Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica

Thursday, I toured the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica.

We decided to take a tour with a guide and skip the long line to get in, and get an inside scoop on what everything was.

For those who don't know, the Vatican is considered the smallest country in the world. It also has a great collection of artwork. The majority of the country/city is garden too.

I saw the famous pinecone. According to the guide, it was originally in downtown Rome and was a fountain, but was moved.

The Sistine Chapel was by far the most spectacular of all the sculptures and artwork on display at the Vatican museum. Michaelangelo truly outdid himself there. The ceiling was spectacular. The funny thing was that they said to not take any pictures but everyone was. I even took a few snapshots. The detailing was amazing. He split up the ceiling's large expanse quite sensibly.

After that, we took a look at the other artwork in the museum, but after the Sistine Chapel all else seemed to pale. Although, we did see a lovely rendition of Jesus's resurection. I thought that was very fitting for Easter Week.

We left the museum and made out way to Saint Paul's Basilica. We saw Burnini's sculpture of Mary and Jesus. The raw emotion in the sculptures' faces was breathtaking and the gentle lines of their bodies and fabrics were incrediblely delicate. I also remembered viewing the impressive alter five years ago when I was first in Rome. There are massive twisted pillars that support a balcony. The whole experience was made complete as a service given in Latin was being conducted while we viewed the church. With all the security and the camera crew taping, a part of me wonders if it might have been the Pope! I like to think it was, although I have an inkling that the line would have been much longer.

Dad and I met up with Samira at the Spanish Steps. Along the way back there, we discovered an awesome shop selling Harry Potter and other movie paraphenalia. There was a more extensive collection there than at Harry Potter World! There were Gold Kunuts and Galleons, and a larger selection of wands, and Luna's raddish earrings, among other things. It was so cool!

Anyways, Samira Dad and I went back to Samira's friend's appartment where we were going to spend the night. We had authentic Roman pizza at Remo's Restaurant with some friends of Samira's. Apparently, it's the only one with good enough pizza to warrant patronage of Roman locals. The food was delicious! It got my stamp of approval.