Ruminations on Rome (3)
Silvia and I had a very full, and very enjoyable, day in Rome where there was an obvious security presence following the terrible events in Paris last night. We decided to use the morning for orientation by visiting the major squares and to use the afternoon to tour the Vatican since it will be closed to tourists tomorrow (Sunday).
So first stop was the nearby Spanish Steps in Piazza di Spagna. The proper name for the steps is Scalinata della Trinita’ di Monti after the church at the top, but they have their popular name because the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See was nearby. The bad news was that the steps are cordoned off for renovation. The good news is that we could actually see the steps because nobody was on them.
Next stop was the Trevi Fountain in Piazza di Trevi. Silvia had never seen this, so I led her into the square as she kept her eyes closed, in order that she could be truly surprised. If you have not been there before, you don’t realise how huge the fountain is, occupyimg virtually the entire square. If you have been there before, the fountain looks glorious because it has just been reopened after an 17 month clean and renovation.
Striding on, we then visited the Pantheon in Piazza della Rotonda. This was originally designed as long ago as 118-125 AD and has memorials to two Italian kings, Vittorio Emanuele II who finally unified Italy in 1871 and Umberto I who was assassinated in 1900.
At this point, Silvia and I stopped for a rest and early lunch, sharing a large panini of salami and mozzarella cheese. Our fourth and final square was Piazza Navona, probably the most beautiful in the city. Although I call it a square, it is not square or even rectangular so much as cigar-shaped with very long sides of elegant buildings. In the centre of the piazza is the famous Four Rivers Fountain designed by Bernini in 1651.
Throughout our morning in tourist central Rome, we saw loads of vendors, entertainers and beggars. The most frequent object for sale – usually by a migrant – was the ubiquitous selfie stick for cameras.
We returned to our hotel with just five minutes to spare before our scheduled pick up for the afternoon tour of the Vatican. A minibus took us from the hotel to the tour company’s offices where we boarded a coach which an hour and half later managed to pass by our hotel. Our guide was a wizened old man who looked like a character from “The Lord Of The Rings”, but he knew his stuff and he knew it in English, French and Spanish.
Apparently one can queue for hours to gain entry to the Vatican but tour guides lead their groups straight inside. We viewed some of the many magnificent galleries which are full of paintings, tapestries and statues. The most stunning was the Gallery of Maps which has a stupendous ceiling.
Then we were shown into the world-famous Sistine Chapel which is home to some of the very finest work by Michelangelo – the ceiling, which includes the iconic scene of Adam and God touching fingers, and the altarpiece representing “The Last Judgement”. I had seen the chapel before but it was reopened in 2000 following a painstaking cleaning process lasting 14 years and now looks more magnificent than ever.
Leaving the Vatican Museum, we then had some time in St Peter’s Basilica. Among the many artistic treasures here are the marble Pieta’ statue by Michelangelo and the four columns holdimg the huge altar canopy designed by Bernini. Finally we walked a little around St Peter’s Square with its 284 columns. It was now dark but the front of the basilica and the two large fountains in the square were illuminated which made the experience very atmospheric.
Once the tour was over, Silvia and I had a drink and chat before going for dinner and more chat. We found a fish restaurant off the Via del Corso shopping street and both had grilled salmon with cauliflower purée and spinach accompanied by a side dish of roasted vegetables. Of course I had ice cream too to conclude a splendid day of over 12 hours’ sightseeing.