Vatican City
Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani

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    • Day 3

      Vaticaanstad

      June 1 in Vatican City ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

      Vandaag bezochten we de St. Pieter basiliek inclusief de koepel met fantastisch uitzicht na 500 traptreden omhoog. Vervolgens het Vaticaan museum met muur- en wandschilderingen, beeldhouwwerk, mozaïek etc. Oude pauselijke verblijven en tot slot de Sixtijnse kapel met muur- en wandschilderingen van Michelangelo.Read more

    • 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

    • 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
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    • 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

    • 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!
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    • 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.
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    • Day 3

      Die Führung in den Petersdom beginnt

      November 11, 2023 in Vatican City ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

      Mit unserem sehr guten und sympathischen italienischen Tourguide ging’s dann zum Eingang des Doms. Dabei haben wir viele interessante Informationen rund um den weißen und schwarzen Rauch der Sixtinische Kapelle, das Tor zum Dom, welches nur alle 25 Jahre geöffnet wird und zum Dom an sich bekommen. Im Inneren war vor allem die Information zur Statue von Jesus und Maria von Michelangelo sehr interessant. Die Statue ist die einzige von Michelangelo offiziell signierte und heißt Pietà. Die Marmorstatue ist in den Jahren 1498 bis 1499 in Rom entstanden. Bei ihrer Fertigstellung war Michelangelo Mitte zwanzig. Sie ist eines der bedeutendsten Werke der abendländischen Bildhauerei und ein herausragendes Beispiel für die Kunst der Hochrenaissance. Die Darstellung ist sehr bewusst gewählt. Damit Maria den sterbenden Jesus im Arm halten kann, ist dieser sehr schmächtig. Die Haltung von Jesus ist die eines Babys, gleichzeitig ist er abgemagert wie ein sterbender. Der Körper von Maria ist groß, wie der einer erwachsenen Frau. Das Gesicht sehr jung. Ingesamt stellen die beiden somit den kompletten Lebenszyklus dar. Sehr spannend und sehr imposant. Leider kommt man nicht zu nah hin, sondern muss einiges an Abstand halten. Trotzdem gut zu erkennen!Read more

    • Day 47

      Der Petersdom

      November 7, 2022 in Vatican City ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      Der Petersdom ist ein beeindruckendes Bauwerk und wird seit dem 2. Jahrhundert als Grabstätte des Petrus angesehen. Diese Basilika gehört zu den 7 Pilgerkirchen und 5 Papstkirchen Roms.
      Baumeister waren u.a. Bramante, Raffaello, Giuliano da Sangallo und Giovanni Giocondo, sowie Maderno und Michelangelo.
      Bei Ausgrabungen im Auftrag Pius' XII um 1950 wurde eine Grabstrasse unter der heutigen Basilika gefunden.
      Wir sind von seinem Prunk, seiner Größe und Schönheit überwältigt.
      Der Dom ist jedoch weder die Kathedrale des Bistums Rom noch der ranghöchste römisch-katholische Kirchenbau - beides ist seit Alters her die Lateranbasilika.
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    • Day 292

      Rom

      May 9, 2023 in Vatican City ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

      Rom ist eine so beeindruckende Stadt. Als ich das letzte mal hier sein durfte, hatte ich den besten Stadtführer der Welt.

      Daniel war schon oft hier und hat viele 1000 Ministranten während einer jährlich stattfinden Pilgerfahrt medizinisch betreut. Er kennt Rom unglaublich gut.

      Neben Besichtigung der bekannten Sehenswürdigkeiten sind wir damals auch in unbekanntere Ecken gelaufen. Zu allem wusste er spannende und witzige Anekdoten zu berichten. Zum Beispiel, dass der Architekt Salvi an der Ecke der Fassade des Trevi Brunnens eine große Vase eingeplant hat, um die Sicht für einen Friseur, mit dem er sich zerstritten hatte, zu verbauen. Ich habe diesen Tag noch in unglaublich guter Erinnerung.

      Ganz so gut hatten wir es diesmal nicht. Die Stadtführerin, der wir 2 Stunden gefolt sind, war eher mäßig. Danach sind wir auf eigene Faust noch mal los. Eine kleine Konkurrenz gibt es allerdings doch. Sie heißt: ChatGPT.

      Wenn man die künstliche Intelligenz fragt: „Nenne mir fünf spannende Fakten…, oder nenne mir drei witzige Dinge über….“, kommt erstaunlich viel Gutes und spannendes raus.

      Natürlich kamen wir auch dazu, Pauls Geburtstagsgeschenk in der Eisdiele, mit den über 150 Eissorten einzulösen und abends noch einen leckeren Aperol Spritz zu trinken.
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    • Day 165

      VAT - St Peter’s Basílica

      September 12, 2022 in Vatican City ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

      🇧🇷 Entramos más impresionante Basilica de São Pedro. Com muitos detalhes, essa basílica enorme impressiona com sua beleza. ⛪️

      🇦🇷 Entramos en la basílica de San Pedro más impresionante. Con muchos detalles, esta enorme basílica impresiona por su belleza. ⛪️

      🇺🇸 We entered the most impressive St. Peter's Basilica. With many details, this huge basilica impresses with its beauty. ⛪️
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani

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