Quando in Roma (When in Rome)

Curvature of the cuppola

I'm really glad I've been to Rome before, because just spending part of a single day there is really not enough to take in all that this great city has to offer! Our Art History professor, Rocky, told us the main thing to do in Rome: eat, eat, eat! That is obviously a theme for this entire trip in Italy, but I'd love to go back and have more of a sit-down meal.

Some new friends - St. Peter's Basilica in the back

We kept busy with other great activities, though. We went into the Vatican, which is technically another country (but no, we don't need our passports to enter). This was my second time to this historic and extremely influential part of the world, but it was great learning more about what I was seeing. I learned that St. Peter's Basilica is one of the largest churches in the world, if not the largest. Everything inside is so massive in proportion to everything else that you feel so small. Much like I do when I think about how truly great God is in comparison to who I am.

Sistine Chapel from the outside

We also basked in the glory of the Capella Sistina (Sistine Chapel). Much to many people's surprise, it is not the "Sixteen" Chapel but "Sistine," named after Pope Sixtus IV (Francesco della Rovere) who constructed the chapel in the 1470s. It was very interesting to see how beautiful it is on the inside but how simple and fortress-like it is on the outside. I may have sneaked a picture of the inside, but I won't post that in order to avoid the security guards tracking me down. They take their jobs very seriously.

View from the top of St. Peter's cuppola (dome)