes driver, Nicoli, or Nick as we called him, had evidently missed his calling as a Formula One Grand Prix driver. He was very good, and he was very fast.
We entered Pompeii and met our guide, Mario, who is an expert on the city. He keeps himself updated with classes on Pompeii and the latest findings at the University of Rome, so we were confident we were in capable hands.
Pompeii's streets were designed to carry off rain water. Thoughtfully, stepping stones were placed in the streets so that citizens could cross without getting their feet wet, yet allow wagons and carts to move freely, as shown in the photo below.
Pompeii became a Roman colony in 89 BC at the beginning of the Samnite Wars. Its full name was Colonia Veneria Cornelia Pompeii. Veneria referred to the Goddess Venus, and Cornelia was the name of the city's conqueror.
On August 24th, 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius, located only a few miles from the city, erupted with a terrific roar. Seven feet of ash and lapilli buried the city, and all inhabitants who had not fled were killed.
At the time of its destruction, Pompeii had a population of approximately 10,000, of which 60% were free citizens and 40% were slaves.
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The pyroplastic flow of intensely hot gas and ash engulfed the citizens and caused instant death. Plaster casts of the cavities their bodies made in the ash are shown above. Their flesh is long since gone, however their bones remain inside the casts. Slaves were identified by the belts around their waist, and it was known to be summer because the victims wore sandals.
Pompeii was originally situated right on the Bay of Naples. It is now further inland. This is because the volume of volcanic material expelled by Vesuvius created a new land mass that relocated the shoreline almost one mile farther away. Citizens were killed in the boathouses as they tried to set sail to escape the cataclysm.
Seventeen hundred years later, the architect, Domenico Fontana, carrying out land improvements in the Sarno Valley, had a tunnel built. Some inscriptions were uncovered, however no one at the time knew that they had discovered a buried ancient city.
Mario explained how the citizens lived. The well-to-do class of local aristocrats (land owners) and the middle class, consisting of business men, bankers, lawyers, and orators, lived in the more luxurious houses. These houses had their rooms arranged around atriums and water gardens. Wall paintings are, amazingly, still visible.
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The more modest and less affluent class of freedmen, poorer traders, and craftsmen lived in smaller houses without a true atrium. The rooms of these houses had rooms surrounded by a smaller covered atrium. Often the dwelling and shop offices were in the same location. The rooms were located behind the shop or above, on a mezzanine. Shown below is a food market and the bakery.
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Interestingly, the shops had sliding doors to protect them during off-business hours. The tracks for a sliding door are shown in the following photo.
Because of the diverse population and the many languages spoken, many businesses displayed graphic symbols advertising their specialty. Shown below are the business places for a carpenter, porter, and a house of the oldest profession.
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Some of the highlights of our tour were the temple of Venus and the Temple of Apollo, where statues of Apollo and his sister Diana faced each other on either side of the temple.
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Water was supplied by aqueducts, and later, as the population increased a water system of lead pipes (photo below) was constructed.
Several fountains that supplied water were located throughout the city, each with a different design, such as a lion's head or similar identifying characteristic. These became meeting places, where a citizen could tell another to meet him at, say, the lion fountain.
Reconstruction of Pompeii is continuing at a measured pace. Missing pillars and other architectural items are created of brick, as illustrated in two of the following photos.
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The statue of the dancing fawn, which faces East, dates back to the 2nd century BC. It was magnificent, as was some of the mosaic work.
A milestone, just discovered in mid-2004, tells the distance to Rome. This information is not visible to the naked eye, however It can be read under infrared light.
Of course, the day had to end with some souvenir shopping.
Day 6, Coliseum, the Circus Maximus, La Boca della Veritá, and St. Peter in Chains Church
The Coliseum was known in its day as the Flavian Amphitheater. Even today, in its partial state, it is an imposing structure. Its elliptical length is 188 meters (617 ft) long and its minor axis is 156 meters (512 ft) wide. The metal pins that hold the 100,000 cubic meters of travertine blocks together are estimated to weigh more than 300 tons. It was also the first stadium to have a roof! Canvas awnings, to shield the spectators from the sun, were manipulated by a special detachment of Roman sailors from the naval base at Misenum on the Gulf of Naples
Construction started in 70 AD and was opened by Titus ten years later. The ceremonies and games on that occasion went on for 100 days, and 5,000 wild animals were put to death
A complex system of passages and rooms extended below the arena floor (following photos) where show equipment and scenery for the animal hunts were stored. Hills, woods, and even small lakes were set up for these spectacles. The arena floor was flooded when recreations of naval battles were staged.
Below the arena floor, elevators, using counterweights, delivered their contents to the arena floor. On one occasion this system simultaneously brought 100 lions into the arena, and the lions' combined roar was so loud that the noisy crowd was frightened into instant silence. Archers were strategically stationed in the event a lion escaped.
Including standing spectators, the arena could hold approximately 70,000 spectators, who came there to watch gladiatorial combat, wild beast hunts, and other less important spectacles. The arena floor was made of wood, covered by sand.
There wasn't an admission charge for any Coliseum event. All Romans got in free.
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Period flavor was supplied by a legion of Roman soldiers who entertained the tourists by demanding their women and other hi jinks. They charged euros to take their pictures. I decided to take stealth shots instead.
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Annette and Brenda take a Coliseum walking break and pose with a bit of antiquity.
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High-ranking citizens had the best Coliseum seats on the lower levels. Many inscribed their names on their seats for future generations to marvel at. Little did this person of stature realize, 2000 years later, that we would marvel at his place of honor today.
The ordinary citizens were relegated to the lesser seats at the higher levels.
The last show was held in 523 AD. It consisted only of animal hunts. Gladiator fighting had been abolished in 438 AD.
The Coliseum's museum contains many important works. Three are shown below: Diana, Apollo, and Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121–161 AD).
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Below is the Arch of Constantine, which is located just outside the Coliseum.
The Circus Maximus is a huge oval that was constructed for chariot racing. Essentially, chariot racing was the NASCAR of its day. There was seating available for 350,000 fans, which must have made racing a very exciting event. Today it is a vast sea of green, with its sloping walls that held the seats, and the track is still visible.
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La Bocca della Verità was our next stop. After we left the Coliseum we walked past the Arch of Constantine along Via S. Greggoria to the Circus Maximus and then on to the church of S. Maria in Cosmedin (Ornaments) where La Boca della Verità (The Mouth of Truth) is located. This artifact dates back to the 4th century BC.
The church (Greek Orthodox) is an unusual architectural blend of paganism and Christianity. La Bocca della Verità is a one-and-a-third-ton slab of marble with the face of a man or a divinity. Tradition says that the mouth will bite off the hand of he who tells lies.
After leaving the church we walked across the street to Vesta's temple (below) to catch a bus back to the Coliseum.
We had a bite to eat at Bistro Coliseo, which was just across the street from the Coliseum. I had a chicken club sandwich and Brenda and Annette ordered tuna. The sandwiches, made with Italian bread, were all prominently on display. They were delicious.
After our respite, we walked the few blocks to San Pietro en Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains) church. Access to the church from the street was by a steep stairway through an arched passage way, that left us breathless at the top
The chains that held St. Peter were displayed in a glass enclosure, and it was interesting to find out that the chains were originally cut up into three sections and shipped to different European cities. Later, the chains were returned and placed in a sealed container. When the container was opened the chains had miraculously joined together.
Inside the church is Michelangelo's statue of Moses, considered by many art experts to be his greatest work. It was displayed in the open, with only a low fence to keep viewers at a respectful distance.
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Day 7, Christmas Day
We went to the 10:30 mass at San Roberto Bellarmino church. The weather was wet and drizzly, and all agreed that this was a good day to rest up. It was a wise decision because we found out later that the buses stopped running at 1:00 PM.
Day 8, The Vatican (again) Castle San Angelo, The Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain
It was Sunday, and we went to Mass at San Roberto Bellarmino. Then took tram 19 to the Vatican. We then walked from the Vatican to the Castle San Angelo (Hadrian's Castle). The castle was a beautiful and imposing building.
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An interesting story about the castle was when Pope St. Gregory the Great was leading a procession imploring the end of the plague, he saw an angel on the top of the castle sheathing his sword, which indicated an end to the pestilence. Hence the imposing statue of an angel atop the castle.
We walked to the Piazza Navona, and after getting directions from a Carabinieri (State Police) officer, we arrived at the Pantheon. This is the best-preserved building from the ancient era. It was erected by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa between 25 and 27 AD. The name, Pantheon, is a Greek word meaning 'of all the gods'.
The Pantheon is startlingly beautiful. The interior is simply breathtaking, exuding a sense of peace and an air of calm. To say the least the building is an engineering marvel. It held the honor of being the largest domed building until 1883. The height of the dome is 43.5 m (143 ft), which is the same as the diameter of the building. This means that the building could hold a perfect sphere of those dimensions. The interior is perfectly preserved, which is unique among the monuments of antiquity. The apex of the dome contains a circular opening, with a diameter of 27 feet (8.2m) and the elements are free to enter.
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The dome is constructed of stepped rings of solid concrete with less and less density as lighter aggregate (pumice) is used. The dome's thickness diminishes to about 1.2 m (4 feet) at the edge of the oculus. The dome rests on a cylinder of masonry walls 6 m (20 feet) thick. Hidden voids and the interior recesses create hollows in the construction. The Pantheon, therefore, works less as a solid mass and more as three continuous arcades, which correspond to the three tiers of relieving arches visible on the building exterior. Originally, these exterior walls were faced with colored marble.
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Even today, after centuries of countless feet, the inlaid marble floors are pristine and magnificent.
The original, massive Roman doors, approximately 25 ft (7.6 m) high, are so perfectly engineered and balanced that even today they can be opened by a child.
Pope Boniface IV received the building as a gift from the Byzantine emperor Phocas in 608 AD, and the pope converted the building from a pagan temple to a Christian church.
The Trevi Fountain is truly a beautiful work of art. It got its name from its location at the junction of three roads (tre vie). Pietro da Cortona, and above all Bernini, who began the fountain's undertaking, had their hands on the project. The death of Pope Urban VIII brought work to a standstill, and it was not until about a hundred years later that Clement XII entrusted the work to Nicola Salvi, who worked on the fountain from 1732 to 1751. Construction was financed by Pope Nicholas V with a tax imposed on wine. The populace were upset, and they said “He took our wine and gave us water”.
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The fountain's central niche seems to impart movement to the imposing figure of Neptune who firmly guides a chariot drawn by sea horses. They are known as the agitated horse and the placid horse, names obviously derived from the way in which the two animals have been represented. As they gallop over the water, the horses are guided in their course by fine figures of tritons that emerge from the water, and which were sculptured by P. Bracci in 1762.
Legend has it that if you throw a coin into this fountain it guarantees your return to Rome. We tossed coins.
An English tourist's journal published in 1892 describes this custom or ritual as follows: “If you wish to return to Rome, you should come here on the last day of your visit, take a drink out of the rim of the fountain with your left hand, then turn and throw into the water, over your left shoulder, a halfpenny”. Today the fountain is filled with thousands of coins.
Day 9, St. John Lateran and The Catacombs
St. John Lateran is also known as the Cathedal of the Pope, or the "Mother Church" because it is the seat of the Diocese of Rome. The Pope is the Bishop of Rome. Construction started under Constantine the Great in 307 AD and dedicated to Christ the Savior, later it was rededicated to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist.
Over the years the church was severely damaged by the invasions of barbarians, fires, earthquakes and neglect. Yet it was always rebuilt, repaired, enlarged, and adorned with other paintings, mosaics, and artifacts.
Today it is an edifice of incomparable beauty filled with magnificent artifacts spanning the ages from the 4th century to present.
A separate building houses the 28 steps that Jesus walked on in the house of Pilate. We were unable to enter because it was closed.
The sad part of the day was that we had not allocated enough time to spend here, so our next trip will start with St. John Lateran.
Our next stop was the Catacombs of S. Callisto along the Via Appia Antica (Old Appian Way). It is one of the many Catacombs located outside Rome's city walls. They were originally thought to be used as a refuge for persecuted Christians. However, it was later determined that they were a burial ground for Christians. Christians could not be buried inside the city walls.
Unfortunately, photos were not permitted. The catacombs are carved from porous volcanic rock and cover an enormous area. Our tour on three different levels covered about ten-percent of this catacomb.
Because tourists had been secretly taking bone samples, all the deceased were moved to areas not accessed by tourists.
Our Trip Home
Our return journey was uneventful until TSA (Transportation Security Agency) in Philadelphia tried to funnel several hundred passengers through one security checkpoint that was manned by only two agents. Passengers were missing flights. It was a disaster. Then someone told us to forget the security checkpoint, leave this terminal, then take the bus to our new departure terminal and re-enter security there. We made our next flight by moments!
As we approached LAX, our flight, after extensive circling because of weather, was diverted to the Ontario, CA airport. The plane was refueled and the passengers were given the option of staying aboard for the flight back to LAX or deplaning. We elected to stay with the aircraft, and were back in LAX twenty minutes later.
Our flight arrived five hours late, and our limo driver, to our surprise, was still there waiting to take us back to Malibu.
After a wonderful two-day stay in Malibu we flew home with wonderful memories and a promise to return to Rome once again.
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©Copyright 2005 by Tim and Annette Healy
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