Three Italian Cities - Rome, Florence, and Venice: Part II

Coming off the previous entry, the highlights of Rome were already covered, i.e. the Coliseum, the Roman Forums, the Pantheon, and other landmarks like the Fountain of Trevi, the Spanish Steps... and of course, Roman snacks and restaurants. When I was exploring these areas, it really helped to envision the world in ancient times; it gives the experience a different feel. Instead of staring at walls and walls of text and information, I can look at the actual landmark and picture it when it was not crusty and cracked, and when it was still glossy and fresh.

On the other hand, while Rome was filled with historical sights and astounding architecture, one of my favorite stops in the entire trip will have to be Vatican City. Oh yes, the home of the Pope. If you do not know already, even though Vatican City is considered a city-state, it is the smallest country in the entire world. Population: 900. No, I don't consider Antarctica a country...!

Rome to Vatican City
Oh, the long, foot-wrenching journey! I kid. Vatican City resides within the walls of Rome. So interestingly enough, Vatican City is a country within another country. Or better yet, a country within a city.

A 20-minute bus ride was all it took. In fact, it was so smooth that I could not tell where the border was. I look up one moment and we were at a normal intersection with a normal traffic light and normal cars and normal pedestrians scattered around. I look up soon after that and we were at yet another normal intersection, etc., etc., except it was an intersection in Vatican City. I must have missed the sign somewhere... It sort of reminds me of some Harry Potter secret entrance gig.

Vatican City
First stop was St. Peter's Basilica, the main sight in Vatican City and supposedly one of the holiest Christian sites in the world. Knowing the magnitude of the colossal church before I got there, there was this feeling in my gut that told me, "you're being watched," for the entirety of the stay. I wouldn't call it butterflies, or the anxiety of entering such a sacred area, but more like a sixth sense that seriously told me that someone higher up was watching my every move. It's an indescribable feeling that can only probably be experienced in a place like St. Peter's Basilica.

It's big, all right. Really big. And the aura it disperses around it is - can I say - divine. And the photos above only show the facade of the church. The entirety of the square cannot fit in one photo.

The mother of all churches, to sum it up. If you think the outer areas are grand enough, then wait until you get a good look at the inside. Of course, photos barely do any justice in portraying the divinity of St. Peter's Basilica, if not at all. One of the main sights there is the gigantic tomb of the Popes. But out of all the papal figures buried there, none other than Jesus's own apostle, the first Roman bishop and Pope, Saint Peter pulls in the most visitors.

Unfortunately - or rather fortunately - the tomb is obviously more sacred than probably anything that I have witnessed, seen, stepped into, heard of, and so on than I have in my entire life. Because of that, no photography is allowed there. As much as I would have liked to take a few pictures as a keepsake for my time there, I could not help but respectfully adhere to the rules. As I mentioned before... there's a higher figure up there watching. Witnessing the tearful nuns and solemn priests that were gathered and praying in front of the burial site of Saint Peter sure helped the cause.

But there are other notables in St. Peter's Basilica. During the reconstruction of the basilica in the years of the Renaissance, the famous Michelangelo took part. Now, if I was going through Rome and Vatican City, anything to do with Michelangelo had to be a must-see. Though not all of the interior was touched by Michelangelo, everything from the walls to the floor to the ceilings were artistically rendered.

Oh, and it happened to be Sunday when we visited. Sunday plus church plus holy land equals...?

Mass is about to start. I've probably attended mass a whopping ten or so times before I moved out of Queens and out of middle school years. However, by just looking at mass held in the basilica was a knee-buckling, heart-in-throat, eyes-widening experience.

I was absolutely not planning on attending, however. If I chose to, I would have been obligated to remain there for about three to four hours. And being that I was completely uneducated in the process, I was not about to make a fool out of myself in front of so many priests, nuns, and dedicated Christians. Not that I have anything against the proceedings. Had I been more prepared in the prior years, and if I was not on a time constraint, I would have undoubtedly stayed and attended.

There was more to see anyway. As I mentioned before, Michelangelo played a great role in the design and furnishing of St. Peter's Basilica. Aside from the wall sculptures and paintings, a small, yet intricately designed sculpture by Michelangelo resides in the basilica.

The Pietà, just "Pity," or in this case, in the artistic form known as the "Lamentation of Christ," seen as the Virgin Mary holding the lifeless body of Jesus, is found in a lot of places throughout Renaissance Europe. And the most famous Pietà happens to be Michelangelo's Pietà that sat in St. Peter's Basilica. If you noticed, the photo is not the best of quality and there seems to be glares coming off different angles. Well, that's because some craphead decided to attempt and demolish the masterpiece.

"The most substantial damage occurred on May 21, 1972 (Pentecost Sunday) when a mentally disturbed geologist named Laszlo Toth walked into the chapel and attacked the sculpture with a geologist's hammer while shouting 'I am Jesus Christ.'" - Wikipedia article

Due to this craphead's crappy actions full of crap, the Pietà was subsequently moved behind bulletproof glass after a long, painstaking process of restoration.

After the trip to St. Peter's Basilica, the next stop in Vatican City was the Vatican Museum, supposedly one fo the greatest museums in all of Europe. I was pretty much oblivious to any background information regarding the museum, but all I did know was that the famous Sistine Chapel was part of it. Yes, the museum is huge, it attracts millions of visitors per year, but I just wanted to see the Sistine Chapel. It is a giant Renaissance art-fest, highlighted by the works of Michelangelo and Raphael (two of the four ninja turtles).

And these are just about 1% of the photos I took there. It does get redundant at some point, when it's just paintings on top of paintings, sculptures on top of sculptures, but where is my Sistine Chapel?! Oh, I was almost there...

This is a photo of the "Creation of Adam," part of Michelangelo's Last Judgment masterpiece that spreads across the entire ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Now, there is a story to this photo. No, not the painting, that you can read about pretty much anywhere. But taking this photo was a risky task. First of all, photography is not allowed in the Sistine Chapel, which is ridiculous. They allow photography pretty much anywhere else in the museum. Second of all, if caught taking photos, the accused will be promptly escorted out of the museum. This was a famous sight that had to be recorded...

There were about several hundred people in the main room at one time, so I figured my chances were decent in getting a good shot. However, there were so many rule-adherers that it was obvious who was taking photos. But then a couple of Asian chicks grew balls all of a sudden and decided to take a clean shot towards the ceiling. But with flash?! Idiots. Bye. They were escorted out. It was pretty fast. So in the process of guards howling out, "HEY! NO PHOTOS!" I ducked down within the crowd, aimed my camera from the ground up, and snapped a quick one. Sure, the quality is absolutely abominable, but at least I stole one. With that, I scampered off inconspicuously.

To cap it all off, I journeyed down the famous staircase of the Vatican Museum.

It just swirls and swirls and swirls and...

Well, that concludes the stop at Vatican City. Imagine touring an entire country in two days. It was definitely a breeze through, but it's the sort of attraction that can bring old visitors back. I'm not ruling out the possibility of coming back for another visit at some point in the future.

Back to Rome. It's not like I have any choice either. Remember Vatican City lies within the city of Rome. A country within a city. Man, that's going to be forever mind-blowing.