One of the places that has stayed with me the most, possibly since it was the last thing we did in Italia, was the Vatican; the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica, in that order. There is much more to do than we did, and people can easily spend longer in the smallest nation on earth than our mere 5 hours, but doing the basics left such an impression on me that I don't feel like it wasn't enough. The thing that struck me most about the Vatican was its deep, rich colors. Perhaps that seems like a strange thing to leave the strongest mark, but there was art everywhere - in every corner of every room of every place we went, and it was opulent to excess without going over the top. I wouldn't be able to remember all the scenes in all the paintings we saw even if I wanted to, but what I do remember (especially where Raphael is concerned) are the vivid colors that made everything so stunningly beautiful.
It was the depth and sensuality of the blues and golds and greens and reds that really brought home to me the indescribable wealth possessed by the Vatican. Not simply wealth in financial terms, because there's no way anyone could put a price tag on the place, but as a repository of human history and thought and (many would argue) spiritual, or at least religious development. These things are beyond measure. They are the progression of ideas and actions that we humans, here today, are made of, and who would want to measure that? What better to do than marvel at how overwhelming this all is. And another thing that made me feel humble was how freakin' HUGE the place is, even by today's McMansion standards. The fact that it exists in Europe, which is sometimes known for the compactness of its streets and houses, and that these enormous buildings were built back in the day when giant men were 6 feet tall, is just another tick on the list called 'remarkable.'
When I was little, my mom gave me a button that said "Official Rainbow Creator," because I was constantly drawing rainbows. I hadn't though of that in years until I visited this place where a bunch of Renaissance someones had finally outdone me! It made me realize how far away I've gotten from the little kid who used to marvel at the simple beauty of natural prisms, and upon arriving back in Manchester, I decided that something must be done to remedy this. Subsequently, our living room is brilliant gold, the bedroom is now mint greeen, and further projects include Mediterranean blue in the spare room, followed by a southern whoop-ass red kitchen. The project is half-done, so you can expect photos to follow in the next couple of weeks. But back to the Papal stomping grounds.
The only place in which we didn't have a formal tour was St. Peter's Basilica, and I wish we had been able to get one, but that leaves something to look forward to the next time we're in town. The cathedral is a bit like Westminster in that there are so many different chapels and tombs and things to see, and symbolism everywhere you look. Let us not forget that throughout the centuries, Catholicism has been highly political and not everyone in the Vatican always agreed with each other. But popes always did each leave their mark in different ways, mostly trying to outdo each other, and one of the marks that stood out for me was the tomb of Pope Alexander VII, known in HBO infamy as Borgia.
In the end death does come for us all, but maybe you can stall him by having a couple of maidens pull a blanket over his eyes as he comes charging past you, furiously waving an hourglass above his skull. Or if that seems too daunting a task, simply ensure your entry into heaven by completing and sending in your
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