Tuesday we decided to each do our own thing in the morning. Steph saw burial places; Ellen saw the seat of Roman Catholicism.
One of Steph's regrets from her time in Rome 13 years ago was that she didn't go to a catacomb. In the first several centuries AD no one was allowed to be buried within the city walls of Rome so they built vast underground burial chambers just outside the city. At least 66 have been discovered, five of which are open to the public for guided tours. I visited the Catacombs of Priscilla, known especially for the many surviving paintings on the walls and ceilings of certain chambers. We saw only a small sector, but one could walk over 8 miles on 3 levels past some 40,000 tombs. Wealthy or important families were often buried together in larger chambers but most people were buried on what is basically a shelf dug into soft rock, often 6 shelves built up one wall. The body was sprinkled with lye to speed decomposition, wrapped in a cloth, placed on the shelf, then sealed behind a terra cotta or marble slab. One thing of note about the Christian catacombs was that a rich person with an engraved marble stone might be buried next to someone so poor their covering wasn't marked, not each in their own separate sections of the catacomb--a radically egalitarian approach amidst a society with clear class distinctions.
Meanwhile, Ellen made her way to St Peter's on her own and worked her way through the security line to enter the basilica. She was very impressed with what she saw inside and spent about 90 minutes taking it all in. There are lots of side chapels, two of which are strictly for prayer so silence is especially enforced. Ellen spent some time in one of them. She also appreciated that the sacrament of reconciliation is offered in a certain area. She enjoyed the frescoes on the walls, and she felt tranquil and at home. She appreciated that amidst the bustle of visitors they manage to maintain a prayerful atmosphere, especially at the various tombs inside. The basilica is so huge that there can be multiple things going on. She even happened upon a large group of students preparing for a special children's mass with the pope.
We met up just after 1 p.m. to walk together around the outside of Vatican City to the entrance of the Vatican Museums. Lines are incredibly long in the morning so we intentionally waited until we could basically just walk straight through security to the ticket desk. The only way for a commoner to access the Sistine Chapel is by walking through the museums. We took the short course through the museum, seeing enormous maps and tapestries, numerous sculptures, and artifacts from cultures around the world. But, like most people, our real aim was to see the Sistine. Steph had downloaded an audio guide from Rick Steves onto her phone, which was immensely helpful in deciphering what we were looking at on the ceiling and walls. Since we were sharing a pair of earbuds, we did contribute a little to the need for guards to continually shush the crowd, but it was overall a much more uplifting experience than Steph's December visit 13 years ago. We couldn't help but giggle when the audio guide pointed out that one of the figures in the "Last Judgement" on the wall behind the altar looks as if he is being condemned to a life of eternal constipation. A truly miserable sentence indeed, and he certainly looked miserable.
We rested our feet and fed the pigeons in a square, then boarded a bus to the Spanish Steps. A map of the city bus system turned out to be an invaluable investment for our time in Rome since they have only managed to build two subway lines while dodging ancient sites. In so many cases, the bus meant less waking, which extended our energy for the rest of the necessary walking. Even the central part of Rome, the old city, is quite large. Ellen calls the whole thing "downtown," to Steph's constant amusement.
We finished the evening with a larger meal, aiming toward a traditional Italian meal (melon with prosciutto, mixed salad, risotto/gnocchi) and a fair bit of the red house wine. Our waiter was truly fabulous. We continue to get by easily with English; our native Italian waiter was quite fluent in English and can also speak enough German to do his job. Of course we finished with gelato as we strolled toward Piazza del Popolo. Or so Steph thought. It turned out we were walking in the other direction so we caught our normal bus home. This was our latest night out, scooting in at 10:30, still in time for the 11:00 curfew at the guest house.
No photographs allowed in the Sistine Chapel, but here's one of us with a Good Shepherd casting later on in the museum and another view of the dome of St Peter's.
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