It has officially been a whole week since we left Minneapolis for our little Italian adventure – I can’t believe it! Today, our visit to St. Peter’s Basilica left us in utter amazement. We started off the morning descending into the depths beneath the basilica where we found the Vatican Necropolis and the tomb of St. Peter. In small groups, we were guided through narrow passages, into musty nooks, and under layers of history. Our guide highlighted the varying areas of brick. Each section had its own unique style and characteristics identifying it as part of a particular century of construction. As the tour continued, we learned about the concept of a sarcophagus shop, a place where families could purchase pre-decorated stone coffins for their loved ones. These final resting places were incredibly detailed, requiring long ours of meticulous sculpting. Our guide shared that a few parts of each sarcophagus were left blank in order to personalize it for the person who had passed. How interesting! (As Gino would say if he could have joined us.) We finished off our tour in a room that looked into the tomb of St. Peter. With the use of a laser pointer, our attention was drawn to the mandible of St. Peter. Hearing the stories of the investigative research required to make such a claim was fascinating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After our tour of the Scavi, our three small groups joined together for a walk throughout St. Peter’s Basilica. A seminarian led us across the vibrant marble floors from mural to mosaic to mural to a pope’s body to sculpture to mural. Did you catch that? We saw the decaying bodies of three previous popes. They were not necessarily on my list of things to see in Italy, but Italy has yet to disappoint. As we stared in awe at the ceiling encased in gold and the walls tastefully decorated with murals, I could not help but to notice the beauty of the coffers utilized in the vaults of the St. Peter’s Basilica. Centering a gold flower in each coffer as a finishing touch, only added to the absolute elegance of the building. Although these coffers serve as an artistic element, we have learned that they were sometimes necessary in creating a reduced load and a more stable structure. In addition to the numerous coffers and vaults, we saw eleven domes in total! Each with a small oculus acting as a keystone does in an arch.

We wrapped up our full day with  four-course meal at Professor Zell’s favorite restaurant: Pizzeria Piacere Molise! The thirty-one of us sat in small clusters almost filling every table at the quaint Italian restaurant. With grumbling bellies and excitement, we enjoyed baskets of bread, bowls of caprese, two pasta dishes, pork, gravy, and roasted rosemary potatoes. We ended our lovely, authentic meal with a dish of fresh tiramisu.

Ciao!