From there, we walked about 10 minutes to the Vatican, which from the street looks like some huge fortress. We were able to skip the huge line that wrapped around the block to get in because I think we had pre-booked tickets or something. First walking in, you have to go through customs since the Vatican is its own country, and after that, we were given our headsets for the tour. We had a really great guide who knew a lot about the artwork and its history (on a side note, she pronounced "the Pope" as "the poop"). We first walked to the gardens, and from there I could see the dome of St. Peter's, which was a surreal experience in itself. After that, we toured the Vatican, and from the beginning there were signs everywhere pointing toward "Cappella Sistina."
The Vatican museums have too much art to take in in a lifetime, let alone a day trip. Of course the Sistine Chapel was an experience; it was so strange to be standing in the this world-famous place that so many other people before me and after me will admire. All you want to do is lie on the ground and just stare up for hours and hours. You aren't allowed to take pictures, and there are guards walking around everywhere, warning people that they aren't allowed to take any pictures of any kind. They also do their best to keep the noise to a minimum since it is a chapel. It's more beautiful and overwhelming than I thought it would be; being there was an amazing, amazing thing.
Throughout the museums, I also saw The School of Athens and La Pietà in St. Peter's. St. Peter's, by the way, is a gorgeous, gorgeous place! La Pietà is the first thing you see on the right when you walk in, and it has a sheet of glass in front of it. That was kind of disappointing because I wanted to walk all the way around it to take it in, but it was breathtaking nonetheless. Alyssa and I both got a little teary-eyed looking at it; it was just such a surreal thing to have the opportunity to look at a statue that you've admired for so long.
After that, we broke for a quick lunch (at 3:00...haha), and from there, we went to Castillo de St. Angelo and looked around the outside for a bit. After that, Paolo took us down some really small side streets filled with shops and restaurants. It was a beautiful, beautiful walk, and I think a few of us plan on going back there on Saturday. From there, we went to the Piazza Navona, a renovated square that functioned as a place for chariot races back in the day. In the center was a fountain by Bernini called Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi. There were artists everywhere selling their work, and Alyssa and I got some gelato to walk around with. I got pistachio, which I was a little nervous about; it ended up being absolutely amazing!
By that point, it was about 6:30, and all of us were absolutely beat...so we headed home! Sleep was so wonderful last night.
Today was a really relaxed day. It's the Italian independence day, so we weren't allowed to go into Rome since it's going to be so wild. Alyssa, Ariel, and I headed to the beach for a couple hours, and I finally got my hands on some aviators (a staple of Italian fashion...haha). Classes were really great. My drawing class headed to a local square to do some sketches of people for a while, and after that, we went to church and did some drawings inside there.
Tonight, I plan on relaxing and Skyping. :) Tomorrow is going to a busy day--we're headed back to Rome for the day to do a day-long walking tour, so sleep tonight is a definite necessity!
All for now. Ciao!
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