June 1, 2013
DAY TWO – From the sophomore class:
Today we went to Vatican City to meet Mia, our guide, for a tour in the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. It was surprising to see the long lines and the amount of time people were willing to wait to tour the most holy country in the world (we learned that Vatican City is its own country). Luckily we had VIP passes to skip all the lines!
We learned that if you looked at every work of art in the Vatican for 10 seconds it would take 10 years to get through it. Laocoön and His Sons was the first statue we saw–Laocoön was a priest who warned his people not to let the Trojan horse in the gates. As we ventured further into the galleries at the Vatican, we were all mesmerized by the intricate detail in each tapestry and statue. One tapestry could take up to seven years to thread and design the vivid and realistic patterns that climbed the walls, ceiling-high. We then entered a six hundred yard long hall that led up to the Sistine Chapel. As we looked up, we saw the painted ceiling that had a golden hue. The ceiling was painted to appear 3D, but it was all an elaborate illusion.
The Sistine Chapel was the most incredible room any of us had ever seen. The 60-foot vaulted ceiling was painted by Michelangelo in only 11 years and depicted the entire creation scene of the bible. Michelangelo painted it all on his own without any help from assistants. Observing silence in the room is expected by all visitors but is nearly impossible with all of the people they cram into the chapel. It is also unacceptable to take pictures. Our amazing tour guide, Mia, instructed us to only focus on closely observing a few painting scenes because attempting to study them all would take hours and would be overwhelming. Since the ceilings are so high up, Michelangelo had to make sure his figures were large enough to see as people bend their necks looking up. Looking up the famous creation of Adam looks as if the finger tips are about to touch, but they are really half a foot apart.
After the Sistine Chapel, we moved on to St. Peter’s church where we saw the famous sculpture by Michelangelo of Mary and Jesus. The impressive architecture inside was breathtaking. As you looked up to the ceiling you could see the different levels of the church and could imagine just how big the church really was. We were told that the letters that lined the upper levels were six feet tall which put it all into perspective.
After the tour we walked around the city for an hour, taking the time to sit at another restaurant where we had pizza and pasta. After regrouping at the hotel, we drove with the Irish National team to the field, where we held a clinic to teach the Roman team some of the rules and techniques of lacrosse. There are only two lacrosse teams in all of Italy, so their programs are relatively new and underdeveloped. We taught them our warmup, how to do ground balls and played 7-v-7. Unfortunately, a downpour cut the clinic short so we are bussing back to the hotel to share a meal with the Irish national team. Our day tomorrow will begin with a game against their team.
Arrivederci!
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Day One has been updated to include a blog from the freshman class.
