St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican was certainly worth the return walk to Vatican City. We waited in line for about half an hour before going through security and walking across St. Peter's Square to enter the basilica. The size and rich decor inside is awe-inspiring, as we imagined it would be. To the right of the entrance is Michaelangelo's famous sculpture, the Pieta. The artist was twenty-three years old when he was commissioned to sculpt Mary holding the body of Jesus after the crucifixion. It's the only sculpture that Michaelangelo ever signed (since people didn't believe it was his work!) I remember when the Pieta was attacked with a hammer by a crazed worshiper at St. Peter's on Pentecost Sunday, 1971. Onlookers took off with various pieces of the sculpture, including Mary's nose which had to be reconstructed. The Pieta is now behind bullet-proof glass.Speaking of protective glass, the body of Pope John XXIII is on display in a glass coffin near the front of the church. When the body was exhumed thirty-eight years after burial, it was in decent condition. The Church said it was a miracle. The mortician said it was due to his excellent embalming. Either way, the pope's beautiful clothing and pasty white skin are now on display for everyone to see.
We were feeling adventurous and, since we couldn't find the supposed stairway leading down to the crypt, we opted to climb to the top of the main cupola. Actually, we decided to take the elevator which turned out to only go part-way to the rooftop. We paused on the roof so Leroy could get a cappachino in the coffee bar. From there, we had to climb a narrow spiral stairway that led back inside the church to the base of the dome. We had an awesome view of the church's interior from above. The next set of stairs took us above the dome. There were very few windows, and the stairs got narrower and required us to lean to our right as we climbed upward and inward. The final stretch was a claustrophoic spiral stair with steps so narrow we could barely fit our feet on them. A rope was provided for holding on while climbing. At the top, we were able to stand on a narrow platform surrounding the cupola. The view of St. Peter's Square and Rome was amazing!
We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering back to the apartment and figuring out how to send a package of accumulated items back to Buffalo. The local Post Offices were out of boxes, so we had to buy a box and packing tape from a stationary store. Thankfully, the Post Offices are open here until 7:00 p.m., and we sent our package out just in time (I hope we see it again, along with the other packages we've sent home!) From the Post Office, we ventured north a bit to the beautiful Piazza Novona. There are three fountains there, including The Fountain of the Three Rivers by Bernini. After dinner, we went back to the apartment to pack. We are leaving shortly this morning for Venice!