Bird's Eye View of Roma

We took the elevator up as far as it would go and began hiking up to the top of the basilica dome. You can actually walk around the inside of the dome at the level where the dome starts to curve. The wide open space and long drop to the floor of the basilica is a bit scary.

From there you continue to climb up the inside of the dome wall, around the dome to the cupola at the top. The passage is steep and narrow, so not for the claustrophobic or those with a heart condition. But when you get to the top, the view is truly amazing and you immediately forget every painful step it took to get you there. Hmm, there is some life lesson in there somewhere. Here is the view from the top:

First visit to San Pietro

We walked over to St. Peter’s after dropping our bags at the hotel (and getting gelati) to check it out. We were somewhat dazed and confused after not sleeping much on the flight over. On first view, the piazza, Bernini’s colonnade and Michaelangelo’s dome are overwhelming. In person and up close, the scale is just unbelievable.