The Vatican, the rally, Bocca dela Verita and dinner at La Rustichella

Our day started with a typical Italian breakfast, cornetto with a cappuccino. Cornettos are very much like glazed or filled croissants, only heavier. The capuccino is different from our version...you hardly taste the coffee but it was delicious.

Then we headed out to the metro and planned to go back to the Colosseo and Roman Forum, then to the Bocca dela Verita and then the Vatican City. But the big rally foiled our plans to go back to the Colosseo, we knew it would be a problem because when we arrived at the Termini station, there were protesters everywhere wearing red caps and carrying flags and banners. We literally had to pull each other inside the metro to get in, and was packed tighter than a can of sardines inside the metro. Think, MRT at rush hour, only everyone was taller and bigger than you. It was a slightly frightening experience. Thankfully, most of them got out of the Colosseo station, and we stepped off at Piramide. Pics below of the protesters.

From Piramide you can find the pyramid of Caius Cestius. I don't really know what the significance of this monument is, but it was there. :) Of course, the rally also caused transportation to be scarce, so we walked to Santa Maria Cosmedin to reach the Bocca dela Verita. This 'mouth of truth' will bite off your hand if you dare say a lie with your hand in it, or so the legend goes. I didn't try to test it, I need my hands for coding. :P
Then, we were on our way to the Vatican! This was what I was truly waiting to see... The center of my faith, with such magnificence it'll take your breath away! But before that, we had our second cappuccino at Castroni caffe. I love Rome.. the coffee, the food, the history...

Afterwards, we made our way to the Musei Vaticani. I think we made a good decision to go in the afternoon or at least, around lunchtime because the morning rush is over and we don't have to wait in line too long.

The Vatican Museum is one of the most renowned museums of the world, which display some of the greatest works of art made throughout the centuries. Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel and Raphael's Rooms are within the visitors route of the museum.

I don't think a day is enough to really 'absorb' all of the treasures that can be found in the museum. And it really was an overload to see everything in a rush...and very, very tiring. Unlike the Louvre, where we took 'shortcuts' to the places we wanted to visit, we had to navigate through the entire Vatican museum to reach the Sistine chapel. This made us breeze through most of the art, so I don't think we were able to fully appreciate everything. Well, there's always a next time. Pictures are allowed except in the Sistine chapel (unfortunately), but here are some of the pics I took. :)

First, the sculptures...

They also had an Egyptian exhibit...

The Ceiling frescos... hall after hall of these amazing ceiling frescos are found all over the Vatican museum.
Paintings from Raphael's Rooms, the Fire in the Borgo and the Disputation of the Holy Sacrament.
There was so much more to see... but these are the only decent photos I have. I can't wait to come back for more. And like I mentioned, no cameras were allowed in the Sistine Chapel, but at least we were able to stop for a few minutes inside, to rest, reflect and just marvel at Michaelangelo's masterpiece. Before I continue with St.Peter's Square and St. Peter's Basilica, here's a pic of the Vatican museum stairs...pretty isn't it?

Before heading off to St. Peter's Square, we decided to have lunch. I wasn't able to get the name of the restaurant, but when we got there, we were famished and ordered different pizzas, pastas and risottos. They were delicious! I really loooove Italian food. :D

Stomachs full, we headed back to St. Peter's Square. There was a line, but it moved quickly. It was here that we met Aaron, a second year student from the Ateneo, who is actually representing the Philippines in a conference that was being held there. He joined our group while exploring St. Peters. Now St Peter's Basilica is probably the largest church in the world, which can hold 60,000 people (Wikipedia). Pictures below include Bernin's works, St. Peter's Throne (2nd), the baldacchino (3rd) and Michaelangelo's very famous Pieta.
Afterwards, we visited the papal tombs which are found underneath the basilica. The tomb of the late Pope John Paul II can be found here. As well as St. Peter's tomb...I swear, I felt chills in this place. It's overwhelming to be in proximity of so many past leaders of the church.

Of course, we spent some time taking exterior shots in St. Peter's Square. The chairs for Palm Sunday were already set up so we had limited angles. It also started to rain so we weren't able to take long,
We then went souvenir shopping, ate some authentic Italian gelato (courtesy of Marbi) and went grocery shopping for some Parmigiano, before meeting up with my relatives for dinner at La Rustichella.

Uncle Sol and Auntie Elise treated us to a delicious Italian dinner at La Rustichella. For my first plate, I had pasta Amatriciana, which is a classic Italian pasta. I wasn't able to finish it because the noodles uesd were so much fatter than the traditional spaghetti noodles we have and it seemed that no matter how much I ate, there was still so much pasta left! I did better in the main course of shrimps and calamari...one can never go wrong with fried seafood. :) Thank you Uncle Sol, Aunti Elise and Ale for the delicious dinner and the gifts! It was very, very nice of you all and we all had a great time. Grazie!