b's Travels: Italy - Rome 'n' Catholicism

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Greece Italy Turkey Nepal Egypt	Vatican City, Roma The Bishop of Rome, Pope John Paul II leans out of his window to greet the masses and bless the faithful who have gathered in St. Peter's square. The successor of St. Peter looks down at my camera and the crowd gathered around the ancient Egyptian obelisk (not pictured) brought to Rome to decorate Caligula's and later Nero's circus. Moved to St. Peter's square 400 years ago.
		Vatican City is the smallest independent state in existence.
	Milano You may have seen countless reproductions of this depiction of the Last Supper, but Leonardo da Vinci's original on the refectory wall of Santa Maria delle Grazia in Milan is spellbinding. A gray-haired and bearded man whom I met on a train from Pisa to Florence could only compare it to a hit of acid. Though deteriorated and under restoration, this one artifact is worth your ticket to Milan from just about anywhere.
		For me, a work of art that finally spoke for itself. One that didn't ask to be framed, examined, evaluated, studied, puzzled-over, talked-about. No supplement needed. As Michelangelo's David is the Renaissance in one marble sculpture, here is the Renaissance in one crumbling fresco. But don't miss Botticelli in Florence!
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