"ROME - THE WONDER OF ANCIENT... " a Rome Travel Page by kmohandas

The Colosseum is the most important land mark even today. It was an amphitheatre built around two milleniums before.

This was the central point around which the ancient civilisation of Rome was developed. It served as a hub of commercial activities in the distant past era.

The Sistine ceiling was originally painted by Piero Matteo d'Amelia. In 1508 AD Pope Julius II Della Rovere asked Michelangelo to repaint the ceiling. Michelangelo was not happy about this as he had considered himself a sculptor. and was contemptuous of Fresco painting. These paintings ultimately became a master piece and his most well-known work.
Michelangelo was asked to paint the Twelve Apostles and a few ornaments on the ceiling of the chapel. But he created greater works and ended up painting more than 300 figures.
He worked on the project very hard during 1508 AD to 1512 AD, on very high scaffolding. This continuous hard work project damaged the great artist's eyesight.
When Michelangelo was in his sixties, he was summoned by Pope Clement VII (1523-1534) to the chapel much against his wishes to paint The Last Judgment on the altar wall. The work was commissioned) shortly before his death. Clements’s successor Pope Paul III Farnese (1534-1549) forced Michelangelo for early completion of the work. It was the largest single Fresco of the century. Even today, it is considered as a masterpiece of art.