One of my kids elected to attend a college without ever first setting foot on the campus. Full disclosure: she was peripherally familiar with the area, because she'd visited family in the next town over. And she had a childhood friend who attended the same institution. Still, a virtual tour was all she needed to be satisfied.
I think of all the people in all the places across all the centuries who have relied on images and words to experience what they could never see in person. This is, as you say, wonderful!
That is amazing , Switter. I have known about the Sistine chapel since I was a little kid going to Catholic school. I’ve seen photos in books but I don’t recall ever seeing the whole view like this! It is much more expansive than I realized.
I have not been to Rome but it is calling me. I want to see/feel the pageantry and the glorious art that I think is there. What I don’t like is crowds of people. In my imagination, I want to see the Sistine Chapel and other holy sites in stillness. Ain’t going to happen, ya know? I think if I go in winter I might have a quieter experience but it still won’t be quiet.
I also have the annoyance with all things surrounding the business of travel. I would need to convince myself that I could accept the robber barons of air travel . I’m working on it. Stories of air travel abuse and greed disgust me.
If you go, the other thing you absolutely must do is go up into the dome of St. Peter’s. As you stand in the courtyard facing the cathedral, there is a small alley on the right side of the building. Go into the alley and for a few cents, you can ride an elevator to the roof and can actually walk up to the massive statues along the front of building. It was one of the places where they cut costs while building it, because the backs of the statues are raw rock.
There is a door at the base of the dome and when you enter it, you can look down at the crux of the cathedral, way down to the crux. To your left, the is a staircase that wraps around between the inner and outer domes, winds its way up, leaning ever more inward until you arrive at the little cupola at the very top of the dome.
There is a narrow walkway around the cupola and from there, you can see the Seven Hills of Rome.
And if you have time after all that, it’s fun to sit on the left side of the plaza, near the gate through which the Swiss Guard enters and exits. It’s an easy way to spend a couple of hours, watching the guards come and go while sitting among nuns from all around the world.
Switter! That would be perfect! That is my kind of exploration. I will save this response and put it with my Maybe Rome stuff…. Of coures, I want to see St Peter’s Basilica but this would be exceptional. No one stops you from going up there? How cool! Thanks!
I was welcomed both times I went to the top. It gets a bit claustrophobic near the top as the domes lean in, but it’s a never to be forgotten experience.
I’m not a crowd person, and I never felt at all like there were too many people at St. Peter’s. Maybe on a holiday or if the pope was speaking, but the times I visited, it wasn’t crowded at all.
Thanks for the encouragement. I am adventurous and getting more willing to deal with the inconveniences and expenses of travel in order to experience art majesty, and a different world than the one to which I am accustomed. Thanks!
One of my kids elected to attend a college without ever first setting foot on the campus. Full disclosure: she was peripherally familiar with the area, because she'd visited family in the next town over. And she had a childhood friend who attended the same institution. Still, a virtual tour was all she needed to be satisfied.
I think of all the people in all the places across all the centuries who have relied on images and words to experience what they could never see in person. This is, as you say, wonderful!
That is amazing , Switter. I have known about the Sistine chapel since I was a little kid going to Catholic school. I’ve seen photos in books but I don’t recall ever seeing the whole view like this! It is much more expansive than I realized.
I have not been to Rome but it is calling me. I want to see/feel the pageantry and the glorious art that I think is there. What I don’t like is crowds of people. In my imagination, I want to see the Sistine Chapel and other holy sites in stillness. Ain’t going to happen, ya know? I think if I go in winter I might have a quieter experience but it still won’t be quiet.
I also have the annoyance with all things surrounding the business of travel. I would need to convince myself that I could accept the robber barons of air travel . I’m working on it. Stories of air travel abuse and greed disgust me.
Thanks for the motivation though!
If you go, the other thing you absolutely must do is go up into the dome of St. Peter’s. As you stand in the courtyard facing the cathedral, there is a small alley on the right side of the building. Go into the alley and for a few cents, you can ride an elevator to the roof and can actually walk up to the massive statues along the front of building. It was one of the places where they cut costs while building it, because the backs of the statues are raw rock.
There is a door at the base of the dome and when you enter it, you can look down at the crux of the cathedral, way down to the crux. To your left, the is a staircase that wraps around between the inner and outer domes, winds its way up, leaning ever more inward until you arrive at the little cupola at the very top of the dome.
There is a narrow walkway around the cupola and from there, you can see the Seven Hills of Rome.
And if you have time after all that, it’s fun to sit on the left side of the plaza, near the gate through which the Swiss Guard enters and exits. It’s an easy way to spend a couple of hours, watching the guards come and go while sitting among nuns from all around the world.
Switter! That would be perfect! That is my kind of exploration. I will save this response and put it with my Maybe Rome stuff…. Of coures, I want to see St Peter’s Basilica but this would be exceptional. No one stops you from going up there? How cool! Thanks!
Here’s some info: https://www.getyourguide.com/-l90308/
I went on my own, but even with a guide, it’s not expensive.
Those look like excellent possibilities. Thanks!
I was welcomed both times I went to the top. It gets a bit claustrophobic near the top as the domes lean in, but it’s a never to be forgotten experience.
I’m not a crowd person, and I never felt at all like there were too many people at St. Peter’s. Maybe on a holiday or if the pope was speaking, but the times I visited, it wasn’t crowded at all.
Thanks for the encouragement. I am adventurous and getting more willing to deal with the inconveniences and expenses of travel in order to experience art majesty, and a different world than the one to which I am accustomed. Thanks!