"Gelato: A Story of Love at First Sight"

Hello!

Today's post details the second half of our Rome adventure, including Mackenzie's and my journey to the utterly awe-inspiring St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museum, and the Sistine Chapel on Monday. We decided to take a guided tour for all three places (including the cupola of the Basilica) since we had really no idea what we were looking at; it was definitely worth it despite the fact that we never got a chance to eat lunch because the 2nd tour ran about 30 minutes overtime. Mackenzie and I were exhausted by the end of it, having walked 8.1 miles in total. The following day, yesterday, was our last day in Rome and we decided to spend it visiting the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. Mackenzie and I both agreed that the Trevi Fountain was actually our favorite spot in Rome, despite loving everything else that we saw in those three days. 

The front of St. Peter's Basilica. We were almost deterred from going inside based on the size of the line, which snaked all the way from the front of the Basilica to the entrance of the square. Since they were checking people through security at a pretty fast rate, lucky for us, the wait only ended up being around a half hour.

This was one of my favorite things in the Basilica--the Holy Door, one of four entry ways into the Basilica, however, this door can only be opened by the Pope once every 25 years. To make sure that there are no intruders who would try to sneak through the door when no one is watching, the door is bricked up from the inside!

The Holy Door from the inside--who would even realize that that is supposed to be a door?

The view of the first section of ceiling, absolutely stunning. Mackenzie and I were craning our heads the entire time, trying to see everything at once. 

The domed roof of the Basilica, as seen from the ground level. On our second tour we were able to go up and walk around the inside of the dome and then see a panoramic view from the highest point in Rome, the outdoors tip top of the dome. 

The mosaics of the Basilica close up. Everything single picture in the Basilica was made out of mosaic tiles instead of paint, which I thought was genius on Michelangelo's part. Seeing and touching the mosaics close up in the cupola was one of the best experiences because it made everything seem more real than the distant view we received on the ground floor. 

The bronze canopy in the middle of the Basilica was another one of my favorites for it's intricate design work and gold leaf plating on the carving.

Jesus Christ and Mary, along with several saints are depicted in mosaics on the ceiling dome of the Basilica.  

Just to show how sloped the walls were as we got closer and closer to the top of the dome...

Inside the Vatican Museum, one of my favorite sites was Raphael's painting, "The School of Athens." I had learned about this painting in history classes, but to see it close up was wonderful. I love how, instead of putting their signature on the painting to claim it as their own, painters of that era place a self portrait somewhere discreet in the painting. In the full version of the painting, Raphael's portrait is off to the far right, hiding behind some other figures, but it's clearly him staring out into the audience. 

The dome of the Pantheon... I couldn't believe that it was actually smaller than the dome of St. Peter's Basilica by approximately 2 meters, according to our tour guide.

Selfie at the Trevi Fountain, Mackenzie's and my favorite place that we visited in Rome!

We sat and stared about the fountain for at least 15 minutes, considering the vast amount of detail that went into the whole structure...and considering the amount of people-watching that we did as everyone crowded around to toss their coins into the Fountain.

Mackenzie's coin toss into the Trevi Fountain, complete with a wish!

Mackenzie's and my new favorite food in the whole world... real Italian gelato. The Gelateria del Teatro is apparently internationally ranked, and I would definitely believe it; we sat there and savored that gelato with happy smiles on our faces until it was completely gone...at which point we decided that we would need another later on in the day and stopped to eat some more sitting in the shade at the Trevi Fountain. The only problem with falling in love with international foods is that eventually you must leave them behind and settle for American counterfeits. American gelato can never compare to the sweetness that is Italian gelato :) We will miss thee!

We are currently in Paris and tomorrow will post another blog about running around "The City of Lights", but for now...

Ciao!