Ok so we didn’t REALLY see the Pope himself, but we were pretty close to his house!
But let’s start at the beginning. After having another lovely breakfast here at Hostel Trustever, we headed to our Vatican media visit. The representatives from the Commercial office spoke with us about the Vatican radio (which offers programming in over 40 languages) and Vatican News, which live-streams events and speeches from the Pope.
In the conference room we met in, they had a display with the microphone used for the first Vatican radio broadcast, so that was a cool piece of history to see up-close.
Next, we were off for a guided tour of the Vatican itself! Somehow, we seem to have brought Pittsburgh weather to Rome as it rained heavily for the remainder of our day. Lucky for us, the tour was mostly indoors. We started in the Vatican Museums.
There was an overwhelming amount of art to see. Our tour guide said it would take months to truly look at and appreciate every piece of art, and I believe her! Below are some highlights: (from left to right) A statue of a man and his two sons being eaten by snakes, an amazingly intricate tapestry depicting Jesus, and this thing that looks like the death star from Star Wars! (a sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro).
We then got a chance to visit Sistine Chapel, home to the The Last Judgment by Michelangelo. Since there were no photos or videos allowed inside, I’ll have to attempt to explain the experience with my words.
The Chapel was packed with people and my feet were throbbing with pain, but once I tilted my head to the ceiling and saw Michelangelo’s work, my breath was taken away. While inside the chapel, I also got to partake in a group prayer- while I’m not particularly religious, the experience was serene and beautiful. I look forward to studying more of the artwork’s history.
Finally, myself along with the other broadcasting majors on the trip, hailed a taxi to a special dinner with several media professionals: Seth Doane, a CBS international correspondent, Sylvia Poggioli, an NPR European correspondent.