Vacation Reviews
Rome,
Italy
Cruise Tour Shore Excursion
Submitted by George M.
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Visited
ST. PETER'S SQUARE.
The piazza is at the end of Via della Conciliazione, which links St. Peter's
Basilica and the Vatican
with the center of Rome, across the Tiber. The huge 17th-century square, enclosed in the
embrace of mammoth quadruple colonnades, was designed by Bernini as a
grandiose prelude to St. Peter's Basilica.
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Visited
ST. PETER'S BASILICA. The largest
church in the world, built over the tomb of St. Peter, is also the most
breathtaking architectural achievement of the Renaissance, fruit of the
genius of five of Italy's greatest Renaissance
artists - Bramante, Raphael, Peruzzi, Antonio Sangallo the Younger, and
Michelangelo. Among the most famous works of art is Michelangelo's
Pietà, in the first chapel
on the right as you enter. At the end of the central aisle is the bronze
statue of St. Peter, its foot worn by centuries of reverent kisses. Over the
papal altar is Bernini's bronze baldachin.
·
Visited
the
VATICAN MUSEUMS.
This vast museum complex, whose collections span the breadth of humanity's
artistic history, from the Egyptians to the present, is part of the
Vatican
Palace, residence of the
popes since 1377. The palace's estimated 1,400 rooms, chapels, and galleries
contain nearly 5 miles (8 km) of displays. Posters at the entrance plot out a
choice of four color-coded itineraries, from about 90 minutes to more than four
hours long. All include the famed
Sistine Chapel, probably the most important of the museum's extraordinary
riches. Rivaling it are the Stanze di
Raffaello (Raphael
Rooms), decorated with
masterful frescoes. The Borgia
apartments have elaborately painted ceilings depicting some intriguing
historic figures.
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