5:33 AM
Vatican City and Mt VesuviusThe Amazing Vatican City – A Country within Country
Hi, we are group 3.
When we were told that we were visiting the Vatican City, we were ignorant as none of us knew that this place existed and its significance to the Catholics. This might be because none of us are Catholics.
We learnt that the Roman Empire was ruled by Popes in the past. Italy, in 1929, granted the Pope a piece of land within Rome to be ruled by the Catholics community. So, Vatican City was created. It is the smallest country in the world with a population of 900. It is also self-sufficient with its own postal office, railway station and newspaper agency. An interesting thing we learnt is that the Vatican City was protected by the Swiss guards. This is because Switzerland is a neutral country and they do not take sides with any country and would treat everyone equally.
First, we visited the Vatican Museum and we saw many different structures and statues of the past. When we entered the Museum, there was a long queue. We were amazed by the tight security as our personal belongings were checked thoroughly before we could enter the Museum. This museum has many priceless art pieces. Some of the famous paintings such as the story of Adam and Eve, Moses and Jesus Christ were painted by people like Michelangelo, Bernini and the Pantheon. After visiting the museum, we learnt the story of Adam and Eve, about how the first two humans were created by God.
We also learnt about Jesus, and his first disciple, Saint Peter.
Next, we visited the Saint Peter’s Basilical Church. It took the Romans 120 years to build this church. It is the longest church in the world. As we toured the Church, we saw more paintings and structures and we even touched the right foot of Saint Peter’s statue. This is because we were told that it would bring good luck. Many of us took this opportunity to touch his right leg.
After this tour, we had understood the significance of the Vatican City to the Catholics. When the Pope conducts Mass on every Wednesday morning, as many as 50,000 Catholics would attend. In addition, regardless of culture and religions, many people from all over the world also came to visit the Vatican City for its rich culture and heritage. This is a great opportunity for non-Catholics like us to understand others’
religions.
The next day, we went to visit the city of Pompeii. This city was buried under the ashes of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. The buildings and sculptures were unearthed which showed us the daily lives of ancient Romans about 1900 years ago. Within Pompeii, there was a mini colosseum where people had to battle each other or against wild animals as a form of entertainment to the locals. The audiences were divided into 3 different seating groups, the ones nearest to the stage are the officials of the country, followed by the middle class and the women and slaves. In the past, women did not have any status and were treated unfairly.
We were also informed that there was a red light district in Pompeii city and understood how this term came about. Outside every cubicle of the prostitutes, there were red oil lamps. If the lamps were lit up, it means that the prostitute in that cubicle was available. Next, we visited the place where archaeologists preserved the remains of Pompeii. Visiting the Pompeii, it was an unforgettable experience as we saw how the eruption of Mount Vesuvius could write off the history of an important city. It was a sad thing that the people of Pompeii did not know that they were staying so close to an active volcano.
Next, we went to Mt Vesuvius to have a better understanding of how a volcano works.
And guess what? We successfully climbed Mount Vesuvius! And having said so, we are going to share with you our feelings towards climbing this active volcano. It was a tough and tiring climb up to the mountain. As the wind was blowing against our faces, we decided to walk backwards. This improved the situation as we felt less tired. When we reached the crater, we were mesmerized by the magnificent scenery. We were very satisfied and we felt that the climb was totally worth it! We took this opportunity to snap as many pictures as we could! We then happily made our way back down, singing our school song as we felt it was a breakthrough for us.
Ciao!
-Heather
-Harishini
-Ain
-Rachel
Europhiles :)