As the patron saints of the city of Rome, their day is a special occasion (as well as a public holiday) here in the Eternal City. The day begins with a spectacular mass at St. Peter's Basilica which ends with the Pope kissing the feet of the medieval statue of St. Peter.
Read MoreNo answers? No guesses? No comments whatsoever? This either means the question was too hard, or no one reads this blog. Ok, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. I'm sure you couldn't sleep last night, mentally cataloguing of every work of art, church, building, and monument in Rome, desperately trying to discover the work that was inspired by the brilliant mosaic ceiling of Constantia's gorgeous mausoleum. I'm heartless, I know. So here it is.
Read MoreThe Mausoleum of Constantia is what inspires me to write today. Constantia was the daughter of Emperor Constantine and his second wife Fausta. Despite a medieval legend that would have her devoutly praying at the tomb of St. Agnes, she was by most accounts a vicious, greedy and not particularly religious person. However, she was venerated (but it seems never canonized) as a saint, although she is not recognized as one by the church.
Read MoreAt the north side of the gallery rises the little-known Tower of the Winds, one of the highest points in Vatican City. It takes its name from the anemoscope it possesses, an instrument that gauges the direction of the wind, designed by Ignazio Danti, the papal cosmographer. However, despite its name, Pope Gregory XIII commissioned the tower for the sole purpose of determining the extent of the inaccuracy of the Julian Calendar.
Read MoreDespite having set foot in the Vatican Museums over five hundred times in my life, I had never visited the Vatican's Etruscan Museum until very recently. The Etruscan Museum is slightly off the beaten track for the average 2 to 2 1/2 tour. But recently a private group specifically requested it, which gave me a wonderful opportunity to do some exploring there.
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