Rome Post Script -- Day Two
 
Our first stop on Monday was to revisit St. Peter's Basilica. There were so many beautiful objects of art inside that I wanted to take time to photograph. First, we had to pass the inspection of the blue vested volunteers that were making sure no illegal skin was showing. I looked down at my long pants and noticed with horror the bedroom slippers I was still wearing from breakfast. But this was OK. They were actually pretty comfortable.
The vastness of this interior is stunning. From JT 175: "The gilded bronze Baldacchino, -- a gigantic canopy atop four spiral-shaped columns ... covers the assumed site of St. Peter's grave and soars up toward the vast space of Michelangelo's dome."
To the right is the front altar as seen through the canopy. We couldn't enter that space since there was a mass going on at the time.
The two pictures are of a statue to the left of the center alter. That red, mottled blanket is all made of marble. Whomever commissioned this statue had a very low opinion of England and instructed the sculpture to make sure that the woman's foot resting on the world to the right leaves England unseen. So, her foot rests squarely on that country.

We learned this by listening to a tour guide talking to some other tour. Judy, if you know more about this, please click here tell us about it.
 
The two pictures below show the Column of Trajan.(JT33)
It is supposed to describe the emperor Trajan's military victories over the Dacians.
This is the Palazzo di Giustzia on the River Tiber next to Castel S. Angelo.
 
Below are two scenes from bridges over the Tiber. The one above shows the dome of St. Peters peeking out and below are magnificent statues.
Revisiting St. Ignazio where we sang our last concert.
The front alter area. the white altar was removed for our concert.
A close-up of the painting that was above our heads.
the front three paintings.
I was standing right about where that chair is standing.
This is what I saw -- only it was filled with people that night.
The ceiling painting in the center of the sanctuary.
We're back at our hotel after leaving the new Jubilee bus/train/metro station, the outside of which is to the right. After buying a bottle of Chianti for 2 bucks and two sandwiches at a shop in the station mall, we ate in our hotel and were off for our afternoon trek.
We were not disappointed. As you can see in the pictures below, the modern trams literally weaved in between arches made by ancient aqueducts.
We took the metro to Piazza della Porta Maggiore to see the place where all the incoming aqueducts met in ancient Rome. (JT 71). We read that if you can duck all the trams coming at you from all sides, you can see ancient remnants of aqueducts at various levels.
Note the three aqueducts coming through the white wall above. The water was furnished as always flowing, with wider pipes for the richer patrons of the city., like the irrigation systems in Western towns like Boulder, Colorado.
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A tour guide told us that Romans lived short lives because of all the poisoning from the lead pipes forming the aqueducts.
S. Croce in Gerusalumme.
We were walking toward the metro stop near St. John Lateran when noticed this attractive looking church
There was a note in Judy's book (JT199) stating that it was built at the time of Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590) She didn't mention that one had to pass through the little metal detector house first.
The lady at the metal detector couldn't understand what I needed
with a bean bag! This interior was very striking.
A close-up of the artwork behind the canopy.
Elaine boarding one of the artsy metro cars.
Back at the hotel, we had one more walking tour to take that day. It was 5 O'clock in the afternoon, and we wanted to visit S. Prassede, which Judy described as "A Medieval Garden of Paradise." (JT103-108) The story goes that Prassede and her Sister Prudenziana were sisters and daughters of a Roman senator named Prudens, that met St. Peter on his first visit to Rome. The sisters were converted to Christianity. Later they played host to Peter and gave him refuge during the persecution. Now the church claim neither daughter ever existed. But here is the Prassede Basilica, tucked away in a side street which was very difficult to find. When we first found it, it was closed for siesta. Now at 5 PM, we had an hour before it's 6 O'clock closing.
The interior of S. Prassede.
A close-up of the beautiful mosaic art work above the alter.
The entry to the vault of the apse.
Inside the vault. These scenes are described in Judy's book and are too long to quote here.
These mosaics date back to 822 when this basilica was built. According to Judy, these represent some of the most splendid and colorful mosaics in Rome.
The other little basilica dedicated to Pudenziana turns up
later in this picturlog -- keep watching this space!

Next, DAY THREE.

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