Today will go down as the Vatican day, or the walking day (I
logged over 9 miles today). We began
with early entrance in St. Peter’s and Mass at the tomb of St. John Paul
II. It’s always a privilege to be on
such holy ground. I was there before, of
course, but there is never enough time to take everything in. I especially love walking in and immediately
seeing Michelangelo’s most famous Pieta, probably my favorite statue.
JPII Altar
After this we made our way to the Vatican Museums. It took awhile to get everyone wrangled, but
we eventually made our way in. I had
already made plans for lunch with someone, and knew I might not have time to
see everything, so I was told it was okay to roam ahead if needed. Unfortunately we had the same guide as
yesterday, so when we entered he spent way too long talking about the Vatican
and the history of the state, etc. I had
enough, so I took off to spend more time where I wanted to.
I breezed through the Ancient Greece and Rome stuff, and
slowed down through the magnificent Hall of Maps (amazing gold ceiling, walls
lined with maps of Italy). I also took
my time through the Papal Apartments painted by Raphael. While the School of Athens is always a site,
I of course prefer the Disputation of the Sacrament on the opposite wall. A couple of others guys caught up with me,
and we were able to spend some quality time in the Sistine Chapel. Just like my previous visit, while most
people spend their time looking up, I was again transfixed by the Last
Judgment. It’s an awe-inspiring place
(no photo!).
Umbria
Florence
The Disputation
School of Athens
After finishing I had a little time before lunch, so myself
and another seminarian stopped off for a little gelato (amazing dark chocolate
and mixed berries) and then meandered down the main religious artifacts street
Borgo Pio. I was able to pick up some
holy cards to be blessed by the pope at the audience tomorrow. Then, it started to pour. As quickly as I could, I made my way to the
restaurant for lunch. It was a great
chance to catch up with a priest friend from Houston.
Following lunch, it was back to the Vatican for the Scavi
tour. That simply means a tour of the
excavations below St. Peter’s in the 1940s.
It was especially great that it was lead by a Madison seminarian! No photos down there, but it was really cool
to see the Necropolis, “Dead City,” uncovered below St. Peter’s. Long story short, the tour ends at the bones
of St. Peter which lie directly below the high altar.
After this tour, another seminarian and I took a taxi to
another major store that sells clerical attire.
This was an adventure on its own, since I had no address, only a vague
area, and the taxi dropped us off a 15 minute walk away (and way over charged
us). While I did not purchase anything,
I saw this of course that I wanted.
Then, we decided to walk back to the hotel. I was very happy that I used my map skills to
find our way back in nearly the most economical way.
By the time we got back, it was almost time for me to
immediately turn around and meet up with my diocesan brothers for a fantastic
dinner at a restaurant near the Vatican.
We had a great time eating great food (antipasti, lasagna, tiramisu
(finally) and limoncello (again finally)) and more importantly great
companionship.
Tomorrow will be dominated by the papal audience and some
more needed free time in the afternoon.
No comments:
Post a Comment