One Hill At A Time: Day 5: Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Vatican & St. Peter's Basilica

Day 5

We packed quite a bit in today! After breakfast, we decided to take a walk to the Spanish Steps. In the spring, they decorate them with the most gorgeous flowers! We had to take a few photos; we just couldn't get enough.

While we were out walking, we might as well walk to the Trevi Fountain! It was very cool!

We had plenty of time to go home and change before we headed to the Vatican. On the way to the taxi stand, we grabbed a quick bite to eat. Italian fast food! We found a little spot that sold only two things - pasta with pork and pasta without pork. The line was out the door, and most everyone was local, so we figured whatever we got would be delicious! It sure was, too!

We were able to connect with Micaela, the tour guide who took Mom, Mark & Michelle, and the kids through the Vatican 11 years ago. She was a wealth of knowledge! We started in the Vatican where Micaela first took us to a replica of Vatican City. It is the world's smallest independent city/state.

Then we went to the pinecone courtyard. The large bronze pinecone dates back to the second centuary and represents immortality and rebirth. The building behind it was actually designed to bring focus to the pinecone. As you can see in the last photo, the courtyard is very large. We were only able to capture a portion of the width of it.

Then we went to the pinecone courtyard. The large bronze pinecone dates back to the second century and represents immortality and rebirth. The building behind it was actually designed to bring focus to the pinecone.

Micaela led us into a hallway with a variety of busts and statues throughout Roman history. She showed us the difference between Greek and Roman sculptures. In Greece, they sculpted the whole body, but the face was without expression. In Rome, they were sculpting just the bust but added expression and detail that the Greeks left out.

The sculpture below is the Apoxyomenos (The Scraper). It depicts a young athlete in the act of cleaning his skin after competition. He's using a strigil (a curved, spoon-like metal instrument) in his left hand to scrape away a mixture of sand, oil, and sweat from his extended right arm. It is celebrated as one of the first truly 3D sculptures in art history, designed to be viewed from all sides, breaking away from traditional frontal classical sculpture.

The statue below is a scene from the Trojan War: the Trojan priest Laocoön and his two sons, Antiphantes and Thymbraeus, being strangled by sea serpents. According to mythology, Laocoön was punished by the gods—who favored the Greeks—for warning his fellow Trojans against taking the wooden horse inside the city gates. The statue was discovered in 1506, but it's dated between 40-30 BC. It was a major influence on Renaissance artists, particularly Michelangelo.

There was a whole room dedicated to sculptures of animals. Look at the incredible detail!

Below is Hercules Mastai, a massive bronze (13 feet tall) statue found in 1864, it was found to be from 2nd–3rd century B.C.E. Hercules Mastai
is among the rarest and largest surviving bronze figures from antiquity, uniquely preserving its original gold finish.

Only the imperial family could use the red marble because there was very little of it, so it was very precious. This is Constantine‘s daughter's sarcophagus. The detail was absolutely amazing!

Just walking through the halls is amazing! Again, so many arches are put in for stability. Bryan took a panoramic photo of the ceiling in the Gallery of Maps containing a series of painted topographical maps of Italy based on drawings by friar and geographer Ignazio Danti. Everywhere we went, it was like eye candy all around us!

Above is the Holy Gate that is only opened during the Jubilee every 25 years. Pope Francis opened it at the beginning of 2025, and Pope Leo closed it at the end of 2026. Micaela said it was crazy! In a typical day, 25,000-30,000 people visit the Vatican, but during the Jubilee year, an estimated 90,000 visit each day. Holy cow! Micaela said she wouldn't even do tours last year it was such a mess!

Next up, St. Peter's Basilica! It. Is. Ginormous! Paintings, sculptures, and engravings are everywhere. Having a tour really helped us make sense of all the aspects of it. Apparently, one Wednesday a month, the Pope delivers an address, which happens to be this coming Wednesday. All of the clear chairs are set out in preparation.

What?! Wedding photos at the Basilica?! Micaela said the happy couple must be from a very wealthy family in a prominent position in Rome. Weddings at the Basilica are very exclusive, typically requiring special permission. The ceremony most likely happened before we arrived. What a treat to get to be part of their special day! You should have seen the large group of photographers taking all the photos!

Above is the center aisle, and below I'm standing in the same place, turned to the left. Then another picture looking directly up at the ceiling. Seriously, every surface is a work of art in and of itself, and finally, a panoramic photo facing the opposite way. Looking at how tiny the people are, you can get a sense of the enormity of the sanctuary

Above is The Pieta sculpted by Michelangelo. It's of the Virgin Mary holding the lifeless body of Jesus after his crucifixion. It's so moving to see it up close! This is the only work that Michelangelo ever signed. Most Renaissance artists didn't sign their work due to a mix of humble devotion and the perception of art as a service to God or a patron rather than individual expression.

Above is a bronze statue of St. Peter sitting on a marble chair from the end of the 1200's. Visitors generally touch or kiss his feet, especially the right one, and ask for a blessing when visiting the church. The tradition started centuries ago, during which time millions upon millions of people have touched the feet. If you look closely at the right foot, you can see how worn out the toes are!

Many of the previous Popes have statues or monuments. The monument below is of Pope Pius VIII. The woman on the left represents strength, and the one on the right represents knowledge. I think it's interesting that Renaissance artists didn't sign their names because they felt their work was a service to God, but a Pope, whose service is supposed to be to God, had a sculpture made of themselves. Hmmm...

Below is the monument to Cardinal Giuseppe (Joseph) Albani. On top is Christ enthroned as well as St. Peter on the left and St. Paul on the right. Fun fact that I didn't realize, St. Peter is always holding keys, St. Paul is always holding a sword. It sure makes it easier to identify them!

The photo above looks like a painting, but it's actually a mosaic! It's Raphael's final painting, the Transfiguration. In the upper scene, Christ is transfigured in glory, with Moses and Elijah on each side and the apostles witnessing below. The lower scene shows the apostles' struggle to heal the possessed boy, the dramatic earthly counterpart to the divine scene above.

Below the mosaic is The Altar of Transfiguration. Underneath, you can see the body of Pope Innocent XI (reigned 1676–1689) preserved in a glass sarcophagus. Following his beatification in 1956, his remains were placed here for public veneration. His face and hands are covered in silver to help preserve and protect the remains.

There are so many different kinds of marble, so many paintings, mosaics, sculptures, columns, arches, and so much gold throughout St. Peter's. Honestly, you could go back several times and see something new each time!

Below is a mosaic of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist. Beneath it is the baptismal they used to be used in the church. Fun fact, the Catholic church used to baptize by submersion. Who knew? Apparently, immersion was standard for over a millennium, but by the 12th-14th centuries, affusion (pouring) became the norm in Western Europe, though immersion still occurred. The shift was practical, not theological. It was driven by the rise of infant baptism, which made full submersion difficult, as well as convenience and hygiene. Pouring was recognized as valid in early times, such as in "cases of necessity" (e.g., sickness). The Catholic Church did not ban immersion and still permits it, acknowledging it as a "more expressive" symbol, but pouring/affusion is the standard method for infants.

Theologies, particularly by St. Augustine, emphasized that baptism was essential to remove original sin, making it urgent for infants. There was also a high infant mortality rate, and parents wanted their children baptized quickly to ensure their salvation in case of death. Also, as Christianity became more established, the focus shifted from converting adults to bringing up the children of Christian parents in the faith.

Above, there are Swiss Guards protecting the gates.

This is sweet, Micaela! We so enjoyed touring with her!

We sure worked up an appetite in our 3-hour tour of the Vatican and St. Peter's! We stopped by a cute little trattoria called That's Amore, and it was absolutely fabulous!