The New Normal - Christmas in Rome, part III, Vatican City, Spanish Steps

Vatican City State, the center of authority of the Roman Catholic Church, was our destination on day three in Rome.  Citta del Vatincano was founded in 1929 by the signing of the Lateran Pacts between the Holy See and Italy.

"The Good Shepherd" Rudolf Marshall (Austrian sculptor/metalist), taken in the Vatican Museums

Vatican City is the smallest independent state in the world in both area and population, sitting on only 100 acres of land with about 1000 people living there, including the Pope.  It contains many interesting sites including the Vatican Museums (with the Sistine Chapel), as well as Saint Peter's Square and Basilica.

The entrance to the Vatican

The Vatican Museum(s) is massive, and is actually referred to in the plural because of the many Christian and art galleries contained in its walls.  Like the Louvre, it would take many visits to get more than a cursory look at the more than 20,000 works on display (the Vatican actual owns 50,000 more pieces that are currently being stored.)  Therefore, we had to be selective, and moved through some sections more quickly than we would have liked.

Pope Julius II established the museums in the 16th Century, donating his private collection in 1503 shortly after he was named Pope.  Since then, many subsequent Popes throughout the centuries, as well as private families, have contributed, making the museum(s) one of the largest in the world.  

Art abounds . . . We saw tons of Greek and Roman classical sculptures as our tour began.  

Every ceiling was a work of art throughout the museum(s), including those by Raphael and the famous Sistine Chapel fresco painted by Michelangelo (No pictures allowed there, but we did buy a puzzle!)  

Paintings by the masters to modern artists were everywhere, along with Christian artifacts, maps, globes and other interesting antiquities.  

"Virgin and Child" stained glass 1922, Joseph Bertini & Caesar Ponti

Matisse

Matisse

"Resurrection" 1925-1930, Emile Bernard

"The Trinity" 1960, Salvador Dali

"The Embrace" (Pope John Paul II embracing his mentor Cardinal Wyszynski) 1980, Pedro Cano

Pretty view out the window, table made from colored marble

I was especially interested in the "Gallery of Maps" room.  It is named for the frescoed maps on the walls.  These maps are representations of the papal properties and Italian regions during the time of Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1583.)  They were painted based on drawings by the famous geographer Ignazio Danti.  It took Danti 3 years to paint the 40 panels in the gallery.  I loved looking at the detail, including drawings of ships, compasses, and the land forms themselves.  The pictures I took don't really do the maps justice.

Below is "Sphere Within a Sphere", located on the grounds of the Vatican Museums.  It is a bronze sculpture by Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro (born 1926) and is part of a series that the artist began creating in the 1960's.  These spheres can now be found in locations all over the world.  Richard says it looks like the Death Star from Star Wars!  I loved the way it rotates and the gear-like look of it.  

We descended a very unusual staircase as we exited the museums.  It is a double helix staircase, know as the "Bramante staircase."  Actually, Bramante designed a similar staircase in 1505, but this one was designed by Guiseppe Momo, and was inspired by the original.  The double helix allows people to ascend one staircase and descend the other, without ever having to meet.  I loved looking at the symmetry, the way the natural light shown on it, and the clear space in the middle.  It reminded me of a conch shell.

You can barely see Richard near the top of this picture

Looking up toward the skylight

Speaking of steps, our evening started with a visit to the Spanish Steps.  In 1717, Francesco de Sanctis won a competition to design the famous steps.  They were built in 1723-1725 and link the Bourbon Spanish Embassy with the Trinita dei Monti church. 

Richard in front of the Spanish Steps

Poet John Keats lived in a home at the bottom of the steps, which is now a museum.  There is also a fountain at the base called "The Fountain of the Ugly Boat."  It's a half-sunken ship with water over-flowing its sides into a basin.  Legend says that during a flood of the Tiber River in the 16th Century, a fishing boat was carried all the way to this exact place, hence they built the fountain.  It is also said that the flowing water of the fountain soothed Keats when he was on his deathbed.  

We ascended all 135 steps and enjoyed the view.  We also saw an interesting Christmas tree on the landing.  It was sponsored by a watch company called Bulgari.  The tree is made of gold-colored pipes with changing light effects and the base moves like the internal workings of a watch.

We finished the night with some more great Italian food. Molto Bene!