Italy/Greece Trip, Day 11 – First Day in Rome

On our first day in Rome, we would visit another country – The Vatican! We spent three and a half hours in The Vatican Museum with a visit to the Sistine Chapel at the end. What a visit! The Sistine Chapel was built over 500 years ago.  And the future artist who would make a major contribution to the Sistine Chapel was only two years old when the Sistine Chapel was started by Pope Sixtus IV in 1477.

When it was finished in 1480, this future artist was only five years old. The walls, painted in fresco, were painted by such renowned artists as Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Pietro Perugino. The walls were completed when this future artist was thirteen. When he became as artist, he made his reputation making sculptures, not painting.  And he had very little experience in frescos, a complicated and ancient method for painting that relies upon a chemical reaction between damp lime plaster and water-based pigments to permanently fuse the work into the wall.  And this method of painting, known as fresco, which was used to paint the walls of the Sistene Chapel, would also be used to paint the ceiling. So, how did this artist, who was 5 years old when the Chapel was finished, and who had little fresco experience, get selected to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?

First, the ceiling, as we see it today, was not started until 20 years after the walls were completed. And Pope Julius II, who was pope at the time wanted the ceiling redone with images that had many layers of meaning. And he was intent to have a 33 year old artist named Michelangelo paint it, even though Michelangelo did not have much fresco experience. But Pope Julius recognized Michelangelo’s genius. Michelangelo had the intellect, the biblical knowledge, and the powers of invention to devised the type of scheme the pope wanted. But Michelangelo refused him. 

Eventually Michelangelo would be convinced to paint the ceiling. It would take four painstaking years to do so. Central to the ceiling decoration are nine scenes from the Book of Genesis, including The Creation of Adam, and includes over 300 figures. Quite honestly, it is a bit overwhelming when you walk in and see it in person for the first time.

When the ceiling was unveiled in 1512, “people from everywhere rushed to see it, and the sight of it alone was sufficient to leave them amazed and speechless.” Having completed the ceiling at the age of 37, Michelangelo’s reputation rose such that he became regarded as the greatest artist of his time. And the ceiling was immediately considered one of the greatest masterpieces of all time, a distinction that has endured.

Michelangelo would return to the chapel to create The Last Judgment, a large wall fresco situated behind the altar. The chapel, serving as the location for papal conclaves and many other important services, and the murals, have become iconic – a “must see” for anyone visiting the Vatican.  I am so fortunate to have seen that room and the masterpieces on its walls and ceiling. Because no photos are permitted, my walk through that iconic space can only be described. And I will not even attempt to do so.

 If I had been permitted to take photos, the most impressive photo may have been an image of hundreds of people looking up at something with wonder, joy and awe….

As we all now know, Pope Leo XIV is the first American citizen to become Pope. He is also only the 4th pope to be elected pope the same year as a Jubilee, which occurs in Rome every 25 years. The last time that has happened was in 1775. And the day we visited the Vatican and Sistine Chapel – Wednesday, May 21st, 2025 – was the day of the new pope’s first “Public Audience” in St. Peter’s Square. 

So, when we walked out of the Vatican Museum still processing everything we had already seen, including the Sistine Chapel, the last thing we expected to see when we arrived in St. Peter’s Square was the pope finishing his first Public audience.  But there he was!  The energy of the crowd was like being at a large concert. It was a once in a lifetime experience.After the Pope departed in his Pope Mobile, we got lunch to go from one of the eateries nearby and had lunch sitting outdoors just out of St. Peter’s Square. I ordered something similar to Iced Coffee that had ice cubes and a scoop of Gelato in it. It was one of the best things I tasted during my entire time in Rome. I wanted to try it again, but could never find it anywhere else. And believe me – I tried! And Kathy Rogers, one of the leaders of the trip, had heard about it and really wanted to try it. Because she was not with us when I was fortunate to have it near St. Peter’s square, she never got the chance to try it. Maybe, like the Pope, that impressive concoction can only be only seen and experienced by most of us near St. Peter’s Square!

Later that day we would visit St. Paul’s Basilica and the Catacombs, both of which were impressive and powerful experiences in themselves. 

We would get back to our hotel still processing ALL OF THE THINGS WE HAD SEEN AND EXPERIENCED from the day. Wow! Walking through the Sistene Chapel, seeing the Pope in St. Peter’s Square, entering St. Paul’s Basilica, where the Apostle Paul’s remains are buried, and walking through the Domitilla Catacombs, where 27,000 Christians were buried. Rome did not disappoint.