On our last full day in Rome, we did what every tourist must
do when visiting Rome—the Vatican. After waiting in a surprisingly expeditious
security line and passing the modesty check, we passed through the ornately
carved wooden doors and entered St. Peter’s Basilica. St. Peter’s is the
biggest church in the world, but it doesn’t seem as big as it is. Eric, our
tour guide, told us that it’s possible to fit the entire Statue of Liberty in
the main dome. The basilica is scaled so that the statues, inscriptions, etc.
that are closer to the top are larger. The inscriptions that circle the top
seem to be only three to four feet tall, but each letter is actually twelve
feet long. Joe, another guide, told us that the basilica is so immense that it
sometimes rains inside the church. After being fully dazzled by St. Peter’s, we
had lunch then went to the Vatican Museum. There we saw dozens of beautifully
detailed Renaissance paintings, and of course, the Sistine Chapel where we were
shushed multiple times by the stern guards patrolling the crowd. We spent about
an hour at the hotel, exhausted by the day’s adventures, until we headed to
L’Archetto for dinner. The restaurant specializes in spaghetti, so I ordered
the Ghiottona—a mix of tomato, cream, and pesto. After our final dinner in
Rome, we headed out to our final gelato in Rome at a place called San Crispino
near the Fountain of Trevi. I, feeling adventurous, decided to break free of my
norm of ordering Nocciola (hazelnut) gelato and got a combination of grapefruit
and the house special, honey. Delizioso! All in all, it was a great way to
spend our last day in Rome.
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The Laocoon statue in the Vatican Museum ft. the back of
Alex Taber’s head in the lower right corner.
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Front view of St. Peter’s Basilica
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| A few Grotonians plus Eric and Joe taking a quick break at the Vatican Museum |
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