One Month!

Today I have been in Rome for one whole month! Time flies, man. To celebrate our little mini anniversary, I took myself on a date with my city by climbing the dome of St. Peter's Basilica to get the best possible view of Rome.

I could be a total nerd and bore you with facts about the Basilica. Its ability to seat 15,000 people or the fact that my favorite murdering dynasty of Pope's, the Borghese built it...Or I could name-drop the magnificent Renaissance men who designed it --among them being Bernini(my boyfriend), Carlo Maderno, Bramante, & Michelangelo. I could really go on forever talking about the history of this building and the one that came before it. And the necropolis beneath it. And...I'm stopping.

Climbing the cupola of the basilica might be the most exhilarating thing I've done in Rome. Ever. If you know me at all, you know that this is a big deal for me to say.

Before you begin the (kind of nauseating) climb inside the dome, you get to step inside of it. It caught me by surprise and I found myself out of breath eye-level with the Michelangelo's mosaics that I had stared up at from hundreds of feet below. I don't think I had ever seen mosaic's by Michelangelo prior to this. Painting, sculpture, fresco, architecture, yes.

Michelangelo's Mosaics

And then you look down into the nave of St. Peter's. And its mind-blowing. The incredible expanse of this building cannot be portrayed in photos. Its just massive. Seeing it from above is another story all together. The monstrous Baldacchino looks like a teeny little party hat and people down below appear smaller than ants.

There was a service going on during my time lurking in the rafters so I got some beautiful views accompanied by hymns (i think) coming from a Latin choir & an old-timey pipe organ.

I'm only including this because its a view
from below the Baldacchino looking up into the dome

 





So once I got over the shock of standing inches from Michelangelo mosaics with no one around to stop me from touching them...I climbed the narrow, hot, dizzying, nauseating, staircase up to the top of the dome. I don't recommend climbing without eating breakfast. I was light-headed for most of my two-hours at the top. That could have been the 448 feet below me.

Despite the light-headedness, it was a really amazing two hours. I hung out with this view and a lovely breeze. I skyped with a friend or two from the top to share this incredible moment with them and left feeling rejuvenated. I could see the Mediterranean, seven miles away. I could see the Tiber River winding through the golden city. I could see all of the Vatican gardens and museums. It was a very surreal collection of moments.

Note: The shadow of the Dome sitting over the Sistine Chapel