Wow...I find it difficult to describe Rome adequately. Even being there for almost four days, I still feel like I only scratched the surface of that place. Kath and I chose to do a "Best of Rome" tour for our last day there. So, we went to the Vatican City to see St. Peters Basilica (where Michaelangelo's "Pietà" resides), to the Vatican Museum (to see the the Sistine Chapel), and then back to Rome for one last tromp through Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and one lasta treep to Giolitti's Gelateria,(the oldest and most famous gelateria in Rome), then to see the Trevi Fountain, then last of all, to see the Spanish Steps.
Going to The Vatican City (please forgive me, I am about to start speaking in absolutes) was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. For some miraculous reason, there were no lines at all, that NEVER happens. But Kath and I were able to just walk right in to see both St. Peter's and the Museum. Seeing the Pietà, just in the front of St. Peter's Basilica...I was in shock or denial at first, I think. I casually went over to the glass case where resides perhaps the most famous religious statue in the whole of the world, and waded through the throng of hundreds of picture takers to take a picture myself.
The sculpture sits behind a HUGE two-story-bullet-proof glass wall, and is set back about 20 feet from the barricade as well. I took my pictures along with everyone else, and then stepped away.
I went into the main hall and just looked at everything. I had to hearken back to two months previous when my sister and I where in the Norton-Simons Museum in Passadena and there was a HUGE painting of St. Peters and I remembered looking at it and thinking that in two months time, I would be there inside of that place in real life. For some reason, as I was looking at that painting, I had an ominous feeling that I wouldn't get to see it, that something bad was going to happen that was going to prevent me from seeing St. Peters. So, standing in that great building, I felt a great sense of gratitude. Then something strange happened, I casually glanced over and saw the Pietà again, from a great distance, and I just crumbled in to a heap of tears in front of everyone. I was here, looking at the Pietà, Michaelangelo's work in the flesh (I am tearing up now just thinking on it) I am still in disbelief that I got to see it.
He made it, the Pietà when he was only 23 years old. And as I looked over and saw his beautiful masterpiece...I just cried, feeling so behind, and wondering if I will ever be able to leave a beautiful mark on the world...feeling too late but hoping that I am not. The rest of the cathedral was amazing and I felt honored to be there.
The next thing we got to see was the immortal Sistine Chapel. Kath and I barreled through the literal thousands of tourists in their respective groups to make it into the chapel before it closed. It took us about 25 minutes to get there and we were booking it the whole time. When we got to the actual room itself, which was a bit smaller than I thought it would be, there was a very different feeling there; no pictures were allowed, of any kind. You must be silent when you are in there, and they don't let you wear hats, plus to get in, you must be dressed modestly (I thought that was cool). It took some time to get situated in the room, it was jam packed with people straining their necks to get a good look at a certain spot of one of the HUNDREDS of amazing painted figures to look at...the restoration of painstaking work had been completed a few years ago, so the colors were beautifully vivid. I waited patiently go get a spot to sit down on one of the marble benches that line the perimeter of the room, I had made a scan of all of the famous scenes, the "God reaching to touch Adam" the "Delhpicus" and the other famed portraits of the Prophets and was calm and reverent and in awe. Kath was able to sit down next to me and we sat and bathed in the splendid art for about 20 minutes. Then, for some reason, my eyes rested on the central panel of Heavenly Father straining to spark life into Adam through the electrical current of his forefinger. My eyes rested...and rested...and rested...and then all of a sudden, it truly dawned upon me what I was looking at, truly looking at, and I felt almost drowned in a wave of emotion and literally burst into tears. And I could not stop crying. I could not stop crying. I believe that there is a part of me that will cry for the rest of my life from seeing that miracle (I am fully crying now) I am forever changed, to what degree, I do not know. Kath tried to calm me, I was glad she was there.
I sent my postcards from The Vatican (you have to buy Vatican stamps because it IS it's own country) and we sped out to see the rest of Rome.
Seeing the Trevi was awesome, and I threw in my wish coin and my return coin (you have to do that one backwards). The Spanish Steps were beautiful. But the thing that I will remember about that last part of the day, was the cherry gelato that I got from Giolitti's in the chocolate dipped cone. It was so good. I don't know if I have ever enjoyed anything of that nature, quite that much. I will always remember it.
Giolitti's. Ahh...the best gelato in the whole of the world is sold here.
Ah. Goodbye, my Rome. Till next time.
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