Wednesday the 15th of February; it was me and my boyfriend’s third day in Rome and we had booked a tour around the Vatican City museums and Sistine Chapel. So far, the trip had been phenomenal, as somebody who hadn’t left the UK for over five years, every turn I took was breath-taking, with classically glorious architecture and a February warmth that Edinburgh could only dream of. Nonetheless, it appeared that the sheer exhilaration of being abroad had caught up with me. Sauntering out of our hotel at 11 with the tour due to begin at 11:30, it suddenly hit me. I remembered that you should arrive 15 minutes beforehand, with the tour beginning precisely on time, my clouded mind had somehow convinced me that 11:30 was the meet-up time. With a 30-minute taxi ride, making it on time would be scarily tight. We get into the taxi and anxiety takes over me with a side of feeling utterly idiotic. Our plans were ruined for the day and £50 was down the drain, two things which I had convinced myself as my eyes were glued to the time. After stopping at numerous red lights and swerving through a sea of mopeds and tourists on the vicious Italian roads, it felt hopeless. We sprinted out of the taxi at 11:34 with very little expectation. Yet, they had waited for us, I felt unbelievably relieved yet also incredibly embarrassed.
While taking the next 10 minutes to shake off my mix of emotions, the tour began. There was a group of 15 of us, with the tour being led by an Italian woman named Elisa. Listening through earpieces, Elisa began to explain the Roman Catholic history behind the Cortile della Pigna (The Pinecone Courtyard), a garden at the centre of the museums. As I soaked in the summer-like warmth, we laid eyes upon the ‘Sfera con Sfera’ (Sphere Within a Sphere) by Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro. The bronze sphere created in 1926 glistened in the sun while it was explained that the inner sphere represents the earth while the outer depicts Christianity. Elisa explained that it cannot be touched, with a tender vulnerability cracking through her voice. However, mere seconds later a teenage boy latched himself onto the sphere, causing the so far soft-spoken Elisa to snap at him and shun him away.
While I am not religious, Elisa’s undeniable respect for Roman Catholicism began to rub off on me, as when we emerged inside the Museo Pio-Clementino Museum, it was a sensational experience. The first thing that caught my attention was a sculpture, named ‘Laocoön and His Sons’. We were told that it represented Trojan priest Laocoön and his two sons under attack by sea serpents. The marble masterpiece was created in 1506 yet still felt perfectly placed in this current age. Many of the paintings which plastered the ceilings and walls were created by Michelangelo and Raphael, such as ‘Transfiguration’ and ‘School of Athens’. However, the one which really caught my eye was ‘Apollo and the Muses’ by Tommaso Conca. While it does not relish in fame in comparison to other paintings, its beauty had such a strength that I began to feel a deep sense of gratitude to be alive to witness such wonders.
Elisa’s gentle tone became noticeably sterner as she discussed our entry inside the Sistine Chapel, she acknowledged how sacred the chapel was and said, ‘you cannot take photos, and you cannot talk’, with a sincerity in her voice so deep that I felt as though she may begin to cry. Descending the stairs, I entered, the silence made the room go cold, cut sharply by guards who shouted ‘Silenco!’ every couple of minutes. I felt so small standing in such a large, powerful space, it was as though it was transforming me. The ceiling was painted by Michelangelo in 1508, which showcases the story of Jesus Christ, with each painting referencing a key part of the Bible from the Book of Genesis. It possessed a level of glory which brought a sense of inner peace to grow inside me. The sensation of being on edge while being wonderfully at peace is one I’ve never experienced before, I truly believe it’s a feeling which can only be felt in that room. I may have been amongst numerous other people, but I felt tranced into feeling as though it was just me, alone and enlightened.
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