I woke early…3.00 am.
Arriving in the dark to a foreign country is a disconcerting feeling and I was anxious to look out the window and find what ‘Rome’ looked like. In the light of street lamps, I see an airport and train station… so in reality I could be anywhere, but we are in Italy.
Its is my birthday and we’re going to make the most of it.
A delicious breakfast, far from the curries I’ve had for the past two weeks.
A shuttle into the city and hop on one of those hop on hop off buses….
Our first stop in the sun was Castel Sant’ Angelo
Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant’Angelo (English: Castle of the Holy Angel), is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum. The Castel was once the tallest building in Rome.
Thats where we began our tour this morning…. NO, not a tour, tour… OUR tour.
I don’t tour very well.
The interior was breathtakingly beautiful, painted with delicate frescoes, but we were unable to take photos, I can’t find any reference to them but room after room was overwhelmingly impressive.
Arriving in the dark to a foreign country is a disconcerting feeling and I was anxious to look out the window and find what ‘Rome’ looked like. In the light of street lamps, I see an airport and train station… so in reality I could be anywhere, but we are in Italy.
Its is my birthday and we’re going to make the most of it.
A delicious breakfast, far from the curries I’ve had for the past two weeks.
A shuttle into the city and hop on one of those hop on hop off buses….
Our first stop in the sun was Castel Sant’ Angelo
Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant’Angelo (English: Castle of the Holy Angel), is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum. The Castel was once the tallest building in Rome.
Thats where we began our tour this morning…. NO, not a tour, tour… OUR tour.
I don’t tour very well.
The interior was breathtakingly beautiful, painted with delicate frescoes, but we were unable to take photos, I can’t find any reference to them but room after room was overwhelmingly impressive.
This was a view from the building.
This was a huge Angel in one of the courts.
Just a short walk to Saint Peters Basilica.. We’ve all seen it on TV, some of you have been there, but nothing prepares you for the splendor and magnificence of this huge art works.”Only gradually does it dawn upon us – as we watch people draw near to this or that monument, strangely they appear to shrink; they are, of course, dwarfed by the scale of everything in the building. This in its turn overwhelms us.”
The basilica is approached via St. Peter’s Square, a forecourt in two sections, both surrounded by tall colonnades. The first space is oval and the second trapezoid. The façade of the basilica, with a giant order of columns, stretches across the end of the square and is approached by steps on which stand two 5.55 metres (18.2 ft) statues of the 1st century apostles to Rome, Saints Peter and Paul
The basilica is approached via St. Peter’s Square, a forecourt in two sections, both surrounded by tall colonnades. The first space is oval and the second trapezoid. The façade of the basilica, with a giant order of columns, stretches across the end of the square and is approached by steps on which stand two 5.55 metres (18.2 ft) statues of the 1st century apostles to Rome, Saints Peter and Paul
Despite the crowds, we were able to enter rather quickly and it was almost overwhelming.The entire interior of St. Peter’s is lavishly decorated with marble, reliefs, architectural sculpture and gilding. It contains a large number of tombs of popes and other notable people, many of which are considered outstanding artworks. There are also a number of sculptures in niches and chapels, including Michelangelo‘s Pietà.
The apse with St. Peter’s Cathedral supported by four Doctors of the Church.
Its so hard to take everything in, so I shot as many photos as I could and then I can go bak and look at them with fresh eyes.
What a glorious birthday, lucky gal! And to get to share the experience with Keith!