Saturday, 7.3 Part 1: The Smallest Country in the World

Amongst other things, Rome is home to the only country in the world still actively keeping the dead language of Latin alive. The Vatican houses some of the most amazing collections of art, architecture, and literature in the world, and though it is the smallest country in the world, there is so much to see that it is overwhelming. To get into the Vatican Museum, we had to wait in this loooong line that curved around the wall of the city/country/whatever. Luckily, in Rome, there are the occasional water fountains on the street that one can use to keep one hydrated in the heat of the summer sun. Though the water is clean and clear and actually tastes alright, it's kind of a waste of water because the water just keeps running all day and night. Also, many times, these fountains are parked next to cars and it's a little inconvenient to get any water. That being said, free water >> 2 Euro water.

When we finally got into the museum, we and got our tickets and got over a bout of losing one another in the crowd [note: when traveling with a friend in a foreign country where neither of your phones work, always stick together, even in a place as small as the area before the ticket check in the Vatican Museum], and purchased the audio tour for the museum. Normally, I don't much like tours because you can't move at your own pace, and more of then not, someone in your group forgot to put on their deodorant in the morning, but the audio tour gives you a little walkie-talkie like thing where you press in the number of the exhibit and it gives you some information about it. You can move at your own pace and pick and choose the pieces you like to learn about. Now, I also don't like spending money on things I don't need, but this was really a lifesaver. The Vatican museum has so many things and so many people visit in a day that there is neither time nor space to really loiter and read the plaques for each of the statues or paintings. You get pushed around by people wanting to take pictures of read the plaques themselves and it was so great to be able to be able to put a piece of art in context, while taking it in at the same time.

Reiterating a statement: the Vatican Museum is HUGE. It contains rooms with Egyptian, Etruscan, ancient Roman, ancient Greek, Renaissance, and Contemporary paintings, tapestries, and sculpture. And one really does not know where to begin. That and the fact that the museums in Rome don't come with free maps of the place. But since we bought the audio guide, it came with a map and pretty much led us through all the rooms in the Vatican. Because there were so many, I'll post a brief list of awesome things we saw.

The Fontana della Pigna (5) [The Pinecone] - A giant pine cone once part of a fountain near that Pantheon that got moved to the old St. Peter's Basilica, then to the Vatican Courtyard in 1608. It no longer spouts water through its top but it's still pretty cool. :)

Lots of naked men in the Octagonal Courtyard, including (in order) Apollo, Perseus, a sad Hermes, and two wrestlers (one of whom cheated and forfeited to the other guy). Also, Apoxyomenos and his two sons fighting snakes. And the Belvedere Torso.

In the Hall of Maps, a lot of gorgeous maps. Such as this one. I had never really been into maps until I saw this room. Wow.

In the Raphael Rooms, the piece that had the most surprising impression on me was Raphael's School of Athens. I had first learned about this fresco in middle school, probably in the 7th grade when we were doing European history and I had seen it and it was cool, but I never really thought about it again after that. Then, when I first saw the original, it dawned on me that I was seeing the actual painting of something I had just heard about. I'm not an art major and I've never taken an art history class, so when I went to ruins in Greece, or even saw monuments from afar in Rome, I never really geeked out about anything, even though everything was breathtaking. But suddenly now, I understood why the Classics majors had stars in their eyes when we were going to visit Delphi or Olympia. What I had only seen on a screen or in a textbook before was right there, right in front of me. And although the Raphael was a gorgeous painting full of artistic and philosophical implications, I think it was the first piece that I was able to intellectually connect to. And so, it had a much greater impact on me than expected, especially since we were moving so quickly through the rooms. Really, it was only after we left the room that I realized I had been holding my breath, and though the picture below doesn't do the artist justice at all, I feel like I must include it.

Of course, the art wasn't all on the walls. There were some fantastic ceiling pieces as well. I'm not really sure who had time to be appreciating the ceiling art all the time (perhaps when they get a mental block, like when I do during exams and I just stare at the ceiling of SSS).

Kudos to anyone going to Rome in the future who can find these ceiling arts. There are a lot of ceilings in the Vatican.

Before we hit the main attraction of the Vatican Museum (the Sistine Chapel, of course), we went through these 55 weird rooms of modern religious art. Small taste:

And finally, the main event: the Sistine Chapel. We weren't allowed to take pictures in the chapel (although plenty of people were sneaking them not so sneakily) but let me just say that it was one of the most amazing whole-body experiences I've had. There's no wrong place to look, and although some of the murals on the back wall were not as good as Michelangelo's works, the whole thing was a great experience. It's not an experience I can relay though words or pictures, but I'll try.

There was a staircase to ascend to the chapel, then suddenly, with one turn, the lights dim and you're in a huge room with more than a hundred other people. The room was abuzz with awe. Fingers pointing. Mouths agape. But it isn't silent. The soft murmur of chatter grows until a guard shushes everyone, pointing to the sign that encourages silence. Flashes of light are all around as people try to take pictures without getting their cameras taken away, because really, this is a one time deal for a lot of people. [Personally, I would have turned my flash off if I were them]. People are sitting on the steps, with their necks craned, some listening intently to the audio guide, some praying, some just staring in awe of the majesty before them. For what must have been at least a half hour, Maria and I just stared at everything around us. It was that intense. And it wasn't just the ceiling. The Last Judgment also had a great impact on me, much like the School of Athens did, in a surprising way because I had not expected to be so affected by it. And that was another one of those moments that I was glad I had gone to Italy.

Picture above is just to remind you what the Sistine Chapel is famous for. After dragging ourselves away, we hit the library rooms, which were nothing compared to what we had just seen, and after some souvenir buying, we doubled back to St. Peter's Basilica, which really, deserves a whole entry in itself.

Ciao for now,

Angela