St. Peter's Basilica...

February 25, 2012

We finally had some nice weather and so we took the train down to Rome.  There is so much to see there that we decided to take it one step at a time.  This trip was all about St. Peter’s Basilica. 

We woke up late and walked down to the Perugia train station and took the three hour train ride.  Jason wanted to be the one to punch the tickets before we left.

We arrived at 12:30 p.m. and took bus #64 over to St. Peter’s.  We waited in line to get through security.  The line went surprisingly fast because David had his kindle out and was reading facts about St. Peter’s while we waited. Once inside we decided to climb to the top first.  Yes, we climbed all 551 stairs, and after hiking all over the many steps in Perugia, it was a piece of cake. Even Jason (who was worried about doing it before we began) was surprised at how easy it was. We came outside for a bit of a break before we went all the way to the top of the Duomo. 

There was an inside balcony area at this level, where we could look down into the church below.  The only sad thing is the wire mesh was so high that it was difficult to get a decent picture looking downward, but I tried to get a few through the mesh anyway.  The mosaics on the wall were extraordinary. 

Next we climbed up the stairs around the Duomo.  They were really interesting as the walls curved inward and we walked on a slant.

Then we came to a very narrow spiral staircase with just a rope up the center to hold onto.  I was wishing I hadn’t been eating so much pasta at this point as it was a tight squeeze J  

Then we arrived in beautiful sunlight outside.  The views were spectacular.

On the way back down, I have to admit to feeling a bit sick after so much spiraling… I wonder why it didn’t bother me on the way up?  Once we were down I felt the need to unwind myself for some reason. 

By the time we got down from the top, the place was starting to shut down as it was 4:00 p.m. and there was a mass at 5:00 p.m. We were not able to go to the statue of St. Peter where everyone kisses his toe.  But we could take pictures of the entire back portion of the church.  We will have to go back there next time.

Next we spent time looking all through the church.  The place truly is awe-inspiring.  I think even the non-religious had to feel something whilst inside.  The sheer beauty of all the artwork is overwhelming.  I wanted to touch everything, it was all so magnificent.  Danika’s and Jason’s favorite was this copy of Raphael’s transfiguration.  It looks like a painting, but when you get up close, it is really a mosaic.  Unbelievable…

The Chapel of the Pieta (where Michelangelo’s sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus’ body after it came down from the cross, he did this when he was 24 years old) was cordoned off and behind glass, so I couldn’t get a decent picture of the sculpture – but hopefully you get the idea.  It is the supposedly the only sculpture that Michelangelo ever signed. 

Of course I had to get a picture of the kids with the guard all dressed up!

Next we went to the Pantheon.  We stopped along the way because Jason wanted his picture trying to hold up this building.  

When we finally got to the Pantheon, we didn’t have time to go inside.  Again, we will have to save it for the next trip.  However, we did have time to stop for a gelato and a picture outside!

Then it was a quick grab of some dinner and back to the train station and the three hour train ride back to Perugia.  All in all, a very nice outing!

~Mary