Rome: Day 2

For our second day in Rome, we arose at the crack of NOON and headed towards the Vatican. Yes, I said crack of noon… we should really start setting an alarm. But that’s another story.



If you ever go to Rome, you MUST go to Vatican City and St. Peter’s Basilica. Not only will it blow you away just visually, but simply the history and aura of the whole place will blow you away. There were huge crowds of people, however, we were told that this is nothing compared to the busy summer months. We joined the mob and headed inside.



I have had a few ‘jaw-dropping’ experiences in my life, but walking into St. Peter’s practically blew me away. It was as if the halls of heaven were open, and we were free to take a tour. It’s not just the decoration, but the mere vastness of the space. If the US ever needs a place to park the Space Shuttle, they could probably just borrow a corner of this church. I don’t think my pictures do it justice, but here’s a few anyways just to give you a feel.








After touring the inside, we headed for the “Cupola” – which is the very top point of the church. It is 551 claustrophobic steps to the top (for a mere 5 Euro) – however for an extra 2 Euro you can take an elevator past the first 221 of them. Needing a workout after only walking the distance of a marathon the day before, Matt and I slung our bags on our backs and headed up.
The view from the top was incredible – a 360 degree view of Vatican City and Rome as far as the eye can see. It gives you a great feel for the complexity of the city, as well as the overall size and busyness. We snapped our obligatory 47 pictures while enjoying the 70 degree (21 Celcius) sunshine. It was awesome.

We were unaware that the Vatican Museum – which houses incredible works of art and the Sistine Chapel – closes at 4, so when we were finished with St. Peter’s we walked down to the river for a great Pizza dinner.

All in all, Rome was more than I could ever have imagined… a big mix of ancient history, modern civilization, and people in all shapes and sizes. While two days isn’t enough to see everything, I think we definitely now have a great feel for Rome… and look forward to coming back soon.


~ J. Twice