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Central Rome Walking Tour - Part the Last!

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Yes, that’s right Italy lovers…today is the beginning of the end of our walking tour of central Rome. The heart of Rome has history, romance, intrigue, and of course, wonderful sights.

As a recap…since you’ve been sleeping and dreaming of Italy since we started our tour a few weeks ago…here is where we’ve been and what we’ve seen:

This is one of my longest articles of Italy. It may be that getting through it will take longer than the actual walk through central Rome. But please, don’t let that discourage you…read on, dear reader.

Today, we visit a Piazza and a Campo. The word “piazza” shows up as “square” using my Google translate app. And “Campo” comes out as “field”. Today’s piazza is not a square, and our campo is not a field, though it used to be. But, we won’t let that literary quirk stop us from having a wonderful end to our special walk through the central part of Rome.

And, as you can see by clicking on the map above, the walk covers a lot of sightseeing in a short distance and time. From 9/10ths to 1 1/3rd miles in less than an hour if one were not prone to stop and gawk at the sights, as we have surely been doing. And, are you hungry yet after that delicious breakfast at Antico Caffe Greco?

THE WALK BEGINS…or I should say CONTINUES

We have just completed our visit to the Pantheon. This ancient building with its architectural uniqueness really captured our attention. And, let’s not forget that very tall column of exquisitely carved tribute to a Roman emperor of old. Here are just two reminder photos to jog your memory…and you can click HERE to review that Part 2 episode.

 
 

WE ARE OFF TO PIAZZA NAVONA

Here is the route of our very short walk to fame.

The walk from The Pantheon to Piazza Navona

  1. Walk out of the Pantheon (note: you will not get to Piazza Navona if you stay in the Pantheon).

  2. Immediately turn left (sinistra) and walk along Salita de Crescenzi (Crescenti’s Climb)…which is no climb at all.

  3. After a 370-foot walk, you will come to a T-intersection at Via della Dogana Vechia (Old Custom’s Street) where you turn right (destra).

  4. Walk 147 feet and turn left (sinistra) on Via del Salvator (Savior Street).

  5. Stroll 312feet and turn left (sinistra) on Corso del Rinascimento (Course of the Renaissance).

  6. You will come to an ally-like street after a walk of 80 feet, where you will turn right (destra) onto Corsia Agonale (Diagonal Lane).

  7. Our destination is now in sight dead ahead, so walk 45 feet & 7 inches and you will be at, in and on Piazza Navona.

 

Regarding the distances referenced above, Google has a wonderful measurement feature. Whether you are interested in feet or miles, it is convenient and easy to use. I will go over the use of Google maps for your travels soon.

 

Piazza Navona

The first thing that you will notice about Piazza Navona is that it is definitely not a square, but an oval of 145 feet by 800 feet. The oval shape tracks its history.

The Piazza was the site of a 1st century stadium called The Stadium of Domitian. It was built by Emperor Titus Flavious Domitianus in AD 86 for the people of Rome to use for athletic games. The stadium was also known as the Circus Agonalis, or competition arena.

Its current oval shape follows the form of that stadium, which is long gone, and the arena floor was well below the present elevation of the piazza. Today, Piazza Navona sits over the interior arena, and grandstands holding around 30,000 people surrounded the arena floor, and the buildings you see surrounding the piazza would obviously not be there in the Stadium of Domitian days. With the surrounding grandstands, the width was 350 feet, with a length of 900 feet. Archeologists believe that the outside perimeter height was 100 feet above ground level, and the row one seats would be about 15 feet above the arena floor.

That arena would seem to be a perfect place for Charleston Heston to stage a Ben Hur sort of chariot race (if you have not seen that 1959 movie, I suggest that you do - check Amazon Prime), though I find no mention of any races other than those done on human feet.

Antonio Joli’s painting of a flooded Piazza Navona

So, right now as we begin our circuit of the piazza, we are on the arena floor and none of your fans are sitting in the grandstands. As a matter of fact, those grandstands have been gone for many centuries. However, we are a bit above that original arena floor, and that lower floor created an interesting diversion from normal athletics, as one could flood the arena for aquatic events. From 1652 until 1866, those floodings were held every Saturday and Sunday of August to celebrate the august Pamphili family (the family of Pope Innocent X). This painting by Antonio Joli depicts just such an event.

A little over 150 years ago, the pavement level was raised. The market that was held on the piazza was moved to nearby Campo de' Fiori, which is our next and final destination today.

Do you enjoy a European Christmas market? Each year a Christmas market is held in the piazza from the first week of December until the first week of January.

Let’s see what the piazza floor has in store for us in our 21st century.

The Piazza Navona Fountains

There are three fountains in the piazza…one at each end and one in the middle. When we were reading about the Trevi Fountain last month, we learned about the ancient Aqua Virgo aqueduct. Restoration of that piped water supply facilitated the construction of these three public fountains.

The northern most fountain is called the Fountain of Neptune created by Giacomo della Porta in 1574.

Fontana del Nettuno -or- Fountain of Neptune

The basin of the Fountain of Neptune (which originally was bare with no sculptures) was designed in 1574 by Giacomo Della Porta. It was sponsored by pope Gregory XIII. For the next 300 years, the fountain survived without statues. Then, in 1878 two sculptors added embellishments.

The first embellishment was Neptune fighting with an octopus. Antonio della Bitta was the creator of this rather entertaining sculpture. In my opinion, the overall fountain just wouldn’t be the same without Neptune poking an octopus.

The second embellishment was created by Gregorio Zappala, and it consists of the statues around the perimeter.

Let’s take a look at this fountain with its added sculptures. Click on the left image to get a larger view, but only if you do not mind seeing genitalia. Trust me on this statement: In Italy, male genitalia are very prevalent in statuary, as are female breasts, evidently.

Fontana del Moro -or- Fountain of the Moor

This fountain at the south end of the piazza mirrors in size and shape the Neptune fountain at the north end. And actually, both fountains were designed by Giacomo della Porta at the same time. It got its embellishments in the 1650s by Gian Lorenzo Benini and Giovanni Antonio Mari.

Here you see a nautical scene with tritons, so-called angry dolphins, a large conch shell, and a tush…and of course, the afore mentioned genitalia.

And, I just couldn’t move on without you getting a prime shot of this next guy. I’m pleased to say that I haven’t felt that way recently…how about you?!

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi -or- Fountain of the Four Rivers

This is the premier fountain of Piazza Navona. It was designed in 1651 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini for Pope Innocent X, and it celebrates the papal authority of four different continents…each represented by a major river of that continent.

Those rivers are:

  • the Nile representing Africa,

  • the Danube representing Europe,

  • the Ganges representing Asia, and

  • the Río de la Plata representing the Americas.

I could certainly bore you with the details of each of the gods represented and how they apply to specific rivers and their continents, but I think enough has been said.

The obelisk is made of Aswan granite and is connected with the emperor Domitian

 

And oh, at the tippy-top is a dove with an olive twig.

 

To see the images in larger size, click/tap the first one and work your way through.

Traveling companion Sue Lee used her cellphone to make a panorama photo of Piazza Navona. Because of the distortion one gets with a very wide panorama, it loses its long oval shape, and looks like it’s coming at you and then going away from you. Here is her photo, with the Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone at the center.

Piazza Navona by Sue Lee

Though the photo well shows the tourist attracted to this piazza, I was wondering what this site would look like without those tourists. So, I spent about 5 minutes removing them. Here is my revision of Sue Lee’s photo. Same base photo, but with some Photoshop magic.

Piazza Navona without Sue Lee’s Tourists

Evening on Piazza Navona

Though we always enjoy our time at Piazza Navona during the day, it really comes alive in the evening. Street buskers, musicians, and such abound. On the northern end of the piazza, al fresco dining can be found. We enjoyed our meal at Ristorante Tre Scalini (three steps) and I’ve thrown in a couple of photos of our dining there.

LET’S HEAD TO CAMPO DE FIORI

Piazza Navona to Campo di Fiori [Click/Tap the map to enlarge it]

We have a very short 1,000 foot walk to the final destination of our Central Rome Walking Tour. This map shows you the suggested route, but of course you can twist and turn on your own to get to Campo de Fiori, or in English Field of Flowers.

  1. At the Fontana Del Moro end of Piazza Navona (south end), take a right onto Via Di Pasquina for a very short 175 foot walk.

  2. At the very small and triangular-shaped Piazza Di Pasquina, take a very sharp left onto Via di San Pantaleo, where it is about 250 feet to the Piazza di San Pantaleo, where you stay to the right as you prepare to cross Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.

  3. As you cross Corso Vittorio Emanuele II bare right a bit and enter a street named Piazza Della Cancelleria (the Chancellery Square), where you walk 350 feet to our destination of Campo di Fiori.

But First!! Let’s Recall Some Things Along Our Way!!!

We’ve had an interesting walk this today, and we’ve seen some very interesting sights. Not only those covered in our three-part journey, but just sights around us not of the sightseeing variety. Here are a few of those that we’ve seen on our own journeys over the years. But please, stay tuned for our Campo di Fiori visit that will end our walk today.

We Had Lunch at Pizzarcano

Other Food Things We Saw

PLEASE NOTE: For each photo gallery, please click the first image to get a full-screen view, and then work your way through the photos. If you are using a computer (preferred), hover the mouse pointer of the image and then use your arrow keys to advance through the photos…this way you can see the captions for each photo. When photos begin to repeat, click the “X” at the top right of the screen to exit the gallery.

People We Saw Doing Things

Something is amiss with this scene!

What is going on here? Do you see the irony in this street photo?

Something just doesn’t seem right!!!

Is it that the bag is empty?

Or perhaps, they were out of the appropriate things and she got stuck with an opposing item?

This doesn’t say much for the Copenhagen-based Flying Tiger store, does it?!

Other Things Along The Way

Rome “Stumbling Blocks”

IN MEMORIAM

Here is an image from which I published a blog article in 2015. Please read about it here, and remember the impact.

And Now, Our Final Destination - Campo de Fiori

I was looking at Campo de Fiori using the Google Street View and an image appeared that captured my interest because one never sees Campo de Fiori during the day without a myriad of tents covering the campo. The aerial view shows what I mean. The statue dead center in the aerial view is the same as the one in the street view.

A Bit of Campo History

This campo was once an actual field of flowers during the middle ages. It is unique in Rome, as it is the only monumental square in the historic center not to house a church or basilica. The campo was built by Pope Calixtus III on that site of colorful flowers. Then, in 1440, the square was paved, with inns and hostels for pilgrims rising around its perimeter. As mentioned way above regarding Piazza Navona, the market that you see now in the campo was previously held in Piazza Navona, but was moved here in 1869.

What Do You Find In The Market? The market, consisting of fruits, vegetables and flowers, as well as savory dried cooking spices, takes place every morning except Sunday, so plan accordingly. There is much variety under the tents. And, though it is a bustling market by day, it is even more bustling in the evening with dining and drinking.

What is really amazing is the mobility of all of those tents and their wares. All of the tents you see above in the aerial view of the campo, have to be removed along with their wares, each afternoon. The campo is market-vacant in the late evening for al fresco dining, and then in the early hours of the morning it slowly comes to life with vendors once again setting up their tents/stalls. Most stalls close by early afternoon so the campo can be cleared, so visit early.

Once dusk falls, things change dramatically, with al fresco restaurants and cocktail bars coming to life.

Ellen, Debbie & Scott 2012

Yes, we’ve arrived…no ifs or ands, but butts!

 

Our Market Favorite

Mauro Berardi

So, here is our favorite market vendor, where we come back during every Rome visit to gather Italian cooking spices.

Mauro Berardi’s spice market…where he has many culinary-related items.

Here is a recent 2023 photo of friendly Mauro.

 

Mauro has been running his business for many years. Here is an older photo of Mauro (same glasses and earring) and friend Debbie from 2012. Debbie has her credit card handy while she is doing a bit of negotiation with Mauro.

The area of Mauro’s tents cover a lot of territory.

Here are a number of photos of our shopping at Mauro’s site. You will note a lot of bending over to sniff at Mauro’s specialty of dried spices…and we always buy several bags to bring back home to use in our self-cooked Italian meals.

These sniffing photos are from past trips. The last photos in this gallery from 2023 show items that have been added since earlier trips. But, the spices are still prevalent!

There is a statue in the middle of Campo de Fiori. I won’t go into that story. If you want to, just do a search for Giordano Bruno.

Dining in Campo de Fiori

As I have mentioned above, the campo in the evening is a dining and drinking extravaganza. I’ll have to admit that we never participated in the evening, as we are usually staying quite a way from the campo. However, we have dined here during the day, and we were completely pleased with our meals.

Unfortunately, it seems that the ristorante that we enjoyed in 2012 is no longer on the campo. I can see the word “Arancia” in a couple of photos, so the osteria’s or trattoria’s name probably had to something to do with oranges.

Anyway, to give you an idea of the campo life during the day that is not related to the market tents/stalls, here are a few photos of our typical Roman lunch. It includes some local kids who enjoy playing in a lite rain.

And of course, we have to start with a Banfi Chianti!

I’m sad to say that the walk is over, once again. This walk is one of our favorite things to do with friends who are visiting Rome for the first time. With the exception of the Capuchin Crypt, none of the features on our walk require tickets or reservations. And, the walk is not in any way strenuous.

Of course, this is not the extent of Rome, as there is the Vatican, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and many dining opportunities. So, don’t wander far, as I will be continuing our recent time in Rome in the coming weeks. And then, we will visit Siena, Tuscany, Florence, and of course…our favorite, Venice!

And, just in case you missed it, the route that we took to get to Italy started in Zurich and transportation was provided by the Bernina Express through the Swiss Alps, as we headed to bella Bellagio. See it> Bellagio/Why Go?, Bellagio/Getting There.

If you want to jump ahead a bit, here are some Rome sites that I have already written about:

The Vatican: This is in two parts, so after going through Part 1, please go on to Part 2. I will be making an addendum soon just to suggest that a private tour guide be used, rather than a group tour guide. That will be a generic article and not just focused on The Vatican experience.

Eat Here: La Pergola: The most fabulous of fabulous dining experiences in Rome. Be sure start the reservation process about 4 months in advance.

There will be more of Roma in upcoming articles. Until then, may God bless you, and

Ciao for now,

Steve

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Your Vatican Visit - Part 2

In last week’s exciting and informative article (well, I hope you read it, at least), we learned a bit about the Vatican City in general, and St Peter’s Basilica in particular.

Today, you get your ticket to the Vatican Museums.

The Vatican Museums

In this image, you can see the Vatican Museums, almost in their entirety. The art museum is to the left of that small dome in the distance, while the Sistine Chapel is under the roof at the extreme bottom right of the photo. In between those two are the vast Vatican Museums. What do you need to come away with in looking at this photo? The Vatican Museums are huge! There are three floors and two, long galleries that are a quarter-of-a-mile each…that’s about a mile-and-a-half of walking! So, don’t try to see it all…I’ll tell you below how to best view the tens-of-thousands of artifacts.

The Vatican Museums — from Wikipedia

To see where the Vatican Museums fit within the whole of Vatican City, see the map included in last week’s article, here.

How to See the Museum’s Sights

I’ll cut to the chase and give you the answer on how to visit the Vatican Museum and St Peter’s Basilica: hire a guide.

On our first visit to the Vatican Museums in 2000, due to time constraints and not knowing about the whole guide thingie, we got off an overnight train to Rome, stored our luggage at the station, taxied to the Vatican Museum entrance, lined up two hours ahead of opening time (we were 8th in line), and then we raced non-stop to the Sistine Chapel all the way down at the end of the museum. The Sistine Chapel is all we saw (and we were happy with that). Next up was a very long walk back to the museum entrance, then around the Vatican City to Vatican Square and the entrance of St Peter’s. Phew! That was a lot of walking. The next time we went, because we set aside more time for our visit, we used a guide and had a much more leisurely and enjoyable time…including the use of the special door from the Sistine Chapel to St Peter’s. So, that’s the secret…hire a guide.

With a licensed guide, you can skip the line into the Vatican Museums, which we’ve seen snaking around for blocks on end, because on average, 20,000 people visit the Vatican Museums every day. With a licensed guide, you get priority access to the museums, at a time of your choosing. And of course, an added benefit is that you will have someone with you that knows what’s what, and where the secret doors are located.

How Long Does it Take?

A very long gallery filled with marble heads…and bodies, too

How much time do you want to spend exploring the Vatican Museum? Weeks? There’s plenty to see and a week wouldn’t be unreasonable. There are over 70,000 items and 54 galleries. However, I imagine your eyes would glaze over before even one day was over. A day? My feet hurt just thinking about it. How serious are you about spending a whole lot of time looking at marble heads, like those in this photo? I didn’t think so.

Do you like paintings? They got ‘em. Tapestries? Ditto. Marble heads? Well, you know they have those, right? Frescos? Un-huh. Collections? They abound…like hundreds of meteorites collected in Antarctica by Vatican scientist…go figure.

So, how do you narrow down all of this to fit your interest? Use your guides’ knowledge. And, how do you fit all of this into your Rome explorations, including your important visit to St Peter’s Basilica? Tell your guide how much time you have available so they can tailor your visit to fit it into your day’s itinerary. Finally, tell your guide ahead of time exactly what time you would like to start your explorations.

Finding Your Guide

So, where do you find these guides? You Google for them. Here are a few recent findings…but before you look at these offerings, be sure to look carefully at what they offer. For instance, is it just a timed, special entrance to the museums, and then you are on your own? Do they parla Inglese? Will they also be taking you on to St Peter’s Basilica? You get the picture, right?

Rick Steves - And then there’s Rick Steves’ suggestions…and his suggestions are based on his personal experiences. As he points out, there is a big difference with getting a guide from an international company like those above, and getting a private guide who works independently. So, give Rick Steves’ recommendations a look…and hope that he keeps that list up to date.

A Few Museum Photos

Even the staircases have art at the Vatican Museums!

Expect a lot of variety in the paintings of the museums.

There is even a very large, and very old, tapestry modeled on DaVinci’s ‘Last Supper’.

I think that this next one is a lot of fun. These little winged putti seem to be having a bit of fun as they march along a wall in the museum. That poor guy second-from-left is missing his face, or is that a pillowcase over his head. What’s that about? But, not to worry, his friends are guiding him, and there’s an extra face laying (or is it lying?) on the floor to the right.

This next one is really cool! Look at the sculptural relief…or is that a painting? Can’t be a painting, can it? Yep, it is, and it is an excellent representation of Trompe-l'œil. What’s that you ask? It’s an art technique that uses realistic imagery to create the optical illusion of three dimensionality. In other words, those shadows are very carefully calculated to create a three-dimension look.

Here’s a modern interpretation of Trompe-l'œil. It’s just chalk art on a concrete walkway, but it’s the perspective that makes it work. Looking from any other angle just won’t reveal the ‘look’.

 

And, let’s not forget painted ceilings. Not sure what that elevated scene is about, but she seems to be in complete control of the situation. You go, girl!

The Sistine Chapel

Speaking of painted ceilings, now to the penultimate…the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo didn’t really want to take on this project, as he was working on a marble tomb at the time…and he considered himself a sculptor, not a painter. But, we can be glad he acquiesced and took on the job for Pope Julius.

And, we can also be glad that the ceiling underwent a complete restoration at the end of the last century…before that, it was covered with the soot of five centuries of candle use.

First, here is what you would have seen if you had been there in around…let’s say 1970. It was a rather mono-chromatic, obliterated, mess.

From Wikipedia

Now, let’s see the difference that 20 years of restoration makes.

It’s an astounding change, isn’t it? Wow! And here is a bit of detail as we see the God-Man attempt at connection.

OK, here’s the deal. They ask that you take no photos. They also tell you to be quiet…and not in a very nice way. You hear a loud ‘SHHHH!!!’ intermixed with ‘No Photos!’ whilst you gawk at the amazing ceiling.

The fact that they keep shushing the crowd is indicative that no one pays much attention. Treat the request for ‘no photos’ the same way. Go ahead and shoot away. Just don’t use flash. I think the whole ‘no photo’ thingie has to do with selling the books with photos in the gift shop. And, as we haven’t been in the Sistine Chapel for 8 years, they may have completely given up on the ‘no photos’ thing with the advent of cellphone photography.

That’s it for the Vatican sights that we are allowed to see…the Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Basilica. If you have not already seen these amazing sights, I hope that you are able to do so whenever we can begin to travel once more.

Ciao for now…and please stay safe,

Steve

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Your Vatican Visit - Part 1

“St Peter’s Basilica is the world’s largest church in the world’s smallest country.”

The Vatican is a must see…don’t go to Rome without seeing it. And, how best to see it? That’s a good question. Read on for the answer.

The Vatican

“The Vatican” is composed of four entities, as follows:

  • Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome…we can’t roam around there

  • Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope…we can’t go there, unless invited

  • St. Peter's Basilica…yes, we can, and should, go there

  • Vatican Museum…definitely go there

As mere mortals, we can’t just wander around the Vatican City. However, we can visit the Vatican Museum and St Peter’s Basilica…so, that’s what we will look forward to seeing.

When visiting the Vatican, it is recommended that you first visit the Vatican Museums, and then head to the Basilica. There is good reason for doing this, and that reason will be revealed in next weeks Part 2 installment. Also, I’m reversing the visitation order by giving you St Peter’s Basilica today, before we visit the museums, next week. I know, I know, you are anxious to learn the mysteries of Vatican visitation, but you’ll have to wait for next week’s installment to have them revealed to you. So, in the meantime, I give you the…

Vatican City Layout

Before visiting the Basilica, let’s look at the layout of Vatican City, and where the Basilica and the museums lay within.

In this map of Vatican City, I have outlined the Vatican Museums in blue. The museum complex is huge, with many artifacts that will be revealed next week. In the red, you see St Peter’s Basilica, fronted by St Peter’s Square. The square is a gathering place for the faithful to see the Pope when he makes an appearance, as well as a place to gather for many other Vatican-related events…it’s a beautiful venue. The areas shown in green are the parks of Vatican City…you can look from several vantage points, but, please don’t touch.

Though it is referred to as ‘Vatican City’, it is actually a country unto itself.

St Peter’s Basilica

Just a small bit of history today, but mainly photos of the interior of he Basilica.

Is it actually a cathedral? No, it isn’t. A cathedral must be the seat of a bishop…and this isn’t. Though the Pope is the Bishop of Rome, his cathedral is actually the Cathedral of Saint John Lateran.

The Basilica was consecrated on November 18, 1626. However, understand that it was a work in progress for 120 years. The Basilica is huge, at 720 by 490 feet, and with a height of about 450 feet. It’s the largest church on Earth…and maybe the whole Universe? We’ll never know! But, we know that St Peter’s Basilica is the world’s largest church in the world’s smallest country.

Because it took so long to construct the church, there were at least 8 architects involved over the years. Donato Bramante is credited with the plan, while Michelangelo was the chief executer of that plan.

You might remember that Christ said, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church”. After his own crucifixion (upside down at his own request, by the way), Peter was buried where the current church sits today…that’s why the Basilica was located there.

OK, let’s move on to see what St Peter’s Basilica looks like…here is the exterior, taken on a dark and stormy day whilst in Rome in 2012. One almost expects to hear dramatic organ music and to see lightening descending to strike the dome.

St Peter’s Basilica

The stone work of the exterior is very…stone like.

And who provides the security for the Basilica…why the Swiss Guards do, that’s who.

Swiss Guards of the Vatican

Nice looking guys, right? Wouldn’t they look a bit more formidable with black outfits, weapons (other than a spear thingie) strapped on, and Kevlar vests? I think we might have seen someone dressed like this in a Cirque du Soleil show. Though I jest, they are a proud and capable group of dedicated Vatican guards.

When you enter through the massive doors, you are struck by the sheer magnitude of the Basilica’s size.

From Wikipedia

The baldacchino can be seen way down there…under the dome. Here is a closer view of the baldacchino.

To give you an idea of the size of the Basilica, the top of the baldacchino is 95 feet.

 

And speaking of domes, here is a view of the 136’ diameter main dome, with the baldacchino below.

Just inside and to the right as you enter the Basilica through the massive front doors, you find the magnificent Pieta. I wrote about the Pieta in September of 2015. You can see that article here.

Here are various photos that I have taken of the interior of St Peter’s Basilica.

See that female (yes?) figure with the bow in the bottom-left of the last photo above. In this detail photo below, you can see that these figures adorning the support for this small dome are mosaics. Don’t ask…I have no idea what the head under foot represents, or how it got there.

I will leave you with one, final dome (there are many within the Basilica)…not the main one, but an impressive one, none the less.

That’s it for our short visit to St Peter’s Basilica…well, almost. I need to share a humorous (maybe, maybe not?) anecdote…and a warning…about entering St Peter’s.

 

We visited St Peter’s in 2000, when the church was celebrating one of the recurring Diamond Jubilees (25-year anniversaries). The men in our group neglected to wear long pants (I have not taken shorts to Italy, since). We were stopped at the giant doors with, “Hey, you can’t go in like that…what do you think this is? A tourist site?”. Well, at 10,000,000 visitors a year…yes, that’s what I thought it was. There is a standing tradition of passing down, at the cost of $10, a pair of simple nylon pants with elastic waist…one size fits all. After coming out of the Basilica, there is absolutely no problem in holding them up and selling them to get your $10 back. So, be prepared to wear long pants, or to have $10 ready for temporary ownership of nylon pants. While we were waiting, two girls from Germany were stopped because of their shorts, so they stepped to the side of the massive doors, stripped down to bra and panties, reached into their backpacks, and then dressed in something more appropriate. Was that strip show less offensive than bare knees?

 

As I stated at the beginning, don’t go to Rome without seeing St Peter’s Basilica…it is a worthy, inspiring stop on your journey. You too will stand in awe at the magnitude of this beautiful structure. And, don’t forget that next week, you will understand how best to visit the Vatican Museums in Part 2.

Ciao for now,

Steve

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