The Vatican and the real religion in Italy- soccer

We spent the afternoon touring the Vatican.  There's a big museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's.   On our way there we had to cross a bridge, and we found the most curious thing. 

Big giant clusters of padlocks on the bridge.  I snapped a couple of pictures, then headed off on our merry way. 

Later I figured out that it's the thing to do in Europe. Basically, two people (best friends, soul mates, married couple, whatever) will write their names on the padlock, lock it onto a bridge somehow, then each of them will chuck their key to the lock in the river, thereby symbolically "locking up" their relationship forever.  Kinda cheesy, but whatever.  My question is though- what's up with the combination lock? Somehow I think that couple didn't get the memo on how it's supposed to work. 

(and no, John and I did not participate in this little ritual. Besides not having a lock, it's a little too cheesy for me, and I figured those marriage vows we took 15 years ago are still sufficient.)

We had an appointment to go on a tour of the Vatican.  That's the way it's done over there.  You can stand in line for hours on your own, or pay extra (about twice as much- sometimes more), get a guided tour, and skip the line.  (It's usually totally worth it- of course some tours are better than others. )

We saw some pretty cool stuff inside the museum. 

Supposedly though, the museum is supposed to be huge, like the Louvre, with all the Catholic church's acquisitions over the centuries, so my guess is we didn't see that much.   This really rare purple marble bowl was supposedly filled with wine during the days of Nero (if I got my story straight- it could have been a different emperor who was fond of the drink)

Recognize that ceiling?  Yep. It was patterned after then Pantheon. Told ya so.  

And that's the floor.  I kinda felt bad walking across it.  It's actually a mosaic comprised of tiny little colored tiles.  Crazy.

Apparently I have a thing for ceilings.  This was the ceiling in the map hallway, or the tapestry hallway.  I don't know, I was too busy looking at the ceiling.  I think though, it would be dangerous to have a ceiling like that in my own house.  I run into too many walls/furniture/door frames as it is.

The Sistine chapel was pretty cool.  Sorry, though.  No cameras allowed. 

Personally I liked St. Peter's Basilica. 

Holy Moley. Biggest and grandest church on the planet.  For reals. You just kinda stand there with your mouth open, trying (and failing) to take it all in  

Words and photos cannot express....   Every inch of it was carved and gilded and decorated with colored marble inlays.  Personally I don't know how people can actually go to church and listen to the sermon with so much to look at.  And all of it amazing and gorgeous and huge.  That brown canopy thing?  I think I heard it was SEVEN STORIES tall. 

Those words up there? Each letter is 6 feet tall. 

But a personal highlight for me was seeing Michelangelo's La Pieta.   A couple of years ago, I taught a lesson on this sculpture to Nick's 6th grade class.  Michelangelo was only 24 when he carved it. It's the only piece he ever signed.   It's really, really breathtaking in person.  It's behind bulletproof glass cause some nut job attacked it with a hammer screaming "I am Jesus Christ!".    

After that we had to run to participate in the real national religion.  Football.  Or soccer as we Americans call it.   

So fun.  Roma vs Atalanta (I think).  Roma (the home team, therefore the team we were rooting for) won.  I personally really enjoyed watching the fans (probably more than the actual game itself, although that was fun too.)  Mindy and I missed the singing, we were in line for concessions,  but apparently that was very entertaining.   John made a friend with a lady sitting behind him.  At first sight glance she looks like a conservative, well dressed lady in her 50's.  Turns out she's a rabid Roma fan.  Even though John speaks barely a word of Italian, even he could tell her vocabulary was pretty colorful.  I think she gave John a hug or a high five or something after the game was over.  She was pretty happy her team won.

  

  

Needless to say, we were exhausted by the time the day was over.