Sometimes, When in Rome, Even the Romans Don’t Know What to Do

Rome.  A beautiful city everyone should experience once.  This is where our group went on the weekend of February 3.  Friday started fine.  Amy and I made it to the train station early and got cappuccino for our efforts.  The train ride went swimmingly and even the early morning cold couldn’t dampen our spirits.  What did dampen us was the cold rain drizzling in the city when we arrived.  Persevering, we dropped our luggage off at the hotel and set off for the Vatican.  There we experienced something many are never able to. Beneath Saint Peter’s Basilica lies the remnants of the church that came before it; a church dating back to the first century in the Common Era; a church that contains the original burial place of St. Peter.

To get to this church beneath the church we had to enter through the Vatican grotto.  Here, awaiting our turn in the necropolis is where the snow started to fall, but I’ll return to that one later.  The necropolis was extremely interesting, being a communal burial site for Christians and Pagans alike and ending with the tomb of St. Peter.  We were extremely lucky to have been able to be that close to something so holy.

The tour ended and we were lead into the modern church.  St. Peter’s Basilica is absolutely amazing.  I am awed completely and totally by the size and spectacle.  It is a site that I was hard-pressed to leave, but leave I must.  The Vatican Museum awaited, along with the walk to get there.

This is the first instance of extreme snowfall the group encountered.  St. Peter’s Square was completely flooded with slush and ice and the sidewalks were not much better.  The wind was whipping and our bodies were plastered in no time at all.  I don’t believe I’ve ever been so cold.  Except for maybe the walk back to the hotel that came later.

The Vatican Museum was a great relief.  It was warm and lovely and a perfect distraction from the weather outside, for it was extremely frightful.  Our tour lead through most of the museum and deposited us in the Sistine Chapel.  The whole museum made me never want to leave.  There is so much to see and think about, too much for the few hours we spent there.  Then came the dreaded return trip……

First we have to pause and go over some history…  The last time Rome saw snow was in 1986 (or there abouts).  The last time they saw this much snow was in the 1950s.  This was therefore the worst snow that Rome has seen in over 50 years.  Unique?  Yes.  Fun opportunity? No. Especially not when wearing tennis shoes.  My feet were numb within ten minutes and the walk lasted for an hour.  Needless to say all I wanted was warmth and a bed. And that concluded our first marvelous day in Rome.