Rome – Chapter 1
Oh my gosh … so much to see in Rome, the astonishing city built
on seven hills!
We arrived in the late afternoon and once we were checked into
our Hotel we went wandering. The first
place we saw was the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli tucked away in the
beautiful Rione Monti in Rome. In this church there is one of the greatest
masterpieces of Italian art, Michelangelo's Moses, an example of superb
craftsmanship and incomparable beauty.
San Pietro in Vincoli was founded in the fifth century by the Empress
Eudoxia in order to guard a precious relic: the chain with which St. Peter was bound as a prisoner in Jerusalem
which is now preserved under the high altar and is viewable by visitors.
Next we wandered down some steps and around the corner and
BAM! There was the Colosseum!! Our jaws dropped it was so amazing !! Here are some photos of our first experience
of awesomeness!
There will be more on the Colosseum later. The next morning we visited the Vatican
Museums and the Sistine Chapel. We
quickly learned that the various Popes over the years have acquired a vast collection of
tapestries, geographical maps, sculptures, paintings, and other works of
art. Even the buildings are works of
art!
The Sistine Chapel contains the great frescoes by Michelangelo
and they were beautiful … however … photos were not allowed.
The Pietà is a work
of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo, housed in St. Peter's Basilica,
Vatican City. It is the only piece Michelangelo ever signed. This famous work of art depicts the body of
Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion. Michelangelo's interpretation of the Pietà
is unprecedented in Italian sculpture. It is an important work as it balances
the Renaissance ideals of classical beauty with naturalism. St. Peter's Basilica.
We continued on to St. Peter’s Square. St. Peter's Square is a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica, built on the burial site of Saint Peter, in the Vatican City, the papal enclave inside Rome. At the center of the square is an ancient Egyptian obelisk, erected at the current site in 1586. Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the square almost 100 years later, including the massive Tuscan colonnades, four columns deep, which embrace visitors in "the maternal arms of Mother Church". A granite fountain constructed by Bernini in 1675 matches another fountain designed by Carlo M
aderno in 1613.
The Pope actually lives on the top floor of the brown building in the photo below. When the Cardinals meet to pick a new Pope they meet in the room just to the left of the Pope's apartment ... the building with the small dome roof is the Sistine Chapel... and the chimney that everyone waits to see the 'white smoke' is actually a temporary chimney placed to the left of the Sistine Chapel. This chimney is removed once a new Pope is chosen.
As we wandered on we saw the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and the baroque Piazza Navona.
The Balcony in the photo on the left is where one would see the Pope address the people of Rome .
As we wandered on we saw the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and the baroque Piazza Navona.
2 comments:
Your all pics are really superb and awesome, i have never seen this type of pics.
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I have always loved the Collosseum!
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