Paestum

We are back from the Southern Trip! It was, by far, my favorite trip. The places we visited were amazing and I loved the south of Italy. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative and it rained most of the time and the temperatures were quite cold. I wouldn't recommend to anyone to visit the south of Italy in November. I would have loved to see these places when it was warm and sunny.

The first stop on our trip was Paestum. This place was a pleasant surprise. This town was originally founded by the Greeks in the 7th century B.C. These are the oldest ruins I have seen - 700 B.C.!!!!! The site consists of three temples that are still pretty intact for as old as they are. They are absolutely gorgeous - and huge! The day was one of the only sunny ones of our trip and it was nice to let Oliver stretch his legs in the green grass in front of these beautiful monuments.

The Temple of Athena:






The Temple of Apollo:







The Temple of Hera:









We spent around two hours here and I seriously could have spent a couple more. It was so quiet, relaxing, and picturesque. It was a really great way to start the trip.

Last looks:

The Southern Trip

My dad left this morning for home. I think he had a pretty good time here and it was nice to have hime come to visit.

Tomorrow, we leave for our third and final field trip with the students to the south of Italy. Our itinerary is as follows:
Tues. Nov. 13 - Pasteum and Matera
Wed. Nov. 14 - Matera and Amalfi
Thurs. Nov. 15 - Amalfi coast and Ravello
Fri. Nov. 16 - Pompei and Naples
Sat. Nov. 17 - Naples
Sun. Nov. 18 - Capri

I am assuming, like the other trips, that the internet will be hard to come by. But if we do manage to find a connection I will post.

Church on Sunday

Today, after a little shopping and a little lunch, we toured a few churches. The churches in Rome never cease to amaze me whenever I step inside. They are all completely different with so many amazing things to see. The first church we visited was Sant' Ignazio. This is a Baroque church and was built in 1626.

The major draw in this church are the frescoes painted on the ceiling by Andrea Pozzo. If you stand on designated spots on the floor you see them in the right perspective.
So when you stand on the first marker......

You look up to the ceiling and see this.....

When you stand on the second marker you see this........

The dome is false. It is painted on the ceiling. If you are not standing on the marker but directly underneath it, it looks like this.....

It is not in the right perspective. The "center" of the dome is way off to one side. Pretty trippy for a Catholic church.

Other features of the church....



Some pics taken outside....



The second church we went to see is Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. This is actually a basilica and considered the only Gothic Church in Rome. Outside the church, in the piazza, is a sculpture of an elephant done by Bernini, topped with an Egyptian obelisk found in the adjoining garden in 1665.

Pictures of the interior:







Lastly, we went to Santa Maria in Trastvere. This is one of the oldest churches in Rome, originally founded in 220 A.D. but has gone through renovations through the years. The interior is absolutely beautiful.

The Vatican

Today, we journeyed to a whole other country - The Vatican City. What an experience! When we arrived at St. Peter's Basilica there was something going on outside - maybe a mass. Lots of people. We decided to go to the Vatican Museum first because it closes early on Saturdays. The line was massive - maybe a 1 1/2 to 2 hour wait. About ten minutes before it closed we were still about a good 45 minutes away in line when a guard came up to us and asked us if we were Italian. We said that no we were American and he said we should follow him and he took us straight to the front of the line and ushered us inside. I told Andy that I thought that his mom placed a call to someone to get us in (she works for the church), but no - it was because we had a baby that we got the special treatment. Miracle! If that didn't happen, my dad would have gone home without seeing the Sistine Chapel.



Inside the Vatican Museum:


The Sala Rotunda:

Gallery of the Maps:

The Sistine Chapel: These are a littl bit blurry. We weren't really supposed to take pictures in here, but everyone was. The guards would come up and yell at you if they caught you so you had to be quick. Here is the painting of the Last Judgement by Michelangelo:

The famous ceiling:

Exiting the museum:


Then it was back to the Basilica, where a sign outside told you how to dress appropriately:

Inside the Basilica:

Michelangelo's Pieta, which he sculpted when he was only 24 years old:

Bernini's Baldacchino - the baroque canopy cast from the bronze that was stolen from the porch of the Pantheon:

The dome:

Bronze statue of St. Peter - Catholic pilgrims rub the foot of this statue to give thanks for arriving in Rome safely:

St. Peter's at sunset: