60. Vatican and St. Petersburg

I only have two days left on my adventure 'til I go home,

And I better go see the main attraction of Rome.

I took the city bus number 109 

To the Vatican to not wait in line.

I had bought entrance tickets at the station

So I wouldn't have to stand for hours, I am impatient.

I walked around and around the walls that enclose the Vatican

Only to see 100's waiting

But I bought an entrance ticket with a dating.

At 10:30 I bypass all the crowds and lines

Enter freely, just in time.

I had no idea that the Vatican was such a vast museum

I thought so similar to all the things that I have been seeing.

The Vatican became a sovereign state in 1929,

Governed only by the pope, the only absolute monarch of this time.

The church hundreds of years ago, began collecting relics of the past

To preserve any history of our planet so that they will last.

I entered the Egyptian rooms full of preserved mummies intact,

Jewels, inscriptions and other artifacts.

The Vatican is a maze and I did get lost and dizzy,

Winding from room to room, it was all too busy.

Original statues from the Greek, Roman and Etruscan era

Adorned rooms as you walked around them and stared

Beautiful works of art, by artist long forgotten over years,

I believe these are more beautiful than the famous here.

I saw the four rooms of Raphael's 1600's frescoes,

Beautifully painted when he was just twenty or so.

Of course, the Sistine Chapel was a must to see

With Michaelangelos painted fresco of Genesis, God creating.

You are not allowed to take photos, the guards said in haste,

But I held the camera up towards the ceiling at my waist.

Shot whatever came out and loved the fact to be a bit defiant.

Thinking that Michaelangelo was a bit of a tyrant.

The spiral staircase in the museum, leading up and down,

Was designed in 1932 by Momo, flowing in a helix surround.

A few blocks away, you walk to St. Petersburg square,

Entering the area, it is one of the largest plazas there.

Religious ceremonies and canonizations of the pope

All has happened here, so that Christians have hope.

The entrance are bronze door decorated with biblical reliefs

From 1439 to 1445 designed by Filarete.

St. Peter ws buried in 64 AD on a site within the room.

In 324 Constantinople constructed the basilica over his tomb.

Now stands the Papal Alter that reaches the dome.

Each pillar stands for a saint buried within Rome.

There is a statue of St. Peter that you must touch to be blessed,

Rub his feet and let God to the rest.

Over the centuries, the bronze is worn on his feet,

Again, I think of the millions of people that have come to his seat.

At the Alter, I saw many couples asking nuns to take their photo,

Then the asked me to take their picture before they go.

Many couples seemed to surround us

And before I knew it, I was the photo princess.

I joked to the nuns that we should charge.

One said, "That's a great idea, we will split the profits, no matter how large."

I introduced myself and the sisters to me,

They all had traveled from New Jersey.

They joked about how many living rooms

Their photos would consume.

We chatted for minutes, I guessed,

One said that she could tell that I was truly blessed.

For being so fortunate to have such a gift given to me

And to appreciate all that I have done and seen.

I thanked them and we all hugged,

Thinking to myself, there are no coincidence in life to be shrugged.

I walked around the chapel to see the works of art

In this magnificent basilica, with it's history parts.

Michaelangelo's Pieta was created in 1499,

Scuptured when he was 25 in his prime.

Many martyrs are buried here,

St. Catherine, St. Andrew as well as the body of Pope John XXIII still preserved.

I leave St. Peter's Basilica and glance at the plaza

Getting ready for Easter services and all the masses.

I glance to the right and their are the nuns,

Still getting photos until they are undone.

One sees me and motions for me to come over

Here's our photographer, Vittoria,  we know her.

We chat some more and then it is time to leave

Wishing them all the best on their journey across the seas.

I am exhausted, so back to the hotel room,

Where I collapse and slept the next day until noon.

 

59. Monday at the Coloseum & Ancient City

Monday, first full day in Rome

I wanted to pick up where I last was at the coliseum and Ancient city

I woke up early in the expensive Best Western Inn and had the buffet

Scrambled eggs, I thought I was in heaven

So tired of pastries and bread unleavened.

I saw the tourist bus parked in front of the train station                                          

Bought a day pass so that I can get the jist of the situation.

My first stop was to the coliseum for a tour

For 12 euros, I would get the full history and more.

I met two sisters from New Jersey who were just robbed

We exchanged stories and after hearing mine they no longer sobbed.

The guided tour was amazing to learn the history, commissioned by Vespusian in 72 AD

It held over 55,000 spectators, according to rank they were seated.

Slaughter was on a huge scale,

In one year, over 9,000 wild animals were killed.

The Colosseum was built over Nero’s Colossus, why the amphitheatre was given its name.

Roman gladiators were actually soldier to be trained.

Their combat became a sport

And slaves, prisoners of war and criminals were forced

To fight to their death as the public cheered on.

The arena floor was a series of covered panels and trapped doors.

Employing over 12,000 stage handlers underneath the floors.

Wild animals would pop up from elevators below

As well as warriors or slaves that were sold.

There were internal corriders that housed the unruly crowd

With tiered terraces for the different classes found.

A valerium, which was a huge sailcloth awning, covered the crowd

By huge poles, tilted from the upper story shroud.

As the years went by, the building was plundered,

Using the stones and bricks to make churches by the hundred.

Leaving the Colosseum,  you must pass under the Arch of Contantine

Across the ancient Roman cobblestone to the Palantine.

This was once the home of emperors and aristocrats divine.

From the famous home of Augustus to the palace of Domitian.

In the house of Livia, wife of Augustus, frescos adorn the walls.

The House of the Vestal Virgins is where the priestess tended the sacred flame.

If they let it go out, they were beaten.

They were chosen at the age of ten and had to remain virgins for thirty years.

If not, they were buried alive, that was enough to create fear.

 I come across the grave that is said to be Cesare's

Now a heap of dirt with flowers and a plaque to remember

The ancient city of Rome is laid out so that you can still appreciate the layout of the city.

Over a million people lived here, amongst market places, bathing houses and plumbing fittings.

So much of our history is founded here, but much destroyed from the fire

And destruction from the Gothic raiders who pillaged the empire.

I leave with a respect for the culture that once was great by name,

 

And lean over a balcony to think that a woman 2,000 years ago did the same.