Last Day in Rome

Well it is my last day in Rome and I am sorry to say it is over. In the end I probably should have stayed here one more day. There still is more I could have seen that I just couldn't make time for. I am pretty sure I can conclude that Rome is probably one of my top 3 favorite cities. This city really has so much to offer in terms of food, beauty, history and art. So much packed into one place. I tried to end my day with taking in the sites that most move me.

Today I had the chance to visit the Capitoline museum which houses many Roman statues and art. It was hard to believe that Michaelangelo was responsible for creating the buildings that house all of this great history. To see some of these pieces in person was amazing.

My only other museum I had scheduled for today was the Borghese Galleria which is a luxury home built for a cardinal mostly by Bernini to house all of his great art. They limit the number of people in this building to 300 or so every two hours and clean the place out of people before they let a new crowd in. I can see why they do this when some of the rooms are small and they are all just packed with art and furniture and extensive wall and ceiling paintings. It really is a relatively small museum but when you see the key pieces it houses such as sculptures by Bernini and paintings by Carvaggio and Raphael and other artists, it is clear that they are being very careful. Truly a beautiful place to house this art.

As much as it was a bit crazy to do this, I took a bus back to the Vatican to see if I could get a few more pictures before I left. Fortunately I was there when a mass was taking place. There is nothing more beautiful than to hear a choir sing in the Vatican. With the size of that church and the acoustics it creates, the sound just carries. Talk about feeling so at peace after listening to this. I was glad to have felt walking through that church one last time.

Well my time here comes to an end and fortunately I ended the day well with a nice dinner and some gelato of course. I also walked by my favorite sites such as the Pantheon, Piazza Nuvona, the Castel Sant' Angelo and the Vatican. I wish I could stay but it is time to pack and get ready for tomorrow morning. I am getting picked up at 4am for my flight and hopefully my driver will be there. Cross my fingers.

Ciao!