The marina-fronting town of Porto Santo Stefano has rebuilt many of its colorful terraced homes after 95 percent of the town was destroyed by heavy bombing in World War II. Today, the gentle waters of the Mediterranean lap at a popular promenade and a harbor of leisure craft, providing a calmer atmosphere. Disembarking at Porto Santo Stefano, we transfer to Rome for a two-night stay in this ancient city. On arrival at Rome, we meet our Rome guides and visit St Peter's, the Vatican Museums, and the Sistine Chapel when we spend time at the Vatican City. A former circus where Nero staged barbaric spectacles to entertain the masses, the Vatican City became consecrated ground when Rome's first Christian emperor, Constantine, declared the land to be 'the hill of the martyrs'. This sovereign state, gifted independence from Italy in 1929, encapsulates St Peter's Cathedral, the Vatican museums, and a labyrinth of corridors, apartments, and gardens housing the pope and his staff. Christendom's largest church, St Peter's Cathedral, is another Michelangelo masterpiece. At 72 he designed the cupola to cover the sky above the bones of the first apostle, St Peter, and his successors - the popes. Yet it is his sculpture of the Virgin Mary cradling the body of her son, the Pieta, which he created at only 22 years of age, that so succinctly distils the grandeur of St Peter's to a personal experience so succinctly. Next door, the 55 gallerias that make up the Vatican Museums, house the world's greatest artistic treasure chest. Ranging from the Vatican library with its 65,000 manuscripts including the original love letter from Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn, to the sarcophagus of Saint Helen, Constantine's mother. Each sala builds on the wonders of the previous. There are rooms decorated by Raphael, barrel vaulted ceilings covered with ancient maps, endless halls lined by statuesque marble sculptures, and corridors of secret souvenirs collected by various popes over centuries of rule - capped off by Michelangelo's masterful frescoes of the Sistine Chapel. When viewed in real life, the Sistine Chapel will take your breath away. In the late afternoon, we check into our hotel. This evening, there is time to relax and enjoy dinner at one of the local trattorias (own expense). Accommodation: Rome Hotel ...
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