St. Peter's - It's Sooooo BIG!!! and other Rome, Italy Things to Do Tips

St. Peter's Beauty

It seemed to take us forever just to get across the huge courtyard to join our English speaking tour to go through St. Peter's. Once inside we were in awe of the size and the beauty of this amazing cathedral. Cherubs on either side of the bowls of Holy Water were about 10 ft. tall & 5 ft. wide.

Click on the photo to see the tiny size of the people inside this one section of the cathedral.
The surface area of St. Peter's is 163,182.2 sq. feet. The length of the basilica including the vestibule is 693.8 feet. Other great cathedrals of the world could easily fit inside of St. Peters.

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Address: Vatican City

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Vatican Museum & City: More on St. Peter's Beauty

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Written by Sandi-2004

on Sep 16, 2004

Magnificent Hall in St Peters

There are so many beautiful parts to St. Peter's that one photo isn't enough. The construction of the cathedral took 176 years from 1450 to 1626.

I suggest phoning ahead to reserve a space in a
tour so that you can gain a wealth of knowledge from someone who knows not only the facts but plenty of extra stories you may not find in any guidebook.

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St Peter's - San Pietro: Inside St. Peter's -- The Pieta

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Written by Sandi-2004

on Sep 17, 2004

Mary and Jesus

This beautiful and delicate sculpture of Mary holding her slain son is very moving. Michelangelo chose to create Mary as a younger woman, perhaps the age she was when she gave birth to Jesus. Yet her shoulders are broad and her body seems large, as though she is strong enough to carry the tremendous responsiblilty of motherhood and the great sadness of the loss of her son. The lifeless body of Jesus is frail and small by comparison.

These two figures were carved from one piece of
marble and they are perfection..

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Vatican Museum & City: The Sistene Chapel in St. Peter's

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Written by Sandi-2004

on Sep 17, 2004

The ceiling painted by

Michelangelo

Built between 1475 and 1483, the Sistine Chapel is today the Pope's official private chapel in the Vatican and the place where cardinals from around the world assemble to elect new popes.

The chapel is rectangular in shape and measures 40.93 meters long by 13.41 meters wide (the exact dimensions of the Temple of Solomon, as given in the Old Testament). It is 20.70 meters high and roofed by a flattened barrel vault.

The Sistine Chapel's main attraction is its magnificent artwork, including Michelangelo's "The Last Judgment", a spectacular fresco covering thousands of square feet of the chapel's ceiling and wall and a "Genesis" ceiling fresco, also painted by Michelangelo, depicting God creating Adam. Botticelli's masterpiece "Temptations of Christ" can also be viewed in the chapel.

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Piazza Navona: Piazza Navona

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Updated by Sandi-2004

on Oct 28, 2004

Fountain of the Moors

This is a beautiful area with a magnificent fountain and sculptures. We walked into Piazza Navona in the late afternoon and felt the joy of the beauty of the place sweep over us.

Lined with many outdoor cafes, this piazza is the home to Tre Scalini and the Gelato Tartufo, a chocolate so rich that it could be deliciously dangerous. We enjoyed every bite. As evening set in, we watched some of the most beautifully dressed, attractive couples strolling along that I have seen anywhere. It was a great area for relaxing and people watching during the early balmy September evening.

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Villa Borghese: The Art and The Park --Villa Borghese

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Written by Sandi-2004

on Sep 16, 2004

Click to enlarge

Villa Borghese is 3 1/2 miles in circumference. It was created by Cardinal Scipione Borghese in the 1600s. Umberto I, king of Italy, acquired it in 1902 & presented it to the city of Rome. It's filled with huge trees, grassy lawns, sidewalks, ponds. People enjoy bike rides, boating & family picnics.

Inside the park are museums & galleries. The most impressive is the Galleria Borghese, with mosaics, sculptures by Canova and Bernini and works by Rubens and Titian as well as numerous Caravaggios.

The photo shows The Rape of Proserpine - By Bernini in 1622. The God of the underworld, Pluto, carries Proserpine away to be his bride. In this sculpture Bernini places in contrast the taut musculature of Pluto with the soft yielding flesh of Proserpine.

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Directions: When you look at a city map of Rome, you can't miss the large space of green in the northern part of the city.-- that is Villa Borghese.

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Pantheon: The Pantheon at Night & the Busy Surroundings

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Written by Sandi-2004

on Sep 16, 2004