Rome wasn't visited in a day
Day two in Rome and we started at the Spanish Steps. They were a real disappointment as both the church at the top and the fountain at the bottom were covered in scaffolding, with no water in the fountain. We stayed briefly, just walking up the steps, then headed to Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, a church founded by the Capuchin Monks. The museum there spoke of their faith and the minimalist life they spend adhering to that faith, including chalices worn on the body to inflict pain as a reminder. The main reason for the visit though was to view the crypt. We have been to other crypts in Paris and Hallstatt, where skeletons have been arranged in various ways to save space and in Hallstatt decorated. This crypt however was on a completely different scale, with the bones being arranged as artwork. There were chandeliers made from vertebrae, many bones arranged in patterns on the ceiling and walls and numerous skeletons standing, lying or being suspended from the ceilings in various poses. It was one of the most bizarre things we have ever seen. We weren't allowed to take photographs, but if you are interested have a look at the link below, but first here is a description they gave in the 'Crypt of Pelvises'. 'A large canopy of pelvises with a hanging frieze of vertebrae' or from the 'Crypt of Shin and Thigh Bones'. 'A tondo of jaw bones adorned with vertebrae set in an oval frame in the middle of the ceiling with a large flower made of shoulder blades and dangling vertebrae on either side'
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=capuchin+crypt&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=KDWXU7KYO6nG7Abv5oBI&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1164&bih=614#q=capuchin+crypt+rome&tbm=isch&imgdii=_
Close by was Villa Borghese and it's associated gardens which we walked around (They are the 3rd biggest public gardens in Rome) The temperature again was around 35 so we were glad to be staying in the shade and we ate our lunch under a tree. (Rolls made in our apartment).
We didn't go into any of the buildings as you need to have pre-booked, so after lunch began the long walk down to Piazza Navona. Along the way we stumbled across some other beautiful Piazza's, views and churches.
Piazza Navona is a large Piazza with a main fountain in the middle and two smaller ones at either end. Being a tourist spot, there were also lots of men around selling 'leather' bags, sunglasses etc who ran for their lives when the Police wandered by.
From here we went to another 'Top 10' tourist spot, the Campo De' Fiore , a market place that was being packed up as we got there. It seemed to have fruit and vegetables and lots of home made pasta, sauces etc We then went down to the Tiber river and across to the Trastevere area, which had a very different feel than the other parts of Rome we had been in. The buildings and streets were lovely and it had a more cosmopolitan vibe about it, with lots of cafes. We came across a church, 'Santa Maria in Trastevere', that had the most amazing gold mosaics above the alter and were so pleased we'd decided to go inside
As we walked back to the station we were again struck by the history in Rome. It seems on every second street corner there are ruins scattered on the ground, sometimes without fencing and just lying in the grass.
Day Three was spent in Vatican City. We had pre-purchased tickets to the Vatican Museums, which turned out to be a very good idea - saved us an hour or more queuing in the sun (35 again today). The Museums contains Egyptian, Roman and other relics along with statues, tapestries and also some Papal vehicles in an underground area. The entire collection is apparently larger than the Louvre and had some Egyptian items dating back over 4,000 years. I was expecting only religious items so was quite surprised by it. It was difficult as you walked around because you didn't know whether to look up at the painted ceilings, down at the amazing mosaic floors or around at the statues etc. The Sistine Chapel was the last 'museum' we visited where Tracy snuck an illegal photo of the Michaelangelo ceiling.
We spent about 4 hours here before heading to St Peters square and the Basilica. The Basilica had been closed until 2:00pm due to the Pope having an audience with a few thousand people. We didn't know about this beforehand so were pleased we hadn't planned a morning visit. The queue for the Basilica was quite long but, thankfully, moved quickly and we were inside in about 35 minutes. It is absolutely huge with the main cupola being about 490 feet high and the centre piece over the altar 96 feet high.
The mosiacs throughout the Basilica are incredibly detailed. We went up the 550 steps of the cupola and out onto the roof for some great views before heading home for an earlier night and to pack for tomorrow.
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=capuchin+crypt&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=KDWXU7KYO6nG7Abv5oBI&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1164&bih=614#q=capuchin+crypt+rome&tbm=isch&imgdii=_
Close by was Villa Borghese and it's associated gardens which we walked around (They are the 3rd biggest public gardens in Rome) The temperature again was around 35 so we were glad to be staying in the shade and we ate our lunch under a tree. (Rolls made in our apartment).
We didn't go into any of the buildings as you need to have pre-booked, so after lunch began the long walk down to Piazza Navona. Along the way we stumbled across some other beautiful Piazza's, views and churches.
Piazza Navona is a large Piazza with a main fountain in the middle and two smaller ones at either end. Being a tourist spot, there were also lots of men around selling 'leather' bags, sunglasses etc who ran for their lives when the Police wandered by.
As we walked back to the station we were again struck by the history in Rome. It seems on every second street corner there are ruins scattered on the ground, sometimes without fencing and just lying in the grass.
Day Three was spent in Vatican City. We had pre-purchased tickets to the Vatican Museums, which turned out to be a very good idea - saved us an hour or more queuing in the sun (35 again today). The Museums contains Egyptian, Roman and other relics along with statues, tapestries and also some Papal vehicles in an underground area. The entire collection is apparently larger than the Louvre and had some Egyptian items dating back over 4,000 years. I was expecting only religious items so was quite surprised by it. It was difficult as you walked around because you didn't know whether to look up at the painted ceilings, down at the amazing mosaic floors or around at the statues etc. The Sistine Chapel was the last 'museum' we visited where Tracy snuck an illegal photo of the Michaelangelo ceiling.
We spent about 4 hours here before heading to St Peters square and the Basilica. The Basilica had been closed until 2:00pm due to the Pope having an audience with a few thousand people. We didn't know about this beforehand so were pleased we hadn't planned a morning visit. The queue for the Basilica was quite long but, thankfully, moved quickly and we were inside in about 35 minutes. It is absolutely huge with the main cupola being about 490 feet high and the centre piece over the altar 96 feet high.
The mosiacs throughout the Basilica are incredibly detailed. We went up the 550 steps of the cupola and out onto the roof for some great views before heading home for an earlier night and to pack for tomorrow.
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