Rome, Day 2

On our second day in Rome, Italy, we technically visited another country. This country is very small--only 0.17 square miles.  We didn't even need to show our passport to enter.

This is Vatican City. If you are Catholic, then you will know that a very important person lives here--the Pope.  The pope did not come out to where we were, though, so we didn't get to see him.  But we did get to see this amazing church.

This is St. Peter's Basilica.  It was designed by Michelangelo and built over the site where St. Peter was buried.  It is said that his bones and coffin are in the catacombs beneath the church, but we weren't able to go down there and look.

This is The Pieta. It was sculpted by Michelangelo and one of the few pieces of artwork this famous painter actually signed.  The sculpture sits behind bullet-proof glass because in the 1970s, a very angry person hit the statue with a hammer and damaged it.
You may have heard of Michelangelo.  He is the fellow who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  Guess where the Sistine Chapel is?  That's right--in Vatican City!  We were able to go in, but we could not take any pictures. I found these online so that you can see what I got to see. It was amazing! 

I don't know if you noticed the columns in the first picture. There is something very special about them.  You can see in the first picture that the columns go around the piazza, or plaza, and that there are rows behind the first row. Well, the architect who designed it did something really cool. There is a certain spot where you can stand.  When you stand there and look at the arc of columns in front of you, you notice something cool.

They are all perfectly in line! Isn't that crazy? What a smart guy!
Tomorrow is our last day in Rome...I wonder what we'll see!