Il Duomo sopra la Basilica di San Pietro

Citta del Vaticano 29 Dec 2007

So, when's the next time I'm gonna be in Rome, right? Using this logic, Aaron and I decided to head up to the top of the dome. Katie and Maggie (who had done it at some point in the past) did not want to accompany us, so it was dudes time! Our glance at the line indicated that it would be short trip. We tell the ladies to sit tight. We'd be right back.

What we discover was that the line we saw was the line to get into the holding area before the line to pay before the line to get in the elevator before the line for the stairs (actually, the waiting area had multiple separate lines, itself). The "best" line was the one before the payment kiosk. That line had neat little mosaics to gaze upon. The above image is one such mosaic. I don't speak Latin. Consequently, I do not precisely know what the caption says. However, I do recognize the word "passionum" and the word "Christi." That's "passion" and "Christ." The first word is an English word. "Testis" is the singular form of "testes." Christ has a passion for balls?

Ah, now we're on the roof. This is the side of Michelangelo's dome. This is just the beginning. On to the inside...

Okay, so the fig leaf is covering this person's testes and schlong, but that vegetation below looks like the fig leaf is not doing its job. I have a fig tree back home, by the way. I can always cover up, if need be.

"Peter is Super!" Hey! My (given) name is Peter! I'm SUPER!!! Incidentally, these are the 6 foot tall letters, mentioned in the previous blog.

Okay. Now, we're actually up on top of the cupola. This is one of the panoramic vistas of Rome. I am gazing southeast. Bernini's colonnade can be seen on the left.

This is the tip of the cupola. If you look at my first photo of the dome (again, last blog), this is the "reservoir tip" at the very top of the dome.

Radio Free The Vatican. This hilltop broadcasting station intrigues me, for some reason. This is the view toward the north.

La Piazza San Pietro seen from il duomo sopra la Basilica di San Pietro. Notice how the arms of the colonnade seem to reach out, welcoming all the people into the Roman Catholic Church. Alternately, the colonnade arms can be seen as pincers attempting to grasp all of the souls that it can, in a desperate effort to combat the mass exodus from the Church at the time of the Reformation. It's both, actually. One is literal, the other figurative. Great view, though, huh?

The dome is an eggshell dome: two thin, concentric domes that support one another. The stairs to the top go between the two shells. Needless to say, the dome is not handicapped accessible (there were signs warning the old, weak, and "cardiopatics" to avoid taking the trip up). Heck, I kinda had difficulty fitting my shoulders through some of the space. It was very surreal, actually. Claustrophobes would be in hell.

One final view of the dome (from the roof). Katie and Maggie will be very pissed. They called asking how long we would be back about the time we were standing in front of the Icon of Christ, Teabagger. It took a LONG time to get from there to the top and back down, again. It's almost dark, too. The rest of our pedestrian (literal, not metaphorical) trip through Rome would be in the dark!