ROME2
In the last part I focused on older stuff now for the rest of Rome...
What is the smallest country in the world? What is the country inside of a city? What is the country that is ruled by someone from another country? The answer to all the questions is Vatican City. Covering only 1 sq kilometer it is the smallest country in the world, it is ruled by the pope, and it is inside of Rome. Saint Peter's Basilica is the big draw for pilgrims and tourists. This Basilica is the second to largest in the world, being passed only by Basilica of our Lady of Peace in Japan. Saint Peter's Basilica is a bit unusual in that it is not a cathedral because it is not the seat of a bishop. It is a church because it is a place of christian worship, and it is a basilica because it is given special privileges by the Pope; well, the Pope lives only 50 yards away.
After we went through the metal detectors we started our Rick Steve's audio guide and walked inside. The basilica has an amazing gilded ceiling and an impressive swarm of people. There was a service going on when we were there, so we had to stay out of the left wing. The dome is about a football field high and was designed by Michelangelo who used the Pantheon's dome as a model. The ceiling was gilded with gold and the bronze alter was the biggest i have ever seen.
The bones of S. Peter are under the alter, at least the Pope says so. Studys show that the bones belonged to a man that lived at the same time Peter did and died of old age. I personaly think it is not the bones of Peter.
After St. Peter's Basilica; Dad, Landon, and Bria went home while Mom, Betsy, and I went to the Sistine Chapel which is in the middle of the Vatican museum. We made our way through the crowds of people, but all traffic eventually leads to the Sistine chapel. We got to the doors and saw a sign that said no pictures! So there aren't any pictures at all. [But everyone is familiar with the finger of God meeting man's hand anyway]
The ceiling is painted with fresco's made by Michelangelo. What is a fresco? A fresco is made by painting on wet plaster, after the plaster dries the color is locked into the plaster. Over the alter is the biggest fresco in the museum, "The Last Judgement". The Last Judgement is the scene of Christ dividing good from evil. Saints and other Christians are ascending to heaven, while the damned are grabbed by demons and are dragged down to hell and everlasting punishment.
On our way home the three of us stopped at Saint Paul's Basilica. The security was very strict to get in, mom even said rather rudely, "I guess you guys needed something to do." But they didn't seem to notice. Inside was one of the most spacious basilicas I have ever seen. Under the alter was the sarcophagus of St. Paul. Above the sarcophagus is the "holy chain" which is the chain that Paul was bound by. [see above pic] There is a active convent there as well.
This is not exactly about Rome but it is close to Rome.
Pompeii was a middle class Roman town that was destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius on August 24, 79 AD. [Pompei had been a coastal town but no longer as Vesuvius dramatically changed that] A couple of days before the eruption there had been several earthquakes but no one expected the disaster that was coming. At noon there was a rumble and a cloud of ash and smoke shot 12 miles into the air, soon there was a thick layer of ash over the whole town, roofs were collapsing but the walls stood strong. The next day the mountain blew it's top and finished the destruction of the town, but the walls still stood and were well preserved for about 2,000 years.
This is the forum of Pompei. The forum was lined with temples, the basilica, and important houses.
The basilica here is not the kind you are thinking. A basilica in roman times meant a important meeting place or a law court. The floor plan of early basilicas was adopted by early Christian to make the floor plan of their churches. Doesn't it look a bit funny at this basilica how the columns are all the same height, is this some weird coincidence? Well in 62 AD Pompeii was rattled by an enormous earthquake and a lot collapsed. They were in the process of rebuilding when Vesuvius erupted. But you can see a bit of their architecture. They would make a central core of stone, surround it with bricks, and then would make it look like a marble pillar by coating it with a special stucco of marble dust made into a paste.
Some roads in Pompeii have these "beaver teeth" and are the way of marking what different kinds of transportation are allowed and if it was pedestrian only. One "tooth" would mean that it was a one lane street. Two would signify a normal two way street and three would mean a major thoroughfare. Extra high stones would mean pedestrians only, and the "cat's eyes" (little pieces of white marble embedded in their streets and walks) would shine in the tiniest light and show the way for pedestrians at nightime. Chariots were no problem as they all had standard size axles. The stones also served as a crosswalk for pedestrians in the morning when they flooded the streets for their daily washing. [Notice the deep grooves in the stone streets worn by wheels]
This theater in Pompeii is Greek; because before Pompeii was Roman it was Greek. This is not the only arena in Pompeii, the other is a amphitheater made by Romans. The Greek made theaters and Romans made amphitheaters. What is the difference between a amphitheater and a theater? The Greek's theaters were semi circles. When the Romans came they put two theaters together forming an oval and made a amphitheater to fit more people in. Sound travels really well in the theater and you can hear some one talking on the other side of the theater.
Oh yeah, changing the subject entirely. One annoying little characteristic about Continental Europe. [Some countries are worse than others] They are awful at walking their dogs; that is, they don't clean up after their dogs. Mom and Dad were talking about it and Mom said, "They have no self respect." Dad just said, "They have lots of self respect, they really respect themselves by not going to the trouble of picking it up!". I think Rome is king of dog-dirt on the street!
All right, this post is getting a bit long. I don't think i will make another. See you all soon!