Rome!

After a fun night on the town the reality of getting up early hit some of us a bit hard. Still we managed to get up and dressed and breakfasted in time to board the bus for an 8:30 start into Rome. The morning began with a brief daytime repeat of some of what we'd seen the night before, and then some free time before our afternoon tour of Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. We started by spending some time in the Pantheon, an ancient Roman temple, first built during the reign of Marcus Agrippa (27 BC to 14 AD) but destroyed by fire in 80 AD, this version of the building was built in 126 AD and remains the building with largest unreinforced dome in the world. At the centre of the dome is an opening that allows light (and rain) into the building. (There is a floor drain that moves water away.) In 609 AD it was converted into a Christian church.

After the Pantheon we headed over to Campo de Fiori (Field of Flowers Square) to a cafe that Patrizia recommended for pizza. We were not disappointed, although this was still not the best pizza of the trip.

Ange's pizza: a mushroom and something something non-tomato sauce sort of affair. Yum!

The entrance to Vatican City, the world's smallest independent state.

John Luigi (brother to Mario) our capable, funny, and somewhat attractive (... apparently) Vatican tour guide.

The papal gardens. 

Another group-selfie opportunity.

A large granite bathtub ... for bathing. (Really!?)

The gallery of the maps of Italy, painted as frescoes, from 1580 to 1583 by Ignazio Danti. 

Raphael's depiction of Michaelangelo at the centre of his large mural, the whole of which was painted as a tribute to the painters and sculptures whose work was displayed in the Vatican. 

The interior of the main hall of St. Peters. To give a sense of scale, the altar canopy at the far end, designed by Bernini, is 20 metres high!

In St Peter's Basilica, listening to John Luigi, but a little pooped.

Michaelangelo sculpted the Pieta (the dead Christ in Mary's arms) when he was in his mid-20s, during the time that he also lost his mother. Here he depicts Mary as her young self lamenting, as though she has rather just given birth to the Christ, whom she knew would die, and he depicts Christ as smaller than her, and as though he is, once again, her infant. 

At the end of the Vatican tour we are quite toured out. 

We finish the day with a pizza supper in the city, and then head back to the hotel to rest up for tomorrow, which will begin with the Colosseum!