ROME: DAY 2

After a night full of adventures across Rome and some restful, air-conditioned sleep, we have a full day planned. We woke up bright and early to head over to our scheduled time at the Borghese Gallery. It didnt take us long to get in the general area of the gallery. We ended up having to go up an escalator that took about a minute and a half...we timed it. When we got to the top of the never-ending escalator we looked around for signs directing us to the museum. We spotted some pointing the way to the Villa Borghese. So we followed them. Turns out that Villa Borgehese and the Borghese Gallery are not the same thing...Villa Borghese refers only to the beautiful gardens that surround the actual villa. As we walked through the gardens in search for the gallery we came across an interesting character. An old man was walking around yelling the days newspaper headlines in Italian (of course). He followed us for a bit and we attempted to video him over our shoulder but as it always turns out he stopped following us as soon as we hit the record button.

We finally arrived at the museum. We had been told to arrive about 45 minutes before our scheduled entrance time. (You are only given about 2.5 hours for the entire museum.) But as we simply sat outside the museum waiting for it to finally open (we had the first available time) we thought about the long day ahead and how these extra 45 minutes of sleep could have come in handy...

We finally got inside, and like everywhere we weren't allowed to bring water into the museum. So for fear that they would make us throw away precious water we chugged our liter and a half bottles. As our stomachs neared their bursting points we discovered that unlike many other places you are required to check your purses and bags...and you can also check your water. Oh well...at least we are hydrated for the rest of the day!

When we finally were allowed to enter the museum we saw some incredible statues created by Bernini. The gallery's amazing painted ceilings had recently been restored, they looked like they had been painted and reveild only yesterday! The colors were so vibrant! As amazing as they looked this restoration took away from their over-all effect...at least for me. I think it is a bit more amazing to see the original art, even if it is a bit faded. It just makes more of an impact on me.

After the Borghese we ventured across Rome to the Vatican. As you get closer to the Vatican there are tons of tour guides who attempt to convince you to sign up for a tour to cut the lines. They told us that we would be waiting for about 3 hours to get into Saint Peter's Basilica...30

minutes later we were inside marveling at the interior of this incredible cathedral. There were so many incredible statues lining the walls of the basilica. The dome of Saint Peter's is so high that the Statue of Liberty could be lowered inside and still have room to spare! St. Peter's Basilica is the largest church in the world. It has a 218 meter long nave. Everywhere you look there are reminders of amazing artists. The main alter was created by Bernini and the infamous Pietà near the main entrance was crafted by Michelangelo. After looking around the main section of the cathedral Lucy, Whitney and I ventured down into the Papal tombs. I was hoping for something kinda creepy...like crypts and catacombs. Instead it was very polished and clean. It makes sense that the area devoted to religious leaders would be orderly...dont know why I thought any different. lol.

After the Basilica we ventured over to the Vatican Museum. There were so many treasures in this museum...and it wasn't even half of what the Vatican/Catholic church owns. It makes me want to sneak off into the basement and see what I can find. We saw medieval art, mummies, Mesopotamian artifacts, maps of the world progressing from centuries ago, and finally...the crowning glory of the Vatican Museum. Everything adds up and leeds to this last room. The Sistine Chapel. There really aren't any words to describe the awe that this room inspires.

The Sistine Chapel hasn't been restored. That is a fact that made it so much more amazing. They went to restore it about 10 years ago but after removing years of animal wax and soot, the original paint was still bright and vibrant enough to stand on its own. Incredible. Throughout the entire Vatican Museum guests are allowed to take pictures, but not in the Sistine Chapel. But even with that rule, I still managed to sneak a few by turning off my flash and aiming my camera skywards while holding it on my lap. After sneaking pictures of the David in Florence, this was a piece of cake. I managed to get a picture of the entire ceiling, the end painting of the last judgement, and a zoomed in picture of God giving life to Adam. Right after I took my last picture, the man next to me who was also sneaking pictures was escorted out of the chapel by two armed guards...glad I didn't get caught! We sat in the chapel for about 30 minutes before we decided to head back to make our way back to the hotel. The Vatican was incredible. There were so many amazing artifacts and works of art!

After a quick gelato cone, we headed back to the hotel for a quick break/siesta before dinner. For dinner, Whitney's friend had recommended a pizzeria in Piazza del Popolo. We found this yummy pizzeria and made our orders. I got a pepperoni pizza...now pepperoni in Rome is peppers, green peppers. It was delicious! The restaurant staff loved us so much that they crafted our pizzas into the shape of hearts...we felt the love. haha. At the same little pizzeria we had our first (and sadly last) taste of real Italian Tiramisu. OMG. HEAVEN.

After dinner we walked through the streets of Rome and did some window shopping. We almost walked across all of Rome before we turned back to the hotel to call it a night!