One of the highlights of Rome is the Colosseum. It is considered and listed as one of the new wonders of the World. For us this has been on our list of must see for years. This amazing structure is 52 meters high, which is the equivalent of a 17-storey structure.
It is an amazing structure with the arch architectural element. There are 80 arches over four floors that creates the famous elliptical shape of the Colosseum. The history of the colosseum is quite interesting. In fact in ancient Romans times it was called ” Flavian Amphitheater” which came from the name of the imperial family Flavia.
Shelley and Ray in front of the Colosseum in Rome
We were awed by the sheer size of the pillars, arches and overall size of the colosseum.
The inner section of the entry pillars of the colosseum
The amphitheater was a massive project and was designed to seat over 55,000 people. The amphitheater’s construction was funded with the spoils seized from the Jewish Temple after Roman crushed the Jewish Revolt of 70 AD. Stolen Jewish artifacts not only funded the building of the Colosseum, but Jewish slaves seized during the revolt built the building.
Image of the massive size of the colosseum in Rome.
At the end of the construction, the inauguration was celebrated with extraordinary games and fights that lasted 100 days.
We were fortunate to have an in depth tour of the colosseum with access to the underground area. A truly amazing structure and design known as the hypogeum. It was a network of tunnels and chambers distributed in two levels where gladiators and animals were kept before appearing in the arena above.
Lower rooms and hallways of the colosseum
We walked through the underground areas and could just imagine the chaos and sounds of the gladiators, animals and people.
We saw a recreation of the elevator type structures used to raise gladiators and animals into the colosseum arena.
Recreation of Roman elevator system in colosseumrecreation of a cage area of elevator at colosseum
After exploring the lower level of the colosseum we went to the reconstructed section of the arena floor where gladiators would have fought. The view from the arena floor gave us a unique perspective of just what the gladiators would have seen.
Shelley and Ray on the colosseum arena floor area.
We then explored the upper areas of the colosseum and saw the areas where over 50,000 spectators would watch the battles. Senators and the wealthy had reserved seats engraved in marble.
View of the colosseum walls under the floor.
It was one of those pinch me moments touring the colosseum and seeing such a unique and awe inspiring historical structure.
“afferrare la vita e non rimandare a domani cosa puoi fare oggi”
Rome for over a millennium was the centre of power and controlled most of the world. It has a complex and deep history, so we decided to take some time and explore this amazing city. We walked through many of the streets that had remnants of Roman ruins and historic sites. We were in awe at the richness of the history. We went to the normal tourist sites like the Trevi Fountain. It is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome. It is very impressive standing 26.3 metres high and 49.15 metres wide. This is the largest Baroque fountain in the city or Rome and one of the most famous fountains in the world.
The Trevi Fountain in Rome
Shelley and Ray in front of the Trevi Fountain
The ornate statues in the Trevi Fountain in Rome
We also went to see the Spanish Steps which climb a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and by the Trinità dei Monti church, at the top.
Spanish Steps in Rome
There was a police presence there and they were watching the tourist and keeping them from loitering too much or sitting down on the steps.
We of course had to walk up the 135 steps to the top. The view from the top of the Spanish Steps gave a nice view of Rome.
The view from the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome.
At the base of the Spanish Stairs is the Fontana della Barcaccia .
The fountain of Barcaccia, which is fountain of the boat in Italian.
We walked to different piazzas and almost each one had amazing sites and statues. We came to the National Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II which is also known as Altare della Patria meaning Altar of the Fatherland in english..
It is an amazing and impressive building located in the center of ancient Rome.
The front of the National Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II
There are large statues and fountains along the building.
Side view of some of the statues at the National Monument to Vittorio Emanuele IIview of the Alter of the Fatherland statue as sun sets in Rome
All along the ancient centre of Rome are ruins, statues and remnants of the Roman empire.
Shelley and Ray in front of Roman ruinsArco di Costatino in RomeSanta Maria Di Loreto in Rome with the Colonna Trajana in the foreground
We of course went to see the colosseum which was amazing and we will do a separate post on the colosseum.
The colosseum of RomeCastel San Angelo in Rome
These were beautiful and awe inspiring sites to see, but what we really enjoyed was the people and food of Rome.
“L’esperienza è l’insegnante di tutte le cose.” – Julius Caesar
We toured the “Papal Basilica of St. Peter” which is commonly referred to as simply St. Peter’s Basilica.
The St. Peter Basilica with Michelangelo’s done n the Vatican Rome
The history of the church and why it is called St Peter is interesting. Peter was one of the 12 apostles of Christ and was crucified upside down at the top of the hill called “Vaticanus” and the site of the Clementine Chapel. His remains are said to be those contained in the underground Confessio in St. Peter’s Basilica.
We entered the Basilica through the massive main doors and we were immediately exposed to the vast size of the church.
Entrance of the St. Peter Basilica in Rome
The high ceiling and ornate designs were very impressive. The high ceilings accented the vast size of the church. The ceilings were decorated with ornate gold designs and other art motifs with marble pillars throughout.
Ceiling in St Peter Basilica
Ceiling section in St Peter Basilica
There were numerous statues throughout the church some of which were from the 1st century. These statues were created by many famous artists including Michelangelo. The first chapel on the right when we entered the Basilica contained the famous sculpture by Michelangelo “Pieta” which he completed before he was 25 years old.
Michelangelo’s “Pieta” sculpture
There were mosaic decorations that were very impressive including the mosaic decoration of the Martyrdom of St. Sebastian. It adorns the chapel of St. Sebastian and at the base of the chapel is the tomb of Saint John Paul II.
Chapel of Saint Sebastian in St. Peter Basilica
The tomb of Saint John Paul II
The basilica floors were marble and had different designs. One area of the floor had engraved markings identifying different churches throughout the world and their size in comparison to St. Peter Basilica.
St. Peter Basilica floor with engravings of different Churches throughout the world
We went to the center of the Basilica and looked up to see the interior of the Michelangelo’s dome decorated by Calvalier d’Arpino. It is breathtaking with the rays of the sun shining through.
Interior of Michelangelo’s Dome in the St Peter Basilica
We saw so many different monuments, altars and works of art that were very impressive. One monument that was amazing was situated under the Michelangelo dome .
Monument under the Michelangelo dome in St Peter’s Basilica
There is an alabaster window which is quite impressive and large. It is located above the “Chair of St Peter” the window displays a dove signifying the holy spirit.
The window is very large and the dove wing span is 6 feet wide. The beauty of this window is unbelievable. The light shines through the alabaster window highlighting the dove in a stunning and brilliant manner. It is one of the most stunning pieces of art we have ever seen.
We exited the Basilica and stepped out to see and admired the St Peter Square. The size and scope of the square were amazing.
View from the front steps of the St Peter Basilica looking towards St Peter Square
We walked through the square and stopped to see two of the swiss guards who are the official guards of the Vatican since the 15th century. They are wearing their tradition dress uniform whose design is traditionally attributed to Michelangelo.
Two swiss guards protecting an entrance to the Vatican
St Peter Square is a very large area with several iconic features. The square is bordered by two colonnades. They are composed of pillars and on, top there are 140 statues of Saints.
End of the Colonnade in St Peter Square
One of the colonnades at St Peter Square
From the far end of the square, you overlook the square with St. Peter’s Basilica and the Michelangelo dome in the distance.
View of Saint Peter Square
The square has an Egyptian obelisk from the 1st century which was erect in the centre of the square in the fifteenth century.
Egyptian obelisk of red granite, 25.5 metres tall, in the centre of the St Peter Square
We had a very long day walking through the Vatican museums, The Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Saint Peter Square. It was an amazing experience for us. Below are some pictures from St Peter’s Basilica and the St Peter Square.
Ray and Shelley in the St Peter Square with the St Peter’s Basilica in the background
When we entered the hallway towards the Sistine Chapel we were informed that we could not take any pictures. The reason for this was not entirely clear, however, the guide indicated it was because of copyright infringement. So we did not get any photos inside the chapel but we used non-copyright images of the Sistine Chapel that were available for the blog.
Judgement day wall and Sistine Chapel ceiling in Vatican
The pictures cannot convey the beauty and spectacular images we saw in the chapel. The artwork by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling was completed between 1508 and 1512 using a “frescoes” style. The process he used to paint the Sistine Chapel was extraordinary. The painting was done quickly in watercolour on the wet plaster on the ceiling so that the water colours penetrate the plaster and become fixed as it dried. This is how Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel.
The Sistine Chapel paintings were restored between 1980 and 1994 by a group of experts from the Vatican Museums, coordinated by Director Carlo Pietrangeli. The Ceiling frescoes were cleaned between 1980 and 1992, while the “Last Judgement” took four years of intense work, ending in 1994. The candle smoke and even previous restorations (which consisted painting over the frescos or retouching the colours to “brighten” them, which diminished over time)
When we entered into the Chapel we were struck by the size, brilliance, and beauty of the ceiling and walls of the chapel. The ceiling is high around 20 meters above the floor. The room was crowded and everyone was not saying a word. It was very surreal as everyone looked up and stared quietly at the ceiling admiring the paintings.
Ceiling of Sistine Chapel in Vatican
The first thing that struck me was the vibrant colours and the story behind the paintings of Michelangelo. The ceiling’s nine main sections depict stories from the Book of Genesis. The creation of the world, Adam and Eve, Noah ending with the altar wall that depicts the last judgement.
We looked at each section following the story of Genesis and admiring the work of Michelangelo.
God creating Adam with the touch of his finger
God creating Eve from the rib of Adam
The great flood
The altar wall which was painted by Michelangelo between 1536 and 1541 was twenty-five years after he finished the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
What was very interesting to us was that a Cardinal “Biagio da Cesena” indicated his dislike with the paintings because the paintings depicted nudes with exposed genitalia. That the paintings should not be in a place of worship. This upset Michelangelo so he painted Cesena’s face into the final judgement scene as being sent to the underworld. Cesena’s image is in the bottom right-hand corner of the painting. Cesena is depicted with donkey ears, and his nudity is covered by a coiled snake which is biting his genitals.
Cesena depicted in Judgement day at Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo
What was also very interesting was the fact that the original paintings by Michelangelo depicted everyone nude. It was two decades after it was completed when the more “prominent” nudes in The Last Judgment were painted over with underwear, or “braghe” meaning draperies after Michelangelo died in 1564. The artist Daniele da Volterra painted the underwear when the Council of Trent condemned nudity in religious art.
The last judgement by Michelangelo on the altar wall of Sistine Chapel
Seeing the Sistine Chapel was truly a once in a lifetime event. The feelings and emotions of seeing such a spectacular and historic place and seeing Michelangelo’s paintings was awe-inspiring. Words cannot begin to explain the magnificence of the Chapel.
Below is a link to view the Sistine Chapel in a 3D virtual tour.
We took a tour of the Vatican when we were in Rome. To say it was amazing would be an understatement. The Vatican is the smallest State in the world and its official language is Latin. The Vatican is so full of history, art, and architecture that it is almost surreal.
We arrived outside of the Vatican and could see the large 30 feet high stone wall which surrounds the entire Vatican. The walls which were built-in the 15th and 16th century to protect the Vatican are quite impressive. There was a major lineup of people waiting to get into the Vatican.
Line up to enter the Vatican
30 feet high walls surrounding the Vatican City
The tour allowed us to by-pass the lineup and gain entry through a separate entrance. As we were walking to our entrance area we came across a very impressive gate in the Vatican wall made with stone and marble.
One of the gates into the Vatican
Our Tour guide preparing to enter into the Vatican
Once we entered the entrance area we went through a security check. There were a lot of people at the Vatican and it was very busy.
Heading through the security before going into the Vatican
Once we were through security we began our tour at the “Cortile della pigna” outdoor garden area. There we learned from the tour guide, what the tour would contain including The Basilica of St. Peter, The Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and finishing in the St Peter Square. We will blog about each section in a separate blog entry because there is just so much to see and talk about.
The Vatican Museums
The Vatican museum is actually several museums in different buildings and they are very large. One of the first things we saw when entering the museum courtyard area was the large niche by Pirro Logori. The bronze pinecone on display was once in the Constantinian Basilica.
Bronze pinecone monument with peacock birds in outside area of the Vatican Museums
We were truly amazed when we went inside the Museum, the art and architecture were beautiful. Some of the stunning and incredible things we saw were statues from the first century. One, statue, in particular, was the “Belvedere Torso” which is a fragment of a statue made of marble. This torso was found in Rome in the 15th century and it has been in the Vatican since then.
The Belvedere Torso in the Vatican Museum from the 1st century
There were numerous statues throughout the museum some dating back centuries. It was fascinating seeing the ancient statues from as far back as the first century.
The “Laocoon” is an original Hellenistic work of the 1st century BC
A Hellenistic statue, A roman work from the 1st century BC
We went to the Vatican gallery of maps and saw the stunning paintings on the ceiling and tapestries on the walls. The view was marvelous and almost took your breath away. The Gallery of Maps contained paintings and tapestries. The long hall had numerous different artist over the centuries paint and do the art.
The gallery of maps Library
Image of map in Gallery of maps
The ceiling was painted with different images and filled the entire ceiling area. Some of the images were beautiful.
Gallery of maps ceiling
Ceiling in the Gallery of Maps library
The tapestries on the walls were of the different maps of the world at the time they were created. The tapestries were hand crafted and stitched with gold thread throughout the designs. We went to the upper floor of the Gregorian Etruscan museum and saw the “round room” which was designed by Simonetti. In the middle of the round room is a large monolithic porphyry basin which is more than 4 meters in diameter.
A large monolithic porphyry basin in the Round room of the Vatican
There is also the sarcophagus of St. Helen, the Emperor Constantine’s mother.
The porphyry sarcophagus of St Helen, the Emperor of Constantine;s mother
We walked throughout the museums for approximately two hours exploring the numerous museums. Ray took video and was trying to see it all.
Ray taking video and enjoying the tour
Everywhere we looked there was gorgeous paintings and artwork. Even the floors were done in mosaics that displayed religious scenes.
Mosaic artwork on the floor of the Vatican Museum
Mosaics floor area in Vatican museum
Mosaic tile artwork on the floor of the Vatican
Artwork on the floor of the Vatican museum
Mosaic artwork on floor of Vatican museum
The ceilings had different artwork and designs throughout the museums.
Ceiling in the hallway of Vatican museum
We saw so many different and amazing pieces of art, architecture, and religious artifacts that it was almost impossible to take it all in. We will do separate blogs for the Sistine Chapel and Basilica of St. Peter.
The only drawback was the fact that there were so many tourists that the museum was very crowded. It made it difficult to see everything and the take your time to view the beautiful artwork.
Below are some of the pictures we took when in the museum sections of the Vatican.
Statue in Vatican museum
Statue in Vatican museum
Artwork in Vatican museum
One of the many unique ceilings in Vatican museums
Mosaic tile floor
Mosaic tile floor
Various statues in Vatican museum
Statue in Vatican museum
Ceiling in Vatican
Room of animal statues in Vatican museum
Statue in Vatican museum
Ticket for Vatican tour
Sarcophagus in Vatican museum
ceiling ornate design
view of one of the Vatican museums
Ceiling in Vatican museum
Room of statues
Ceiling in Vatican museum
Tapestry in gallery of Maps
Ceiling with painting
Tapestry detail
Image of map in Gallery of maps
Hallway of maps
Ceiling paintings
Image of map on tapestry
Tapestry in Vatican museum
ceiling with windows in Vatican
windows in Vatican museum
hallway in Vatican
Statue in Vatican museum
Ornate hallway in Vatican museum
Ceiling painting in Vatican museum
Ornate pillar in Vatican museum
“bene vale , et postea videbo vos” (Latin) for good bye and see you later
You must be logged in to post a comment.