Day 3: The Vatican (5/31/18)

Today began with a breakfast delivered to our room on a tray. We have a big terrace that overlooks a central garden so we ate outside. We got to watch as a neighbor watered all her potted plants. Breakfast consisted of a croissant filled with pastry cream, a small sandwich, something we named fingerprint pizzas, orange juice, and coffee and tea. 



Breakfast comes on a tray

After our breakfast we headed to St. Peter's basilica. There was a long line for the security checkpoint, but it moved rapidly. We spent almost two hours viewing the church and its crypt. In addition to seeing the tomb of Pope Marcellus II, who is responsible for Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli, we also got to see a recessional from a live service. No live Pope sighting to report, though.



The altar in the basilica


The dome of the basilica

After a forgettable lunch during which Adam ate a portion of a chicken sandwich that smelled suspiciously like fish, we toured the Vatican museums. These are filled with ancient and modern masterpieces, including of course the Sistine chapel. 

Never tiring of art, after our tour of the Vatican we hustled to a small church, santa Maria Della Vittoria to see one of Bernini's masterpieces, the ecstacy of St. Theresa. Unfortunately, it was undergoing renovation, so some of its majesty was diminished. Still, an incredible piece. 

Our final sightseeing stop of the day was the Pantheon, with its famous dome and the tomb of Rafael. We kept wondering how they managed to build this marvel. 


Outside the Pantheon


The dome of the Pantheon

Feeling tired, we ended the day with a Spritz on busy Piazza navona and dinner at a restaurant that served a four course meal where the kitchen chose what you ate. It was the best food we've had yet! 


The pasta course


The meat course


Dessert!

Comments

  1. UnknownJune 1, 2018 at 9:42 AM

    Stunning pictures of the basilica. where’s the meat in your ‘meat course’? Or, was it a vegan version?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JohnJune 5, 2018 at 1:49 PM

      The meat course was chicken. You can see it beside the greens underneath tomatoes.

      Delete

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