When I was a senior in high school, two of my best friends and I decided to go to Italy for spring break instead of the general beach trip that most of the other kids in our year were taking.
One of my friend's older sister came with us as a chaperone (a 21-year-old chaperone). The four of us spent 3 days in Rome, took a train to Florence for another 3 days, another train to Venice for 3 more. At the end of our stay in Venice, the plan was to take a flight from Venice back to Rome for one more night and day, and then to fly back to the states. The flight was only going to be about 30 euros a piece, which seemed a pretty great deal.
We were staying in a hotel in a small town called Mestre, outside of Venice itself for cost reasons. 5:30 in the morning, we go to the bus stop that will take us to the airport. The bus, due at 6:00, was still conspicuously absent at 6:30. Our flight was scheduled for 9am, so, worried, we go back to our hotel and call a cab. The cab comes... read more >>
Italy Travel Stories
Vatican City Burlesque
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- 1
- Posted
- on 02/01/2010
- Tags:
- vatican city, burlesque, michelangelo, sistine chapel, italy
My mother is passionate about art history, and for her 75th birthday she took me along to visit Rome, tour the Vatican City, and view the masterful works of Michelangelo.
“I have been waiting a lifetime for this,” she said, as we trekked up the steep marble steps of the Sistine Chapel. We followed a massive throng of international tourists, worshippers, and other visitors as they poured through the grand entrance and into the ancient sanctuary.
But suddenly a stern and powerful official Vatican guard stepped in front of me, blocking my path with his broad-shouldered body.
“This is a place of worship, you cannot go in there dressed like that!” he scolded me in perfect English, pointing at my hiking shorts. “No one can enter unless their knees are covered,” he announced - waving me away with his hand.
I tried to appeal to him, explaining that we had traveled thousands of miles for this rare religious opportunity. I pointed out that I needed to help my elderly mother navigate the crowds and slippery marble steps. I emphasized that this was the pilgrimage of a lifetime for her.
But he wasn’t buying any of it. “You must cover your knees. Otherwise... read more >>