Every so often I get a chance to visit something here in Roma that is not accessible to the populus generalus: the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel after hours with a small group; the Headquarters of the Knights of Malta; a long buried Mithraeum; the monastery garden at St Croece; the Scavi under St Peter's; and just last week the Mosaic Factory in the Vatican City.
Not to make it sound too exclusive, these sort of special visits are available for everyone, it just takes some fore thought, some planning and a bit of knowing how to arrange it.
Next on the list - this coming Friday a visit to the Vatican Gardens with our friend Cathy.
Interesting note: One of the major tasks the Vatican Mosaic Factory faces on a monthly basis is replacing tiles in the dome of the Basilica. While up there many tourists have a habit of chipping off pieces to take home as souvenirs.
20 giugno - Sant'Ettore
Showing posts with label Vatican City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vatican City. Show all posts
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Sunday, November 02, 2008
And the Birds of the Air
Ron, Gord and I visited the Scavi under St. Peter's last week - one of the best kept secrets in Roma. It's an incredible opportunity to walk through the 1st century Necropolis that was built on the Vatican Hill before Constantine filled it in to serve as the foundations of the first St. Peter's Basilica. Though this was my second visit, thanks to an exceptionally talented guide - Carla, an archaeologist, it was as fascinating as it had been on the first visit. It is amazing to see tombs, monuments, sarcophagi, frescoes and mosaics not in a museum but in their original setting. George Weigel gives a brief history of its discovery and restoration here.
While waiting to go into the Scavi and trying to avoid the downpour that would eventually turn into a horrendous storm, we popped into the Vatican bookstore and amongst the wise words of Big Ben translated into every known language found a few treasures including Robert Hupka's brilliant photo essay on Michelangelo's Pieta and this card:
A simple design but I found it beautiful in its simplicity.
02 novembre - La Commemorazione dei defunti
While waiting to go into the Scavi and trying to avoid the downpour that would eventually turn into a horrendous storm, we popped into the Vatican bookstore and amongst the wise words of Big Ben translated into every known language found a few treasures including Robert Hupka's brilliant photo essay on Michelangelo's Pieta and this card:
A simple design but I found it beautiful in its simplicity.02 novembre - La Commemorazione dei defunti
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