Day 12 – Saturday, October 26: Flight Home from Athens OR Vatican & Sistine Chapel, Basilica of St. Peter’s, St. John’s Lateran Church & Sacred Steps
For those who did the Greece Tour only, this was a day of travel. Various flights from Athens took folks back to the States. It was an early morning for all. However, Alexis accompanied the group to the airport.
For those who chose the optional Rome extension, it was our first full day in Rome. The weather was perfect, with highs in the low 70s again. We enjoyed a nice breakfast here at the Mediteraneo Hotel. We boarded the bus at 7:35 and drove to the Vatican City. We read from Romans 6 on the way. Paul wrote Romans from Corinth during the end of his 3rd journey (around late 56 or early 57 AD). Phoebe delivered the letter to the cluster of Roman house churches established here by converts from Paul’s ministry in Asian Minor, Macedonia, and Achaia.
Rome is very large, with about 6 million residents (3 million living inside the city limits, with 3 million living around the city). This means a LOT of traffic, everywhere! There are a total of 453 churches in Rome. The ancient Roman walls that we saw from time to time throughout each day (dating from 269-275 AD) are 19 kilometers (13-14 miles) long. 380 towers were incorporated into the wall as well as 14 gates.
Vatican City
We drove directly from the hotel to the Vatican where we visited the museum and Sistine Chapel. About 850 people live in the “Vatican” today, the world’s smallest official “state.” Getting into the Vatican with special “VIP” status helped us avoid the hours-long lines. We divided into three smaller groups to walk through the museum and church with our guides. Upon entering, we got our first glimpse of St. Peter’s Church.
Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel
Walking through the museum was packed with people. However, it was also filled with ancient artifacts, tapestries, and maps was breath-taking. Even the ceiling of the hallway is amazing! Finally we arrived at the Sistine Chapel. The uncle of Pope Julius II built the Chapel in 1483 when Michelangelo was only five years old. So many of his teachers began painting the images in the chapel. The ceiling was left blue, with golden stars until Michelangelo began his masterwork in 1508. He was 37-38 years old at this time. It took him four years of painting the ceiling. Much later, we also spent another five years to complete the Last Judgment scene on the front wall of the chapel. The chapel is simply stunning! Michelangelo was 89 when he died in 1564. About 35,000 enter the Sistine Chapel every day.
St. Peter’s Basilica
Leaving the chapel we entered St. Peter’s Basilica. It is the largest in the world. The original church was built in 319-326 AD, but the present church was built in 1504. It took 120 years to complete! When Michelangelo was 73, he started designing the dome of the church, the largest in the world. As we walked through the church, we saw a replica of the famous Pieta sculpture of Mary holding the crucified Jesus (the room housing the real Pieta was under construction). We also saw the remains of a few Popes who earned “sainthood” after their deaths. Leaving the church we entered Vatican Square. It is a large gathering place in front of the church itself.
We enjoyed nearly two hours of free time in the area of the Square. Many enjoyed their first Italian Pizza!
“For those who chose to do the optional Rome extension, today was our first full day in this city of six million. The unbelievable treasures of the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Cathedral amazed us this morning”
St. Paul’s Church Outside the Walls
Following our lunch and free time, we met our bus again and drove to the St. Paul’s Church Outside the Walls. The church originally goes back to 330 AD. It was rebuilt many times. A fire in 1823 destroyed it, but it was rebuilt shortly later in 1827. By tradition, Paul was buried here. The traditional hand cuffs that bound Paul are also displayed here. 267 Popes are also displayed here all around the sanctuary. The church is owned and maintained by Vatican City.
St. John’s Lateran Church & Sacred Steps
Our last stop of the day was to the Sacred Steps. As a monk, Martin Luther climbed these steps on his knees, trying to merit forgiveness. It is believed that Helena brought the 28 steps from Jerusalem. The steps are to believed to be used by Jesus went brought before Pontius Pilate.
Across the street is the St. John’s Lateran Church (formerly called Church of our Savior). This was the very first official church, built in 313 AD (St. Peter’s Cathedral was built in 319-326 AD). Up through the 14th century AD, all the Popes lived in the adjacent building next to the church. The church was later redone in the 1500s. The new Pope always comes here and is appointed the Bishop of Rome here. Because of the church being the bishop center, it is viewed as the most sacred of all Catholic Churches around the world. Twenty two Popes are buried here.
We returned back to our hotel at about 4:30 p.m. We enjoyed a very relaxing dinner at 7 p.m, followed by an optional walk to the Colosseum. We also saw the Piazza Venecia (originally built in the 15th century) and our first glimpse at the Roman Forum. It was a great first day here in Rome!
Day 13 – Sunday, October 27: Appian Way, Ostia Antica, Catacombs
