Our 3rd and final day in Roma began with yet another early visit to the Vatican. The line was even shorter this time, and we got in quickly. While my mom and aunt went to check out the papal crypt, my fiance and I went to check the treasury; on the hunt for the true tomb of Alexander IV's greatest political adversary, his successor, Pope Julius II ( Genoan-born Guiliano Della Rovere). I had read from two sources that Julius the 2nd shared a tomb with his uncle and predecessor to the papal throne, Sixtus VI, but after talking with the staff, it appears that was not so. The demolition of the old St. Peter's Basilica displaced a lot of Papal remains, so as it stands, no one seems to know exactly where the true spot his remains lie, if there even is one now. A bit disappointed, but impressed by Sixtus' ornate tomb ( in which they don't even seem to be sure his remains truly lie there), we made our way to the Vatican museum. While I did enjoy seeing the Sistine chapel in person, the museum itself reminded much of my Florentine dome climb in the aspects of hot, cramped, and poor ventilation; only the museum went on for literal miles( in all seriousness, the building is not only enormous, but with all the twists and turns one could probably spend all day, and still not see everything. It took at least an hour of walking for us to reach the Sistine chapel!) Despite all the priceless papal and worldly treasures, I was ultimately glad to leave the museum behind me. After the journey to find the Sistine Chapel, the group split again as my fiance and I left to find the empty tomb Julius II had celebrated artist, Michaelangelo Buonarotti construct. Ironically enough (since his enemy Alexander IV had a humble final resting place after he banished his remains from the Vatican), we found it in a very quaint ( and by quaint, we didn't even think it was a church, let alone a Basilica housing the monument of so infamous a Pope) Basilica, near the Roman Coliseum. Though ornate, the tomb was never finished ( it was meant to depict a grand throne with a likeness of Julius II on top; at the altar of St. Peter's Basilica). From there we returned to the Roman forum for some last minute filming. Finally, we met back up at the hotel, and set out for our final dinner in Italy. It did not disappoint. It's been an unforgettable trip, that we will all remember. I'll see you guys on the next adventure. Be sure to look out for new picture sets, and new episodes of my Sunlit Earth motion picture series on YouTube! Cheers!
