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Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani

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    • TravelerThirty Before Thirty
      1
      Day 30

      San Marino, not San Marino 🇻🇦

      August 9, 2023 in Vatican City ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

      Country number 12 was originally meant to be San Marino but the 7 hour return journey was a little too much for being still under the weather and so it remains uncharted territory for the moment.

      Determined not to fail at the first hurdle and miss out on my 30 needed to complete the challenge, it dawns on me that another microstate country lies just over an hour away- Vatican City. I spend the evening booking tickets and the next morning hop on the train to Rome.

      Although contained completely within the borders of Rome, Vatican City has been its own city state since 1929 when it gained its independence from Italy. With under 50 hectares of land and under 500 people occupying its borders, it’s the world’s smallest country by both land and population. It has its own post office, stamps, euros and it’s a country with no taxes, whose economy is fuelled entirely by selling tourist souvenirs, museum entrance fees, and donations. It’s also the only country on the planet to never have granted women suffrage and has the highest crime rate per capita of any country in the world due to the number of pickpockets and tourist targeted crimes that take place on Vatican soil. It’s an incredibly interesting little country.

      Once I check off all the sights of the Vatican, I manage to find my favourite pizzeria from when I was in Rome years ago, and then I hop on the train back to Florence to pack for the onward journey to France tomorrow. So despite being ill, Florence hasn’t been a complete flop.      Read more

    • Avoiding the heat EU tour
      212
      Day 44

      Up high, down low

      October 17, 2023 in Vatican City ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

      Today started nice and early at around 5:30am so we could get up and walk the hour trek to the Vatican, we also made a detour to see the Trevi fountain and the Pantheon before the big crowds moved in.

      We met up with our tour group and ventured into the smallest (and wealthiest) country. Once inside, we made our way through the very impressive museum, the Raphael rooms, the hall of maps, tapestry gallery, the Belvedere Courtyard before heading to the Sistine Chapel where we enjoyed Michelangelo’s spectacular paintings.

      Next was the tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, Europe's biggest church which was so very impressive and excessive.

      We walked home, enjoyed some lunch before heading out on our next adventure.

      We joined our next tour where we discovered 3 of Rome's most significant archeological sites, the Capuchin Crypts, the Catacombs of St. Callixtus and the Appian Way.

      The Capuchin crypt was made up of the bones of 4000 monks, which was very strange. Afterwards, the tour look us to the catacombs which once housed up to 500,000 bodies, it was insanely large and incomprehensible, it was a maze of empty crypts and creepy drawings.

      The tour ended by dropping us back off in town where we wandered around some other sites such as the massive Monument to Victor Emmanuel II before grabbing some food from the shops before a calm night in.

      Step count: 28.8k      Read more

    • Christie MitchellRTW 2022
      Day 123

      Last day in Rome

      July 22, 2022 in Vatican City ⋅ ☀️ 95 °F

      Miles: 4.01 Steps: 9272
      Flights stairs: 32

      Today was our last day in Rome. Moving on in the morning. The last thing we had yet to see was St Peter’s Square & Basilica. We’ve seen a few basilicas now and I’d agree that this one is the largest so far. It’s claim to fame is it’s the largest in the world.

      We were able to hike up to the top of the dome finally. We didn’t get tickets early enough in Florence, so we’re glad to see we could do it here. It was really high and walking the stairs was weird being right next to the curved walls. Was 551 steps to the top … crazy, but fun even in 103° heat!      Read more

    • Europe Trip!
      11112
      Day 4

      Last day in Rome :(

      January 17 in Vatican City ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

      Our last day roaming rome :( we started off by going to the Spanish Steps which had…wait for it…a bunch of steps. Then we made our way over to the Trevi Fountain which was absolutely gorgeous. We also witnessed a proposal which went successfully so yay for them! At that point the fountain was my absolute favourite thing about Rome (soon defeated by something else…) Afterwards we headed to the Piazza Navona which was also beautiful! Big square with lots of shops and cobblestone. Thennnn we headed off to the smallest country in the world! Vatican City was absolutely spectacular. We headed to the Sistine Chapel and wowzers. To say it was jaw dropping would be an understatement. I suddenly have a new appreciation for art and Michelangelo. Unfortunately we couldn’t take photos inside but wow it quickly became my favourite. Then we headed to St Peter’s Basillica which was HUGE. To see Peter’s grave and see La Pieta (also Michelangelo!) in person was incredible. At that point it was pretty gloomy and getting late so we headed back to the air bnb for some rest before Gregory’s Jazz Club! We got there a bit early so we just had some drinks at the bar. One aperol spritz and I was in happy land. We experienced the best hospitality we’ve had so far, and met some nice people from the UK! The show started pretty late so we only stuck around for a little bit. It was a jazz trio with trumpet, drums, and bass! These Rome guys can PLAY. As much as we wanted to stick around we had to call it a night because of an early start the next morning. We walked back to the air bnb but unfortunately for us we accidentally detoured and accidentally got some gelato and accidentally ate it but ah well, these things happen. As soon as we were back zzzzzzRead more

    • TravelerEuro trip
      Day 22

      Rome and Vatican

      April 12 in Vatican City ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

      My Brothers 23rd birthday in Rome, WHAT? We both went to bed pretty early last night so we could get up early today. We wanted to spend our entire free day in Rome just walking and sightseeing. By 1030 it was already 24 degrees! We bought sunscreen back in Madrid, so we sat at a Café lathering it on. We picked a few monuments on Google maps we wanted to see and bought tickets for the Vatican Museum and sistine chapel for 3:00! After a coffee, we began our treck. It was so hard to stay focused on our original plan because every street has something mind blowing on it. We managed to make it to the pantheon, which was super cool. The pantheon dome is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. It was built in 126 AD. That's pretty insane to me. We didn't go inside because we wanted to see as much as possible. Next, we went to Monument to Victor Emmanuel II. This building isn't as old (built in the 1800s), but it was just as impressive. This building was made for one reason. It's just a monument to the first king of a unified Italy. Maybe over the top, maybe not. The statues outside were some of my favorites I've seen on this trip. They're so big and just so impressive. Inside, there is a soldier buried somewhere named the unknown soldier. He's named that because he was so badly injured in the Great War that he was unrecognizable. They buried him in there to represent all the lost lives of Italians. I thought that was pretty cool. Next was the trevi Fountain. I thought the colleseum was busy. I've never seen so many people on one street. We just pushed our way through to get right up to the fountain. If dudes with rifles weren't on stand by, I'd go for a swim. It was so hot it was almost 30 degrees. After taking a few photos of the fountain, we stopped for a much needed beer and sandwich. Right across the street was the place ceasar was assinated. So yesterday, we got to see where he was cremated, and today, we saw where he was killed. We had to continue on the main goal, the Vatican. We had to meet the group at 230 so we needed to be early. Walking outside of the Vatican, we saw so many people lined up waiting to get in. Jokes on them we had skip the line tickets. It feels good walking past all of them lol. We got into the museum and had to go through another airport like security check. Once we got through, the first thing we saw was an ancient Egyptian museum. We read that one of the popes just thought they were dope, so he opened a museum for them in the Vatican. We saw tablets and artifacts from almost 2000bc. There were even mummy's which were so cool. We wondered through the museum, looking at different eras through time. This museum was massive. It had everything from the Egyptians to van Gough paintings. After walking around for a few hours, we finally got to the sistine chapel. The sistine chapel was probably one of the only reasons I wanted to go to the Vatican, so I was really excited. Even though everything before was awesome, I don't think anything there beats the sistine chapel. It was so beautiful inside. I tried walking in with my camera out, not knowing you couldn't record or take pictures, so the guy immediately told me not to. Sucks to be him because I took like 40 pictures and videos. It was so strict that you weren't even allowed to talk inside. The detail and depth in the painting are so cool to see in person. There were parts that looked like it was 3D pictures dont do it justice. We stood in the middle of the room for about an hour before we left. Another country under our belt in 4 hours lol. I've officially been to the two smallest countries in the world. We took the train back towards the hostel. That was an experience. They only have 2 or 3 train lines because anytime they try to excavate, they find more ruins underground. The train cars we packed with sweaty Italians and about 10 minutes away, 2 guys walked on with a speaker playing their music. It was my nightmare. Rome is the only place I've been so far where I felt like if I'm not careful, I'll get my pockets picked. Obviously, nothing happened. It's just me being paranoid. After the museum we went to pearses birthday dinner. We went to this nice place, just a block away from the hostel. We split a pitcher of beer, and I had some carbonara for dinner. Today we are feeling better so we could actually taste the food and it was so good. I had panocatta for dessert again because it's too good. Becs planned a big celebration at the bar across the road from the hostel for Pearse's birthday. The theme was "shit lemon shirt" because of sorrento and at a bar called yellow bar. I think Pearse and I won best dressed for sure lol. We both bought cheap dresses there, and some of the guys were supposed to do it with us, but only one other guy did. It's crazy when I cross dressed I got more compliments from women than I have my entire life. Also, thanks to a random guy for ruining with Pearse Nick and i The bar was so much fun. We played beer pong and foosball downstairs danced and socialized with people who were leaving the next morning to go back home. It's kind of sad seeing some of the people go. Good ridens to a couple, though.Read more

    • TravelerVia Francigena-Franziskusweg
      1
      Day 80

      65. Etappe- Rom-Vatikan

      September 18, 2023 in Vatican City ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

      Nach dem Frühstück ging ich mit dem Dänen und dem Russen Richtung Vatikan. Ich lief etwas langsamer, wollte ich die letzten wenige Kilometer genießen, bevor ich am Petersdom ankomme. So trennte ich mich von Ihnen, ich wollte den Moment einfach für mich haben. An der Absperrung machte ich Fotos und ein Dank-Video, etwas rührte sich in mir, aber ich war noch nicht richtig angekommen. Jetzt das testimonium abholen, das Schreiben, das meine Pilgerschaft bescheinigt. Dort traf ich den Dänen wieder und an der Garderobe wurde das Schreiben ausgefüllt. Sehr viel unspektakulärer als in Assisi. Wir ließen unsere Rucksäcke dort. Zum Petersdom müssen Pilger nicht in der Schlange anstehen, sie gehen zum Eingang "zum Gebet". Ich war noch nie im Petersdom. Es ist für Giganten gebaut, alles ist riesig, die Statuen, die Decken, die Säulen. Nichts für mich. Ich mochte die Atmosphäre nicht. Ich ging in eine Seitenkapelle, zum Gebet, und sprach meinen Dank aus für die Gesundheit, für die Unterstützung und betete für meine Familie und Freunde. Dann kam die Rührung, dann kamen die Tränen. Das brauchte ich, diesen Moment für mich, in Gedanken, mit geschlossenen Augen.
      Ich besuchte noch die Kuppel, man kann innen oben die Kuppel-Mosaike anschauen und in die große Kuppel (nichts für Menschen mit Klaustrophobie) hoch laufen und die Stadt von oben bewundern.
      Das Dommuseum lohnt sich nicht, ich hatte hier mehr erwartet, es gab vieles aus dem 20. Jh., Goldschmiedekunst aus dem 17. Jh., aber wo ist die ganze Kirchenkunst der vergangenen Jahrhunderte? Verpasst habe ich die Krypta, wo alle Päpste liegen. Das kann ich dann mit der Rom Karte nachholen, wenn ich zurück komme.
      Ich aß eine schnelle Pasta in einem Imbiss, denn ich wollte meinen Pilgerstatus nutzen, um verbilligt in die vatikanischen Museen zu gehen. Aber, auch die Pilger müssen Schlange stehen, und ich wollte keinesfalls 3-4h anstehen.
      Also trank ich ein Bier und wollte überlegen, was ich denn bis drei Uhr noch machen möchte. Schließlich schleppte ich den Rucksack mit mir herum-natürlich hätte ich ihn in der Unterkunft lassen können, aber wie sähen denn die Fotos aus, wenn ich mit einem kleinen
      Täschchen und in anderer Kleidung da angekommen wäre?
      Ich fuhr zu einer Kirche, in der Franziskus immer übernachtet hatte, wenn er in Rom war. Das war in der Nähe des Kolosseums. In der Kirche empfing ich den Segen der Hl Francesca mit dem hl. Öl. Eine sehr schöne Kirche mit der richtigen Energie. Ich merkte dann, dass es die falsche Kirche war, war aber auch froh, trotzdem hier her gefunden zu haben. Die richtige Kirche war in der Nähe meiner Unterkunft. Nachdem ich zu Fuß (alles dauert eine halbe Stunde, zu Fuß oder per Metro/Bus) in der Unterkunft war, nahm ich eine Dusche und fragte den Dänen, ob er mich zu der Kirche begleiten möchte. Man muss schon wissen, dass Franziskus hier war, denn die Kapelle über der Sakristei kann nur mit einer Führung besucht werden. Solche Geheimtipps sind wirklich besonders schön. Danach tranken wir noch etwas zusammen, es schloss sich uns Massimiliano an, den ich aus Massa von der Via Francigena kenne und der in Rom wohnt. Er ging mit uns zu der Unterkunft, da er gerne als Freiwilliger für Pilger arbeiten möchte. Nach dem Abendessen ging ich mit dem Dänen zum Trevi-Brunnen und wieder zurück.      Read more

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    • TravelerOverseas trip
      1
      Day 65

      Rome Nu. 2

      September 25, 2023 in Vatican City ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      Today we went to St Peter Basilica and it was the biggest church I’ve ever been to. It was a long line but definitely worth it. The statues at the bottom were 6 foot and then the ones above them were 7 feet taller to make it look smaller than it actually is. We learnt all about the paintings and statues and there was a church session going over the speakers with choirs and things which was really cool to see.

      On our last day in Rome we went to the Colosseum. We took a bus about half the way there and walked the rest. Jemilla was sick so she didn’t have the best day but she said she was glad she went. On the way Mum took a bunch of photos of doors. We went into a bunch of church’s as well as the pantheon. We saw a castle which was much more ugly than the ones in France and Germany, and finally made it to the Colosseum and had a look around listening to Ricks Steve’s audio guides. The Colosseum was smaller than I expected but that might be because in the movies it’s intact but in real life half of it’s destroyed. We also accidentally went into the below levels where only people who paid 50 euro each extra and in a tour were allowed to go. So we had a look around there until we realised our mistake. My summary of Rome is i definately liked it. Most of the food seemed pretty cheap. If I went there again I would walk more because then you could get a better vibe of the city. I didn’t like how there were so many people trying to sell you things and come up to you and stuff. The architecture was way more flat and square than Germany or France. But I would definitely come to Rome again because I still feel like there is so much I haven’t seen. That makes sense considering how long this place has been doing history!      Read more

    • TravelerEurope 2022
      Day 2

      St Peters basilica

      May 20, 2022 in Vatican City ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

      This was the highlight of the Vatican for me and easily one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. It is a church built around St. Peter’s tomb at the site where he was crucified. Most of the popes are buried here, most in underground tombs but some are embalmed on the main floor. Pictures don’t do this place justice - it is so massive, detailed and ornate that it is difficult to look at, there is too much for your eyes to focus on. It is more than 2 football fields long and about 150 feet high. According to my guide from the pantheon, most of the building materials were taken from ancient Roman monuments, which the Catholics essentially destroyed because they were Pagan and using up valuable resources. So much of the metal comes from the colosseum, forum, etc. so it is very historically interesting. Most of the paintings (I think all except 1) are actually mosaics which is incredible.Read more

    • Familienauszeit durch Europa
      Day 6

      Vatikan

      March 14 in Vatican City ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

      Am Ende unseres ersten Wandertages durch Rom besuchten wir den Vatikan. Ein imposanter Ort mit dem riesigen Petersdom, den wir allerdings nur von außen bewundert und im perfekten Licht getroffen haben.Read more

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    • BTheEPICEurope Trip 2022
      Day 3

      St. Peter's Basilica / Church (Guided)

      June 6, 2022 in Vatican City ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

      We walked through St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the world’s largest churches, with our tour guide. We learned about the history of the massive church, saw the sun hit the cross on the centerpiece perfectly, and experienced the MANY statues around the building. We also saw the real body of Pope John XXIII, covered in wax only on the face, hands, and feet.Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani

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