Monday 8th October 2018
Well today was to be a very big day. We had a Vatican Tour booked for 7.45am and we had to make our way by foot, Metro and foot. This was fairly easy as I had done it before but with my right hand man missing I was a little nervous. So we made sure we had plenty of time to ensure we got there. All went smoothly and we arrived at the cafe meeting point at about 7.30am. As it was to be a long morning on our feet we stopped in at the cafe. We sat down for an orange juice to give Mum a rest. The most expensive orange juice ever. Two juices cost 17,60 Euro. Ouch!!. I obviously didn’t learn from our last visit to Rome, that if you sat down they doubled the price and added a bit extra as well. It was worth it to give Mum a breather. We then started our tour with a skip the line entry. The crowds weren’t too bad. We went through the Sistine Chapel, the Maps corridor, the Tapestries, St Peter’s Basilica and St Peter’s Square. Mum was like a little girl in a candy store. She was so excited. We even managed to go to Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, at the St Joseph’s Altar. This was quite special and a treat I had planned from the outset as long as timing was on our side. After the Vatican visit, we sat on the Hop On Hop Off bus most of the afternoon. We hopped off at the Catacombs of Carcarella and toured the underground tombs. Both Mum and I forgot about her claustrophobia but luckily she managed the tour. It was a tough one as it was underground, so up and down stairs, and then up and down another couple of times. It was very interesting and Mum really enjoyed it. We then headed back to the Train Termini and caught the Metro home. As we were hoping to have a quick dinner and go on the night bus tour, we stopped in at a little pizza cafe that served fast food pizza. Chose a piece of pizza and sat down again. Mistake again. The pizza went from 2,20 Euro to 7,75 jus because we used their seats. Oops! Oops!. Sorry DB. But dinner was done and all we had to do was head home for some warm clothes and catch the Metro back to the Train Termini. Mum was so keen to do this tonight but in hindsight I should have not encouraged her as she slept at least half of it. The sights were amazing at night and I really enjoyed it and the parts Mum saw she enjoyed as well.

We are now back home at it is 10pm, a big day out for Mum. Hopefully she is ok tomorrow. We have a much smaller day planned for her tomorrow as The Vatican was the highlight.

St. Peter’s Basilica, which is called “Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano” in Italian, is a large church in the Vatican City, in Rome, Italy. It is often called “the greatest church in Christendom”. It is famous for many reasons: The pope, who lives at the Vatican, often says mass at St. Peter’s. Many people go there on pilgrimage. It is said to be the greatest work of architecture of its age. It has works by many famous artists including Michelangelo and Bernini. St. Peter’s is probably the largest Christian church in the world. It covers an area of 2.3 ha and can hold over 60,000 people.

The Sistine Chapel is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope, in Vatican City. The chapel has served as a place of both religious and functionary papal activity. Today it is the site of the Papal conclave, the process by which a new pope is selected. The fame of the Sistine Chapel lies mainly in the frescos that decorate the interior, and most particularly the Sistine Chapel ceiling and The Last Judgment by Michelangelo.