Parental Advisory: Explicit stories near the end.
A visit to the Vatican is a must for anyone in Rome. It is considered its own sovereign nation complete with currency, police force, and government. Of course the Vatican no longer has the papal rule it once had over Europe, but the cities splendor is no less opulant today. The two main tourist attractions are the Museum Vatica and St Peters Basilica. Inside the Museum Vatica is the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo and three rooms painted by Raphael. I didnt expect to be as fascinated as I was.
The paintings alone were something I have never experienced. I lost count at how many rooms are painted in extraordinary detail from floor to the ceiling. The Sistine chapel itself took four years to paint with Michelangelo working on his back 12-16 hours a day. When you finally see it though, you wonder how he did it so fast. A single painting can take an artist months. These were curved ceilings 80 feet in the air and the wall and ceilings probably take up the area of half a football field. You could stare at it all day and not be done. It is all done in scenes from the Bible and I only wished I had enough background of the stories (ironically) to fully appreciate exactly what each scene was portraying. I didnt feel all to bad though as a lazy catholic beside didnt know all them either.
St Peter's Basilica was the real surprise though. I never imagined a chruch covered in so marble, stone, and gilt. Every surface is polished, all the stone statues sit about 12 feet tall and are kept in such pristine condition that they look like they were carved yesterday. I also went down to the Tomb of the popes and you can see the marble tombs that all have life size marble statues of the deceased pope (the one in the tomb) in a reposed position. They were many preying around the latest deceased pope, John Paul II. Outside the Basilica there was scaffolding put up to clean/repair a statue--even the scaffolding had golden gild covering it. I wondered, where does one get golden gilded scaffolding? I'll check Menards on that one.
The paintings alone were something I have never experienced. I lost count at how many rooms are painted in extraordinary detail from floor to the ceiling. The Sistine chapel itself took four years to paint with Michelangelo working on his back 12-16 hours a day. When you finally see it though, you wonder how he did it so fast. A single painting can take an artist months. These were curved ceilings 80 feet in the air and the wall and ceilings probably take up the area of half a football field. You could stare at it all day and not be done. It is all done in scenes from the Bible and I only wished I had enough background of the stories (ironically) to fully appreciate exactly what each scene was portraying. I didnt feel all to bad though as a lazy catholic beside didnt know all them either.
St Peter's Basilica was the real surprise though. I never imagined a chruch covered in so marble, stone, and gilt. Every surface is polished, all the stone statues sit about 12 feet tall and are kept in such pristine condition that they look like they were carved yesterday. I also went down to the Tomb of the popes and you can see the marble tombs that all have life size marble statues of the deceased pope (the one in the tomb) in a reposed position. They were many preying around the latest deceased pope, John Paul II. Outside the Basilica there was scaffolding put up to clean/repair a statue--even the scaffolding had golden gild covering it. I wondered, where does one get golden gilded scaffolding? I'll check Menards on that one.
I ended up traveling through the museum and basilica with three american girls I had met the day earlier. Their names were Leslie, Camille, and Amy and were doing the exchange trip in Spain as a method to see Europe. This week they just happen to be traveling in Rome. They were three goofy girls who liked to chase pigeons and take pics of each other doing so. It was rather comical and they made the whole vatican experience a lot more fun than I anticipated. The icing on the cake was the story they told of the outing they had the night before. Before I relay this story back to you--let me try to set it up in context.
Of the three american girls, one of them, Leslie, was a lazy catholic. In that I mean she made the church trips at all the important holidays and not much in between. Being that we were at the vatican, it seemed only fitting that she do a confessional.
Inside the St Peters basilica, there are confessional booths, and on them there are posted languages of what the priests speak inside. Most are Italian, but if you search a little, you can pretty much find all the most popular languages.
So as Leslie decides to do a confesstional which leaves Amy, Camille, and I for some time to talk a little, in the Basilica, which just might be the most holiest place on earth (for some). So to kill the time,I ask the girls what they did last night, cause when I met them the day before they said they might goto some disco club.
All three went to a Jazz club, but for giggles, they thought they would goto a female strip bar. Being they were cute american girls they got in for free, most likely because the strip bar they went into probably doesnt get many female clientele, if you get where I am going. Upon watching the one female stripper work the stage for about a half hour, there were amazed at how hard the stripper was working. To put this in the most cleanest of terms, lets just say she used various phallic tools in her act, cleaned them with her own innocent lips, and then let the male patrons participate in the use of the said tools, if they were sweet. From what I gathered all touching was allowed, all over. The three girls stayed for this one act, and as discreetly as they could, left when they wouldnt attract notice of the decidedly seedy crowd. Then they went to dance (on the bar) of a Jazz club, were hordes of drunk Italians were pouring shots down there throats. Mind you, I get the whole story in the basilica (the largest church ever made), while one of the three girls is in confession. After a story like that, I think we're all going to hell. Them for participating, me for just listening (except for Leslie, she confessed and is in the clear).
After that we caught the bus back to the hotel. They had to catch a train for Florence and I had to get something to eat. They did give me a kind invitation to come visit them in Spain, with a free place to stay. Spain has nice beaches in the summer, so that might be a great plan. They also have the running of the bulls--which is a must do!
So for dinner that night, I made something a little special. I found a deli with fresh tomato, basil, ultra fresh mozzerala di bufulo (pronounced moooserela). The lady behind the counter wouldn't give me the mozzerala until I said it just right. I piled the mozzerala, basil, and tomato on bruschetta and had one of the best meals yet here in Italy. Fortissimo!
Next, the city of Pompei!
1 comment:
Wow the stories just keep getting better, LOL! The pictures you took were absolutly beautiful, the girls too! But really I can't believe the art and workmanship that they put into such beautiful and giant statues and the buildings. I could not be more jealous then now, I am going to see that in my life time or before 30yrs is the goal. Thank you for the pictures. Take care and stay healthy.
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