How many churches can you see in one day?

We began our time in Rome with a visit to the Vatican City on Sunday for the Papal Blessing and free time in the Vatican. A bunch of us got to the Vatican early for mass and exploring the Bascilica before the blessing. St. Peter's Square at 9am was entirely different from later in the afternoon. The square was open with very few people roaming about. We had plenty of space to wander and take pictures, free of interruption. The columns and statues that surround the square are so precisely made. I will say this over and over, but to think it was all created by hand! That is simply incredible. But if I thought the square was amazing, imagine by awe when we walked into la Bascilica di San Pietro. It is bigger than I imagined, extending as far as 100 yards, and full of art. Every wall, every piece of ceiling, even the floors, are covered in some form of art. There were paintings, statues, mosaics, carvings, reliefs all around you. The effect was awesome and yet also overwhelming. My favorite part of seeing the churches here is that you can see the devotion of the creators to The Creator. I cannot believe that someone would spend so much time, effort, and money on so much beauty for a god they did not believe in. To see this art, I think, is to see a physical form of faith. That is hard not to be inspired by.

In the Vatican, some of us went to Mass, I went to confession, shopped, and then met the group in time for the Papal Blessing. It made me feel proud to be a Catholic when I heard the cheers of the crowd as Pope Benedict came to the window. You could feel the people extending so much emotion to the Pope, who of course gave so much back. After the Vatican, we went to two other gorgeous, though lesser known churches, St Paul's outside the walls, and Santa Maria Maggiore. Both were exquisite, yet St Paul's was my favorite, other than the Vatican of course. St Pauls managed to combine the opulence and extravagence of the period yet maintain a simplicity in structure. It was less cluttered, if you can call covered in art cluttered. While there was less to see, it was easier to concentrate on one aspect at a time.

To see this art, I think, is to see a physical form of faith. That is hard not to be inspired by.

Not that I want to make less of all the amazing sights Rome has to offer, but there was so much that cannot be given its due credit. So rather than go through all the crazy details, I’ll give highlights, and my favorite parts.

The Vatican Museum was yet another example of the incredible artistic talent of prior eras. In order to get to the Sistine Chapel, we had to go through room after room of other art. I was so excited for the Sistine Chapel but couldn’t help but fall in love with Raphael’s rooms as well. The colors were so vibrant that they seemed to fall from the ceiling and right into my imagination. The Sistine Chapel itself was different that I had expected. After seeing so many huge grand churches, I expected more. It was certainly smaller than I thought, but it was still beautiful. It was unreal to be standing in such a famous room, after reading about it, studying it, and seeing snips of the art reprinted hundreds of times. The original is always better. If only I were taller and could reach the ceiling to see more up close.

Another favorite of mine in Rome was the Pantheon. This once pagan round temple was converted to a Christian church and so it holds aspects of both religions. The structure of it is so perfect and simple, to make an open dome and have a sloped floor for draining, without modern technology or tools! It is incredible. The square outside the Pantheon was my ideal picture of Italy. Small cafes with outdoor seating, small bakeries, gelato shops, beautiful old buildings with fading paint, even a grotto to Mary on a wall. A large fountain the in middle. Relics of ancient times all around. The only sad part was the McDonalds across the square. Nothing is sacred anymore.

You cannot go to Rome and not notice the Coliseum. That is also amazing to see. It is much larger than I pictured before, yet the inside seems smaller, or maybe I just find it difficult to understand how they held all those battles there, including mock sea battles! Again, the way the Romans figured out how to manipulate what was available to them to create such marvels is amazing. It was also a lot of fun to walk around the Forum. The ruins lay everywhere, and you can just touch them, walk on them, and be a part of the history, if only for a short visit. We also took time to see the Trevi fountain at night, lit in such a beautiful way. I threw in my coins, hoping to return someday in the future. Maybe I threw in an extra for you too.