Roma the Fifth/Vatican City

Quod non fecerunt barbari, fecerunt Barberini
- Saying in Old Rome

Today we went to the Vatican.

Amazing. Although you know what? It's big, but I think it actually looks bigger on TV.

St. Peter's Basilica was amazing. This is the view that you see immediately when you walk in from the square.

This is the view from the front of the church looking toward the entrance from the square (as with all pictures, click to embiggen).

When you walk in, directly to the right, you see Michaelangelo's Pieta. I was surprised but photos were actually allowed in some parts of St Peter's, including of the Pieta, although I made sure to not to use the flash.

The line in the picture you see is because the Pieta is now behind glass. In the 1970s, a crazy guy attacked it with a hammer, lopping off either a hand or a foot (I can't remember). Too bad. Apparently, before, you could get right up close to it.

This picture shows a giant bronze nightmare: the Baldachin of St. Peter's. Believe it or not, it is even worse in person. It's not just me: this is widely considered to be the ugliest Bernini piece in existence. To make it, Bernini required so much bronze he got permission from the Pope at the time, a Barberini, to strip and melt down the existing bronze at the Pantheon, which scandalized the people of Rome. (This act is where the quote of the day comes from).

A small part of the incredible ceiling.

Truly, there is too much to take in in one visit. You could go every day for a year and see something new. (I saw a Franciscan monk wearing Ray-Bans a talking on a cell phone - that was also something new but of a different kind.)

After St. Peter's it was on to the Vatican Museum.

This picture is of Nero's bathtub. It's made of porphyry marble, a type of marble that was very, very rare and found only in Egypt. It was so prized by Roman emperors that they mined the entire vein of it and now there's no more of it in the world. The Vatican currently owns 70% of the world's known porphyry marble. Recently, geologists think they have discovered another vein of porphyry marble. The Vatican is extremely concerned about the possible existence of more porphyry since it would drive down the value of their existing porphyry collection.

This is Bill Clinton, the early fig leaf years (pre-Hillary).

Finally, a work from the Raphael room.

After this it was on to the Sistine Chapel, where no pictures were allowed at all. Many, many people disobeyed this rule but we felt that 800 people doing wrong doesn't make it any more right so we'll leave you to wiki this on your own, if you're so inclined. Needless to say, it was absolutely amazing!

Did you know that in the panel of the ceiling where God creates Adam, it has been theorized that God is actually giving Adam the spark of human intelligence, and that God is actually riding around on giant, anatomically correct brain? Check out the anatomical theories here.

We're off to Cicero tonight, one day ahead of schedule. Cicero is essentially a beach town... and maybe there's a national park somewhere? We plan to not walk or tour anywhere. Not sure if we'll be able to post for the next few days but if we are, we will. (Solider on without us).